Wise words with...

Grace

Recently I heard people discussing their favourite words. This prompted me to think about my own favourite words and I decided that the word grace is one of my favourite words. Grace means: an undeserved favour, it is not earned, it is freely given.

She takes the blame

She covers the shame

Removes the stain

It could be her name

Grace

It's the name for a girl

It's also a thought that

Changed the world

These words were written by the Irish band U2 in the year 2000. U2’s lead singer Bono said this about Grace, 

“It's a word I'm depending on…For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. There is some atonement built in: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Then enters Grace and turns that upside down. I love it. I'm not talking about people being graceful in their actions but just covering the cracks. Christ's ministry really had a lot to do with pointing out how everybody is a screw-up in some shape or form, there's no way around it. But then He says, well, I am going to deal with those sins for you. I will take on myself all the consequences of sin. Even if you're not religious I think that you'd accept that there are consequences to all the mistakes we make. And so Grace enters the picture to say, ‘I'll take the blame, I'll carry your cross.’ It is a powerful idea.

From, U2 by U2, Neil McCormick, 2006.

At our school, staff share with students the truth that God’s grace enables us to enjoy a relationship with him. Nothing we can do can mend our relationship with him, this is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The grace we have been shown extends into how we relate to one another. Just as God has freely forgiven and shown us undeserved kindness so we encourage those in our school community to forgive and show kindness to each other. These actions that flow from our understanding of grace make our school community one that offers hope to students in a world where forgiveness and kindness are increasingly rare.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)