Two things I discovered this morning...

1 Most of my lovely peeps do not know the title song of this post.  So, if they happen to read this, here is:

2 Most of my lovely people did not know the story of Mephibosheth (2 Samuel, various) so I sent them off to read it for their homework.  So, big thanks to the LHBC, JBC and 1st D GB for telling this important story (I've known it since it was used in the last of those mentioned as a story about children in the Bible for the 'Splorers)

And this pretty amazing grace is...

unexpected

unchosen/unrequested

undeserved

unstinting

and

which is my answer to a comment after the service

unlimited/unbounded

One illustration I forgot to use was of grace in Christian theology as being what my mission tutor called cat-hold grace rather than monkey-hold grace.  The mother cat sees her kitten in peril, reaches down and picks it up, then runs to safety; the baby monkey senses danger and clambers onto the back of its mother, hoping for safety.  Eastern religions, he asserted, hold to the idea of monkey-hold grace (God is grace, we mst seek God) and Christianity has a a prevenient God who looks out for us.  The origin of this image is lost in time, my then tutor claimed he'd been taught it by a retired Methodist minister I knew and worked with in Dibley, and that they'd worked together in the Church of South India.  As a cat lover of course, I prefer God to be cat-like than ape-like!

As I type this, I am listening to Good Morning Sunday on Radio 2 where there is an excellent discussion around marriage taking place between the above people.  With generosity, and allowing diverse views to be expressed, they are talking very intelligently about marriage and its C21 expressions.  Ruth spoke very openly about her own journey of opinion.

Go listen - it began around 7:30-ish, so about ninety mins into the programme if you are on 'Listen Again'.  here's the link (update: it's at 1 hour 36 mins)

Go on... whatever you views... listen!

Today I am preaching on 'grace'.  I had planned to do 'sin and grace' - how stupid there is too much material in one of those, let alone both, for one service.  But first, a quick reflection from the Lectionary...

Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22

A strange mixture!  The ten (plus) commandments, the Psalm we have been pondering for a few days, Paul's introductory words to the Corinthians about the foolishness of the cross, and John's clearance of the Temple - here not in Holy Week but right at the start of Jesus' ministry (whether this is a clever literary device, or whether he knew of a second incident, or whether he just doesn't care about chronology, I leave you to decide).

It is interesting to juxtapose the Exodus and the John... a list of thou shalt/shalt nots and the total chaos in the Temple.  The religious authorities would have claimed they kept the Law to the letter but they had missed the point, it had become a stumbling block (to nick a phrase from the letter of Paul), more important not to have 'mucky money' than to have a space for worship; more important to tithe your mint and rue than to feed people who are hungry, more essential to point out fine details of the law to others than to love them...

I just wonder, if Jesus walked in to my congregation today what it is that would cause him to overturn the table, drive out the zealots.  I wonder who it is he would affirm and who condemn.  I wonder...

Loving God

Lead me from legalism to love

From proof texts to principles

From self-righteousness to right-living

Show me the

Tree trunk

In my eye

Then

(gently please!)

Pull it out

So that I can see

My lovely

Neighbour

Whom

You call me

To love