My family and I were enjoying Christmas at the coast — a first for us. Quickly getting over the fact that it would not be a snowy Christmas that year, we instead took pleasure in several days of brisk, ocean weather instead.
On Christmas Day (a Sunday that year), we decided to seek out a local body of believers and celebrate with them. The friendly little church we found was warm and decked out for the holiday. The small group of worshipers belted out the Christmas hymns with gusto. We felt blessed to be among them.
The speaker had chosen the first chapter of John. It was an uncommon passage for a Christmas sermon but I enjoyed how he tied it into the Christmas theme. When he read verse 16, talking about the grace upon grace that believers receive from the Lord Jesus, the preacher seemed genuinely moved as he tried to help us picture the meaning. He asked the audience to imagine standing at the ocean edge (something his sea coast congregation knew well) watching the waves coming in to shore. No sooner did one wave spend itself on the beach than it was replaced by another, then another, then another. That’s how God’s grace is, he explained. We who have come to know Jesus Christ — in His grace and truth — can experience this gift minute upon minute, hour upon hour, day upon day until our Lord returns.
Do you feel discouraged today — like your circumstances or your behavior will never change? God longs to heal you and transform you. Receive the free gift of His never-ending grace!
Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing us the free gift of grace — your unmerited favor. And all we need do is open our hands and open our hearts and receive it. What a constant and comforting truth! Amen.
Go Deeper — watch a , or if you live on the coast, go watch them. Think about how endless and constant God’s grace is and let that idea “wash over“ you.
Photo Credit: adrian