February 23, 2015--grace and works

Ephesians 2:1-10

2You were dead through the trespasses and sins ²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
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 This reading is packed with gems, with life, with hope!  What words pop out at you while you read?

I see-- mercy, love, made us alive, grace, saved, raised, faith, gift

The classic Lutheran tag line:  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God--not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

God loves us, shows mercy, brings life, we have the gifts of grace, we are raised and faith!  God has given us so much.  There is nothing we can do to make God stop loving us.  God gives the gift! 

Verse 10 goes on, and we need not forget verse 10:  For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Works do not save us AND we are created for good works.  We do what we do for others because of what God has done for us, not in order that we will get something from God. 

As we are in this season of Lent, I pray we will reflect on all that God has done for us, let it sink deep inside of us.  For when it does, good works will begin to ooze from our pores in response.