Gestures of grace (January, 2006)

"We know that God is not looking for an opportunity to scorch the sinners of the world, but save them."

Sometimes the church, especially the bright and successful evangelical church, leaves the impression that only the handsome and successful need apply. Only the bold and beautiful make it to the stage. ... We are cool, competent, jauntily casual, and easy to look at.

Sadly, this does seem true. Churches are right in wanting to persuade, to be Christ's aroma to the world (2 Cor. 2:14-16). But this world's image of beauty is shaped by Cosmopolitan, GQ, Playboy, VH1 and BET. In trying to influence, we fall into the mold. May God have mercy on us.

Before all of us--handicapped, broken, limited, and fearful--is one who loves us desperately and offers to us the gestures of grace. His life is an invitation to love.

May we see ourselves for who we are. May we see Jesus for who he is.

Only the theologically compliant and politically sound are acceptable. No deep questions are allowed. No sense of dis-ease at quickly settled certainties is permitted. Questions, evidently, are a sign of intellectual and moral weakness, better to be unasked. The human understanding that the Bible recognizes as broken and fallible becomes with bitter irony the final court of appeal on God's Holy Word of love.

Let God be true, and every man a liar. (Rom. 3:4) Though I don't see this first-hand, I believe it exists in many circles, on both sides of the political fence. May we seek to understand over being understood, draw out the questioner (Prov. 20:5), and love the dissenter as ourselves.

A new year calls us to dance with Jesus. His story shows us the gestures of grace. We are awkward as we take them up. We stumble through our steps. We are artless in our movements. But if we learn to dance with Jesus the dance of grace and love, perhaps we--artless and clumsy as we are--can teach these steps to others even more artless and clumsy than ourselves.

And may we, artless and clumsy as we are, not be ashamed in a world that despises these qualities, knowing we dance for an audience of One--Jesus.