"Resting on Grace" - Romans 4:13-25

The ideas of achievement and self-worth are tightly intertwined in our society.  While I know and appreciate the feeling that comes with achievement – the joy of accomplishing a goal or even satisfaction with a hard day’s work – problems can arise when we link our sense of self too closely to what we are able to accomplish.  We may begin to think that our worth is dependent on our productivity, our contributions, our work.  We can start to feel that we have to justify ourselves through our achievements, that if we aren’t productive enough we somehow aren’t worthy.  For many the pandemic has been especially difficult because people who identified with their work and attached their value to it, have lost that work, or lost much of their productivity.  Without a job or productivity to define us or give our lives value, we can begin to feel lost and unworthy.  If we are more than our jobs, if our worth is not based solely in our productivity– who are we and what is the source of our value?

 It is precisely to this question that Paul is speaking in his discourse on grace and works in this week's sermon text from the fourth chapter of Romans, from which I’m preaching this week.  When Paul speaks of works, he is referring to the actions that we take in our lives, specifically how we follow the laws of God.  Understanding salvation to depend on works is similar to the understanding that our worth is tied to our productivity – in each case we are in the position of trying to earn our salvation, trying to prove our worth.  For Paul, this is a fool’s errand; try as we might we cannot earn our salvation.  Fortunately, Paul believes that our salvation rests not on our own efforts, works, but rather on the grace of God.  Grace is an unmerited gift.  It is God’s free choice to save us, to love us, to grant our lives worth and value.  What makes this choice gracious is that it is based not on our earning or deserving it, but solely on God’s desire to love us.  We are loved and valued unconditionally – not because we earned it, but because God is gracious.  Our value and our salvation rest not on ourselves, but on grace.

 Accepting that our value rests not on works but on grace is a liberating feeling.  We are set free from the endless, futile, task of trying to justify ourselves.  We can simply accept that we are loved – right now – just as we are.  This is tremendously good news.  I hope this week you can find ways to feel and experience the good news that you are beloved by God.  I hope you can feel the relief, the gratitude, and the sense of commitment that comes from resting on grace.  May we trust in the grace of God and live our lives in gratitude for the good news of God’s unconditional love for us.

 Pastor Andrew Greenhaw