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The Weight and Means of Grace

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, it’s the day after Christmas, and many of us are over-stuffed, under-slept, and very-spent—in more than one way. But mostly, we’re thankful that Jesus actually came into the world for us. It’s profoundly freeing—not cliché, to know all we truly need is what you’ve given us in Jesus.

For those of us for whom the day was really good, we worship you as the God from whom all blessings flow and good gifts are given. For those of us for whom the day was pretty difficult, we’re thankful to know you as the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

When the shepherds left Jesus’ manger, they were still shepherds. Life remained complicated and difficult for them. They were still “profiled” as untrustworthy members of the community. And a five-star bed-and-breakfast didn’t open up the next morning for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

Father, thank you, that as followers of Jesus, we don’t have to pretend about anything. Jesus came into a broken world for broken people, and, therefore, we all qualify. You call us to believe, not to make-believe; to delight in you, not deny reality—to be still and know that you are God; not get busy and prove we are capable.

Help us to live these next few days in gospel-gratitude and neighbor-love. Keep us from getting in too big of a hurry to clean up the messes, put up decorations, or shift into New Year’s Eve party-mode. Free us to linger in the presence of the One who has come to save, heal, and free us.

Help us engage one another from the heart and bear each other’s burdens. Father, enable us to live and love the rest of 2018 at the pace of grace—no matter our storylines, challenges, or “situations.” May we never forget, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6). So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ wonderful and merciful name.

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