Listen

He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

John 1:11-16

Think

Grace upon grace. That phrase makes me pause. When I say it slowly, I feel my shoulders relax. Try it. Grace is one of those hard-to-define words, but think of an effortless dancer or a merciful police officer who gives you a warning, an act of kindness that isn’t deserved. For the believer, the kind of grace in today’s passage only comes from God, and is an undeserved gift. You do nothing to get it, you can’t earn it, and it is there today, and tomorrow, and the day after that. God’s grace is like water to a thirsty traveler, or freedom for a prisoner. It’s like waiting and waiting and then getting really good news.

God’s grace is freely offered through Jesus to you right now, even as you read these words. No matter what you have done, or how many times you have failed, grace is yours for the asking. Christ gave us the power to become children of God, and gave us a rare gift. Wait for it…grace upon grace. Receive God’s grace to you today. Or find a way to share God’s grace with another today.

David Burroughs

Pray

God of grace, thank you. Thank you for the unfathomable gift of grace freely given to me. Thank you for your son, Jesus, who breathed in the same air that I breathe, and drank water just like I drink. And thank you for grace upon grace. Help me to accept this gift, with my whole heart. Give me the strength to share it with another today. Amen.

Go

See, it is Jesus, Jesus has appeared;
Do not doubt at all for nothing you will fear.
Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing;
Tell it without ceasing: Death has lost its sting.

Yours is the glory, Resurrected One!
Endless is the victory you o'er death have won.

Edmond L. Budry