Grace and Peace — A Reflection

Quit keeping score altogether and surrender yourself with all your sinfulness to God who sees neither the score nor the scorekeeper but only his child redeemed by Christ. — Thomas Merton (Merton’s Palace of Nowhere by James Finley, p. 30)

Denise, my wife and partner in life, love, and ministry, found the above quote from Thomas Merton in a book that she was reading this past week. The quote stayed with me throughout the week and helped inform my sermon this past Sunday. I was preaching from the lectionary Gospel reading Matthew 5:21-37.

This particular reading is always an interesting challenge when it comes around in the lectionary cycle. Amongst the challenging concepts in it are the infamous if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and the statement that if you divorce and remarry you are committing adultery. Yeah, not exactly easy passages to preach on, especially since they are in the same chapter as the Beatitudes!

I have always struggled with this particular passage and the seemingly harsh and judgmental tone in Jesus’ words. They seem to be counterintuitive to the message of loving God, neighbor, and self. Carrying out this action of hacking off hands and plucking out eyes results in this extreme result — An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. (Quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)

Yet these extreme examples have been used by christians (lower case is intentional) to pummel others into shame and submission. The first time that I preached from this passage years ago, a woman left worship in tears. I went out to check on her after the Benediction. She wasn’t offended by what I had said, rather she was overwhelmed by the grace that the sermon had offered her. Grace that had never been offered to her by the “church” after her abusive husband had left her and she had re-married.

I believe that Jesus used these extreme examples to make a point. Instead of being smug and self-righteous because one believed that they were keeping the law and were therefore better than others, the individual should instead humbly realize that they are not perfect.

This brings me back to Merton’s quote. As a Christ follower I am not called to judge others. As I used to say in the military, That decision is above my pay grade! Instead I believe that I am called to see everyone as one of God’s children. To stop keeping score and see others as they are (and as I am)… a frail, fragile, and broken child who is loved with a grace-filled love by my creator. Perhaps if we did that, by God’s grace, mercy, and love there might be peace in this world.

Alfred Lord Tennyson in his poem “Ring Out Wild Bells” from his book, In Memorium said the following about such a possibility for peace.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

The wonderful singer, songwriter, and artist Alana Levandoski has a lovely version of the poem. She always gives me hope when I hear her sing this song. Ring Out, Wild Bells This is my prayer for each one of us.