Embrace Another Year of Grace



Today we lead into a new program year with one of the most liberating sentences in scripture: Genesis 15:20, “Though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good.” Letting these thirteen words loose in our lives can be truly transformative.

Let’s start with their original setting in Genesis. A pack of resentful older brothers has ganged up on a spoiled younger brother named Joseph, and sold him into slavery. As the caravan carries him over the horizon they savor sweet revenge and return home satisfied to have gotten the best of him. But God, as always, is watching, and prospers Joseph’s new-found career in agriculture. Several years pass and famine strikes the older brothers’ lands, and they are famished. They humbly approach Joseph for food. The brothers presume—mistakenly—that Joseph’s heart will be as scarred and hardened as theirs. But Joseph foregoes retribution by honoring a sacred distinction: “You intended to do harm to me,” he begins, “but God intended it for good.” Both of these paradoxical statements about God and human beings are true. The brothers deserve punishment and God deserves gratitude. Joseph goes with God. He savors the grace he has received by putting it back into circulation. He feeds them without keeping score.

Putting grace into circulation is one of the most profound ways that you and I serve God. Learned rabbis phrase it this way: “What we own, we owe.” Meaning that everything we call our own has come to us by some grace—our health, wealth, time and energy—life simply did not have to be this good. We have all been blessed in many ways, and our sacred responsibility is to keep that grace in circulation by using our blessings to bless others.

The word grace itself is a very old one, going back to the ancient Latin gratia meaning favor, good will, or gratitude. It denotes a dynamic relationship marked by self-giving for the benefit of others, without expecting repayment. Like any flowing stream, this flow of grace can be dammed up, creating a pool of glut. I once saw a raunchy Far Side cartoon showing a mosquito about to explode because it just wouldn’t pull back and stop taking in blood; meanwhile its frantic friend pleads desperately, “Pull out! For God’s sake, pull out!” Not a very flattering image, but the picture makes its point: once we have received what we actually need, it is time to start giving way and giving away to others.

Although I have been away over the past ten weeks, I’ve picked up many clues via email about self-giving at St. Michael’s. Right away in late June there were messages from the wardens and finance commission about the vestry agenda and fiscal reports, volunteer staffing for the office, and continuing building committee actions. In July there were profound prayers and compassionate support surrounding Ernie Johnston’s death. The church was packed for his funeral. Meanwhile Sunday mornings and Wednesday mornings unfolded graciously, with wonderful leadership from Fr. John, Fr. Bob, and Jason. As the summer wore on there were volunteers out mowing the lawn, hosting a social to share vacation adventures, staining the big toy, and arranging the Silvers and Sages luncheon for our most seasoned members. There were starts, stops and restarts for moving equipment into the Sunday School classrooms and the Music Center. My Inbox showed volunteer schedules pulling together for fall, and plans being laid for Stewardship and Adult Formation offerings. Just this past week I met creative moms painting an incredible mural on the nursery walls, Sunday School teachers readying their rooms, and Music Committee and choir members gathering to get ready for program launch. This quick list includes only the instances of self-giving that I managed to discover; I’m sure you all could add to it endlessly. The point is that despite the many disruptions caused by my absence, our parish family has kept God’s grace in circulation beautifully, for the benefit of everyone, so that today we can easily reunite and Embrace Another Year of Grace together. That’s inspiring!

Today, of course, we also observe the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Keeping grace in circulation following this ferocious attack has been one of the most formidable challenges our nation has ever faced, especially for the victims’ families. Osama Bin Laden’s rampage made the cruelty shown by Joseph’s brothers seem like child’s play. Who would blame these aggrieved loved ones if they retreated into pure passion for revenge, and stayed there? And yet even in these excruciating circumstances, the power of grace has defied all odds and started seeping out into circulation.

Although many victims’ families are quick to say that their first goal was merely to survive, and that they still struggle to make sense of their world, many are now managing to draw hope and a renewed sense of purpose from the tragedy. Here are half a dozen examples.

• A retired fire captain who lost two sons on 9/11—one a fire fighter, the other a policeman—now regularly takes his grandsons to visit wounded troops at Walter Reed Medical Center.
• A widow has started noticing how the blessings of life somehow keep coming—four bar mitzvahs and two graduations in her own family alone—the chance for a fresh start felt too good to miss, and she has chosen to remarry.
• Yet another widow simply savors the memories of the outpouring of good will and personal support which followed the fiery attack. This brought out the best in the country she loves.
• A son who lost has father has chosen to honor him by following in his footsteps as a police officer, while another pair of sons have become fire fighters like their dad.
• A mother who lost her son volunteers giving tours at the Ground Zero tribute center, taking the opportunity to talk glowingly about her boy. She hands each visitor a prayer card bearing his smiling image.
• A family who lost a daughter named Brooke started a foundation to continue her work fighting illiteracy; it is their great joy to give Brooke Packs to young readers—back packs filled with books.


Osama Bin Laden certainly meant 9/11 for harm, but God intends that grace should somehow flow from it, and find its way into circulation so that wounded troops will be visited, and families will be restarted, and compassion will be shared, and the community will be served by dedicated police officers and fire fighters, and vibrant lives will be celebrated, and children will be helped to read.

Let us embrace another year of grace, and give thanks to God for all the blessings we receive that allow us to give from our bounty. Amen.