‘A church built on the grace of God’

‘Happy New Year, everyone!’ You may feel it’s a bit early to say that with a whole month left of 2023 in the current year, right? Some might even raise an eyebrow and ask, ‘New Year already?’ In the Christian tradition, the onset of a new year coincides with the season of Advent—a time of preparation for the arrival of the infant Jesus.

The Christian church intentionally sets this holy time apart from the world’s calendar. While the secular calendar follows the Earth’s cycle and the changing seasons, and its reference points for the new year are convenient, for the church calendar, the sacred time of our faith has a clear and profound meaning. Advent is a time centred around anticipation and preparation for the birth of the baby Jesus, and for us, it marks the beginning of a new year. We are thankful that God comes into the world and becomes one with us. May Advent be a time of anticipation and spiritual renewal for all of us.

Let me tell you a light-hearted story: there was an elder known for his unwavering gratitude. One Sunday morning, the weather took a terrible turn, and his congregation wondered how he would react. With a smile on his face, he said, ‘Thank you, Lord, that the weather isn’t always like this!’ It’s a kind of ‘ultra-positive gratitude’ spirit that I hope flows through our elders and among all in the congregation. Now, let’s centre our reflections around today’s Scripture from 1 Corinthians.

The Apostle Paul always begins his letters with a heartfelt message of gratitude for the people he is communicating with. For example, his letter to the Philippians begins, ‘I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you’.

The first letter to the Thessalonians expresses the peak of gratitude: ‘We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Every request Paul makes to the church is accompanied by an expression of gratitude for the blessings they have already received and for the blessings they will receive.

Corinth was a beautiful city – a place of influence with a prosperous society.  Paul writes to the newly formed church about their divisions and controversies. But he writes realistically and graciously. He doesn’t confront them with these conflicts in the opening of his letter. Instead, he is thankful for the church. He encourages the Corinthians not to let the problems of their church become so great to them that they overshadow the wonderful gift of the Lord.

His first greeting is gratitude, with a particular, central word: ‘grace’. The Corinthian church had a tendency to refuse to give to help Christ’s church when things didn’t go their way, and instead of using their resources and presence for the benefit of the church members, they used what they had to promote themselves, their opinions, and their ideas.

So he starts redirecting the church’s attention away from human standards and accomplishments – potential sources of division – towards God’s grace as the foundation of the community’s peace.’

The ‘grace’ that Paul experienced was Jesus Christ, whom he met on the road to Damascus. From then on, we see in his epistles that Paul repeatedly credits God’s complete salvation and his call to be God’s servant to the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ alone.

Once, there was a man who spent a lot of money on beer, and his house had no furniture. One day, he heard the gospel, and his life changed. His co-workers noticed the change in his attitude, language, and behaviour. Now, he was using his money to buy furniture for his family. His fellow workers asked him mockingly, ‘Do you believe all that stuff about Jesus turning water into wine?’ He answered, ‘I don’t know how he changed water into wine, but one thing I do know is he does change beer into furniture.’

Grace is like a powerful and active force that brings about positive transformations in people’s lives.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is for imperfect human beings, just like all of us who are struggling with our imperfections. The grace of God is that despite our lack of faithfulness, despite our lack of patience, despite our anger at the smallest things, despite our ever-critical hearts, God continually reassures us that we are Christians. This is the good news.

The amazing news about God’s incredible grace is that it’s big enough to make you a Christian and keep you going, even when you’re uncertain, unhappy, dealing with death, or facing health challenges. As we pray about these things, we see how creative and transforming power. It is the Gospel of God’s grace. Countless people have been changed by the gospel, and the power of the gospel continues to be transforming.

As we await the birth of Christ’s child during the season of Advent, may this be a time of hopeful anticipation and spiritual renewal for all of us. Like the elder who expressed gratitude in the face of terrible weather, let’s nurture a spirit of ‘super gratitude’ in our communities.

In conclusion, let the grace of Jesus Christ continue its transformative work, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, much like the man who discovered Jesus could turn beer into furniture. May St Margaret’s be a church that goes out into the world with the grace of Jesus Christ as our guide. Amen.