GRACE UPON GRACE
Dear Friends in Christ,
When I was a child, I was always fascinated by the stained glass window over the west door at my home parish, Grace Church in
And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)
And around the outside of the window were the faces of other angels.
What I didn’t understand was why a parish that wasn’t named St. Michael and All Angels, but Grace Church, would have such a prominent St. Michael window. One day the rector told why he thought the window was very appropriate for Grace Church. Angels are ministers of God’s grace to us.
We often experience God’s grace, God’s undeserved love for us, through the words and actions of others. Other people become for us God’s messengers (the basic meaning of the Greek word that we translate as angels), sharing with us the good news of God’s love, God’s grace. And although we probably have doubts about this, we often become God’s angels, God’s messengers for others.
The Letter to the Ephesians reminds that our life in Christ is anchored in God’s grace:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
All of our life is a gift: Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17) And the gifts that God has given us are meant to be shared.
I am very thankful for the many people who have been – and continue to be – God’s angels in my life. Thankful for my mother and her parents and my two older brothers who were the first people to show me unconditional love. Thankful for Jan and our children. Thankful for the members of Grace Church and of the other parishes to which I have belonged. Thankful for my friends and my colleagues. And thankful for the members of this parish. All of these have been angels, ministers of God’s grace to me, sharing God’s love with me. And all of these have helped me and encouraged me so that I might be a more effective minister of God’s grace to others.
I pray that we will continue to be angels for one another, receiving God’s gifts of grace and passing them on. We need never fear that there won’t be enough to share and that we’ll have to hoard the grace for ourselves. God’s grace is inexhaustible – there is always more than enough for everyone. God’s promise of grace is clear: From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16) In Jesus we have all that we need – we have grace upon grace.
Your brother and priest,
Daniel
