As we finish our series
on 2 Corinthians it is appropriate to end unpacking what Paul means when he
speaks about Charis. It is an important word.
It occurs in the New
Testament over 170 times.
For the most part it is
a word that is translated as GRACE.
In our everyday usage
we use this word to denote smooth actions – she is a graceful dancer. To
describe how someone behaves politely in social situations – He treats everyone
with grace. In our language, the word grace does not carry with it the import
that scripture gives it. And so we may not take it seriously.
For us Christians,
grace is the incredible, undeserved kindness God shows us through Jesus. As a
people, we know that in this world we are undeserving of God’s love. For every
species that is lost, for every drop of water that is contaminated, for every
bullet that kills, for every word we speak that causes division, for every child
that goes hungry, for every trans person who is beaten, we know that we are undeserving of God’s grace.
God’s love for us began
when he breathed the Spirit over the void and created life and continued when
you burst forth from the womb and breathed in that same Spirit. This is the
grace that God gives us, undeserved life! But, sin has scarred the world and
this gift of life was abused and misused. We started thinking that we did not
need God, that somehow we created our own life, our own possessions, our own
love. This broke God’s heart. But, when our hearts are broken we tend
to turn away. Unlike us God found a new way to heal our relationships. God gave us a new grace, a
new love: Jesus the Christ.
Through God’s only Son,
God found a way to heal our wounds, our relationships, through washing us clean
from our sins, forgiving us of our breaking of this life. God gave us New
Life! Through this Jesus, sin, death and the devil were defeated and our
relationships were restored and God began the healing of the entire
universe! God found a way to set aside all that we fear that drives us to
abuse and hurt each other. THIS is what Paul is talking about when he uses this
word Grace!
For Paul this
word encompasses all that it means to be a Christian. And he uses it throughout
all his letters. We translated Charis just in Chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians
alone as: Grace, blessing, generous act, thanks, and generous undertaking. But
for the hearers of this letter they would hear this word grace as a staccato
reminder of what God has done for them and what they in turn are called to do
for others. GRACE, GRACE, GRACE.
The issue for us is
that we are so trapped by our fears. Our fear of others, our fear of death, our
fear of loss of all kinds. All of this is a life lived as if there just is not
enough. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough food. This all leads to
our unjust systems that impoverish others, that imprison the poor, that
underpays the family worker so they cannot feed their families adequately, that
whispers in your ear that you need a gun or “they” are going to come get what
is rightfully yours.
But, this is not the
way God wants us to live. God is a God of abundance and there is plenty of
manna for all, as long as we only take what we need and leave the rest for
others. Our God overflows this creation with love.
This overflowing love
is what Paul is tapping into when he encourages the people to give generously,
graciously. This life that God is calling us into is a grace-filled life that
never gives out. It is a well of water that will always quench our thirst. It
is a word of forgiveness that God never tires of speaking. It is a life that
must be lived in the reality of God’s abundance and not in the evil of
scarcity.
During this Month of Pride,
when we marched with our LGBTQ community, we as a people of God show that
God’s love IS for everyone. We show that we are able to repent of the ways that we
have marginalized God’s people because we thought that God’s love was limited.
God’s love, God’s grace is limitless.
Brothers and Sisters –
Paul is speaking to us the word of grace – the word of Jesus – the word of God
- when he writes:
The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.
Can love be expressed any better? God’s grace overflows in
you. Share it and the good news that God is indeed healing the world. Tell this
story and may it be the story that finally brings peace. Amen.
