“You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Jesus – John 15:16a You know the kid on every playground who’s always chosen last? That was me. I could run fast, but my hand-to-eye coordination stunk. That meant being a sought after team mate for a game of pick-up basketball was out of the question. […]
I don’t do a lot of re-posting but with David’s permission I wanted to share this excellent post about God’s choosing us for His team. So many of us can identify with the way David says that God includes us all – just in different ways as long as our heart is on His team. I am also adding a very special rendition of Just As I Am by the Mullett Family. I hope you all have a blessed Sunday and enjoy both of these reminders of God’s amazing love and great grace!
And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. Matthew 9:20 ESV
My wife has completed many a long sewing project by placing a hem on the material she is working on. In a traditional men’s shirt there are a least a dozen hems, but on the garment of Christ there was only one. We know this because the soldiers gambled to see who would get his robe because it was all one piece. The only hem available for this woman to touch was the very lowest point of the robe of Jesus Christ.
Like this woman in the crowd, our own needs may have dominated our focus for years. Friends, family, and even her ability to enter a place or worship all were affected by that need, until the day Jesus passed by in the crowd. We are not told if she had listened to Jesus’ words herself or if she had simply believed what others had told her about him. What we do know is that the message she had heard about Jesus Christ was enough for her to determine that she would do anything to get to Him. For that one single moment, the power of her need had no ability to prevent her from pressing through the crowd and falling to her knees to reach up and touch the hem of His robe. The miraculous healing and acceptance of Christ was the good news for her that day. The good news for us, is that our invisible God gives us a visible point of contact but it is often only found in the lowest of places. When we are ready and willing to kneel down to touch the hem of His garment He will pass by and give us a visible point of contact to His invisible power and grace!
Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble James 4:6
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:10
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy! Matthew 5:7
As we’ve looked at gifts both given and received; no list could be complete without mercy. Grace sometimes gets bigger headlines in the Sunday sermons, but comparing the two as if one were greater misses the point. Mercy is God’s forgiveness by which we receive eternal life. Grace is God’s amazing delivery system that brings His gift to places we least expect and to the most unlikely people. (Like me!) I hope my little poem this morning will simply be a reminder that we are each given this day, so that we can pass God’s mercy on to others in a thousand little acts of grace.
Mercy's Gifts
It's a pint of blood needed
To someone we don’t know
Or handful of tissues when their tears start to flow
A quiet embrace when their world falls apart
And a light at the door when they come after dark
It's that kiss of forgiveness when we still feel the hurt
Or a check in the mail when they’ve been out of work
Angel songs after midnight when we’re up watching sheep
And a Babe in a manger On a night that's so deep!
Mercy's Gifts by Peter Caligiuri
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