Grace Community Fellowship

John 1:14 - 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[a] from the Father, full of grace and truth . David writes in Psalm 23 how our cups overflows. But why does my cup of grace feel half empty at times? What does it mean to be full of Grace and Truth? Who comes to mind when you think of someone full of grace? Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Princess Diana? What about those full of truth? Billy Graham and Jesus are all I come up with. Who comes to mind when you think of someone who is an enemy of truth? Those are easy. Stalin, Richard Dawkins? Most Hollywood celebrities? Crooked politicians? A evangelist once said, “Even Christians can be enemies of truth.” We know that we battle the world, the flesh, and the principalities of the air—those are three categories that oppose the kingdom of Heaven, but what about me? What about you? Where do we stand with truth? And are we full of grace? Last week I went to a Chinese food restaurant with friends. The placemat was the Chinese symbols associated with a birth year. I’m a dog! Not surprising by any stretch. It read something to this effect: The Dog has a keen sense of justice, is noble, courageous, and loyal; betrayal is not part of their dictionary. They’re helpful, humble, and kind-hearted, with a spirit of service and an inviolable sense of morality. Though they can be selfish at times. That last part burst my bubble. How can I be selfless and selfish at the same time? Ok, I will admit it, they nailed 100%. I can be a selfish jerk at times. There, I said it! I guess it’s easy to think of ourselves in a better light while placing others in the opposite at times. I guess to be full of grace and truth we have to look into that mirror Paul talks about where we only see dimly, but God sees us completely, and so, be honest with the person we see. That is not always easy to do. We are all enemies of truth when we refuse to hear the truth. This tends to come in two forms says Rebeccah Vandooward in her article on Grace and Truth: “Not listening to someone tell the truth or refusing to accept it is common practice. Maybe we’re not willing to take the time to actually hear. Possibly, other priorities seem more urgent. Maybe we’re afraid of what will happen if we do listen; understanding will require humility, repentance, and change. Maybe we do listen and understand, but we refuse to admit that it applies to us.” Truth can be uncomfortable. Not sure who coined the phrase, truth hurts. Whether truth comes to us through Scripture reading, through devotions, worship, or through the wounds of life, when we treat it like an enemy, we become the enemy. Truth is our advocate and a measuring stick at our disposal. Last week a man came to the church looking for help. I had been informed prior to his visit of his wants and needs, I was also told to be careful, there was a history to consider. I diligently worked to seek truth. I asked him good questions. I was trying to get to the heart of the matter. But I kept reaching dead ends. Nothing made sense. So, I offered him help. But he did not want the help I offered. In fact, he became angry. Since moving to Montana I have revisited, “A River Runs Through It”. I was reminded of the fathers closing sermon, and these remarks. “Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives, looks upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: “We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? ‘For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don’t know what part of ourselves to give or more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted.And so, it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them—we can love completely without complete understanding.’” That final line — “We can love completely without complete understanding” — is the emotional and theological heart of the story, capturing the father’s realization that love is possible even when help is not accepted. This man was of no relation to me. He was a member of the Helena larger community and people knew him. They know his past and have helped him. I offered what I could, and I believe that I loved him as I was supposed to. Maybe he will return and another chance will be offered for grace and truth in Christ as is intended. P. COBB Pastor Grace Community Fellowship Helena, MT.

John Baillie: A Life of Faith and Service