Romans 12:1-8 and Matthew 16:13-20

Grace. It’s a word we Christians use regularly. It’s sometimes conflated with another commonly used word: “blessing,” but the terms are not quite interchangeable. People of many cultures and faith traditions understand “blessing” as a special favor and protection bestowed upon temporal creatures (like ourselves) by a higher power, often resulting from their good works… brownie points, if you will. But grace is a little different. The word “grace” has existed in the lexicon of various peoples and cultures all the way back into antiquity (e.g., He moved with such grace!… She has graced stage and screen for nearly two decades… They handled what could have been an awkward situation very gracefully…). The Apostle Paul, however, points to a deeper understanding of the term in light of Christians’ relationship with their Creator. True grace, he says, is not a human attribute. It’s a gift from God to humans, freely given, undeserved and unearnable. In our Epistle today (Romans 12:1-8), Paul discusses the relationship of grace to other gifts bestowed by God: grace allows prophets to prophesy more faithfully. It helps ministers, teachers and encouragers to exercise their gifts more effectively. Grace prompts givers to give more-fully from the heart, empowers leaders with greater diligence and strength of character and allows the compassionate soul to serve others with cheerfulness and empathy. So, in military terms, grace might be considered a “force multiplier”, adding speed and punch to our endeavors… or perhaps it’s the “secret sauce” that imparts flavor and substance to our interactions with the world. And it’s all a gift from God, and God alone.

Have you ever heard someone faced with life’s misery and misfortune exclaim something along the lines of, “There but for the grace of God go I…”? I bet you have. I know I have. I’ve even said it once or twice. Ouch. The reason I say “ouch” is that, if true grace is a gift from God, freely given, undeserved and unearnable, then it’s obtainable by any and all of God’s children at any time… all for the asking. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’ve been or what you’ve done or left undone, God’s grace is there for you. All you need to do is apprehend (take hold of) it through faith. Grace is not bestowed on account of how many brownie points you’ve earned. It’s just there… over you, around you, on every side of you… closer than you think. When bad things happen to good (or even not-so-good) people, it’s usually a result of bad luck or poor planning, not for lack of God’s grace. I’m not finger pointing… bad things can happen to any of us… at any time. But here’s the thing: if we’re faithful, if we’re grace-full, if we have given in to God’s movement and purpose in our lives, then we’ll know that we’re not alone in our struggles. We’ll know that the God who entered into covenant after covenant (do-over after do-over) with his stubborn, rebellious people… the one who sent his only Son to show us how we could be fully-human… and that physical death was not the end… that same God is with us always, mighty to save, and quick to console and uphold us in times of loss and grief and desolation. That’s what it means to be saved by grace. 

And I wonder if that’s what Jesus was hinting at when he responded to Peter’s heartfelt confession of faith by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Peter had been given a gift of grace in discerning the true nature of God’s Christ, the Son of the living God, who had come to earth to bring the good news and salvation to a people who walked in darkness (cf. Isaiah 9:2). Grace apprehended through faith. And then, Jesus told Peter that that grace came with a purpose: On you, I will build my church. Of course, Peter had no way of knowing all that would entail: the burden of leadership and feelings of inadequacy, the guilt of betrayal and the agony watching, powerlessly, as his own dear Master (the Son of the living God) was reviled, abused and finally executed on a Roman cross. Peter had no way of knowing where it would all end… but God did. And God granted Peter the grace of knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah sent to redeem his people. I expect that that brief moment of revelation was of great comfort to Peter during his darkest hours… and also later on, as he undertook the hard work of building God’s Church in Jerusalem. 

And that brings me to one last point… actually, it’s a reminder of something you already know, or should know. We say we are saved by grace, and we are. But God’s grace is less about saving us from something… as it is about saving us for something. Peter and Paul and countless other saints, apostles and martyrs received the full measure of God’s grace, and yet lived lives fraught with difficulty and peril. In fact, many of them, including Peter and Paul and our own patron James, gave their last, full measure of devotion for the cause of Christ. That kind of puts a brand-new slant on the whole, “There but for the grace of God go I…” thing doesn’t it? Be careful what you ask for. But here’s the thing: as a Christ-follower, you have signed up to be a recipient of God’s grace, with all that it entails. We have each been given talents, skills and abilities that, when we’re at our best, we can use to help bring about the kingdom of God on earth. In fact, that’s our purpose… it’s why we were made. Our faith in Christ Jesus won’t make our lives on earth any easier, per se, but it can make our travails a little bit more bearable. The real purpose of our having faith, however, is that it helps us open ourselves to God’s grace—that crowds around us on every side—strengthening and upholding us to do the work God has given us to do, which is to bring hope to the hopeless, justice to the marginalized and love and compassion to the least of these. That’s what we’ve been saved for. And if we succeed in this holy vocation, if we truly do become “the Church,” we won’t have to tell the world that Jesus is Messiah. They’ll know.