Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound...or is it! Grace set to music is one thing, but what about grace itself? What about grace as an idea, an act, a force? Grace upsets the natural balance, turning the low of cause and effect on its head. Our instinctive reaction is to pull back from grace. Rather than recognizing our unworthiness to receive this completely undeserved gift from God, we want to believe that, on balance, something in our lives merits the good that comes our way, that we deserve whatever gifts we receive. And if we find it difficult to accept grace for ourselves, how much more unwilling are we to have it handed to others? When someone gets off the hook too easily, aren't we uncomfortable? A miscarriage of justice, we think. That's not fair! But real Christian faith requires that we accept and embrace being fair: God's grace will turn your world upside down--if you let it.
