Embracing Grace

One of the books I return to often is Yancey's on grace. He starts it with an amazing tale of a prostitute shocked that anyone might consider the church a place of help, hope and healing. He then goes on the say that grace remains a word that is unsullied. Ever since reading Yancey, I have always clung to grace as homebase and the constant source of strength and sustenance in my walk with Christ.

Here is the cycle of Grace

God embraces you and me and
God embraces others and
God embraces the whole created order

Then:

You and I embrace God back and
We embrace others and
We embrace the entire created order

Scott McKight has written a wonderful book on the nature of the gospel. He is a theologian (@ Jesus Creed) and a compelling voice within the emergent movement. He uses the Greek word 'Eikon' which means 'image' to base his story of grace on. We are made in the image of God and to understand grace is to understand the restoration of the mess and the mercy offered to us through Jesus. It is packed with good quotes and helpful insights and it is a book that as you read it steeps you in faith and encouragement. It reminds you of the gospel and compels you afresh to live it out.

Here are some quotes I liked:

'Because the story of humans is about being who can be both brilliant and and bad'

'The genius of sin is that it is first and foremost about one's relationship to God and others'

'Endings explain beginnings'

'Worship, then, is a life lived as it is meant to be lived: for the good of others and the world'

'The Church does not have an eschatology, it is an eschatological people' Robert Webber

'The thickest barricade to the gospel is individualism'

At the end of the book he quotes a 'Litany of Penitence' from the Book of Common Prayer. It is a long prayer of confession and puts an architecture to our sin. I used it last night in our evening service and two people came up afterwards and said they had powerfully met with the Lord. I read it slowly line by line and let people bring their lives into the context of its words. The book has been worth the read just for that but there are many other reasons too. May it be a blessing to you as it has been to me.

You can get it HERE