God’s “3 G’s”: Gift, Grace, Glory
Gift = GOD’S PRESENT (we receive):
All that exists is God’s gift to man & it all exists to make God known to man & to make man’s life
communion with God (quote from ‘For the life of the world’ by Alexander Schmemann).
It is only in the ‘present’ moment that God & the soul can meet & bless each other & ‘play’ (child-
like) . . . pray / ponder / practice.
“Every good gift & every perfect gift is from above & comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
Grace = GOD’S PROVISION (we respond):
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you, we praise you, we adore you;
we hope in you, we trust in you & we love you, Lord Jesus;
give us grace, Lord, the fullness of grace, like Mary & Joseph,
to live the sanctity of your divine will,
today & forever . . . pray / ponder / practice.
“And Abraham said: ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering’. So the two of them went together” (Genesis 22:8).
Glory = GOD’S PARADISE (we reap):
Lord Jesus Christ, come in glory
into all situations (of concern to you & your neighbour)
now & forever . . . pray / ponder / practice.
“But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands & knows Me, that I am Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgement & righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight” says the lord
(Jeremiah 9:24) : : “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).
Daniel (www.konect-1-2-1.com) 13/6/14
ADDENDUM: on the theme ‘PRO-VISION’
(God’s VISION for each of us is: ‘Personal, Relational, Original’)
Life can be a muddle if we don’t get it’s Context, Content & Conclusion into focus. Our model – as
ever – is Jesus, the Christ. Even at the young age of 12 He had these 3 C’s on his radar screen /
sat nav: “I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).
What follows is taken from a sermon delivered at the Church of the Guardian Angels –
Jesus spent his adult life revealing God as Father. When He told his disciples to “Follow Me” it was a request to follow the way He was going. His main aim was to get people to focus on the presence of God in their lives & not to ignore him as though He did not exist.
Jesus’ greatness lay in the eternal truth that He unveiled, which is, that God exists & that life has meaning & purpose. When this truth touched the hearts of the disciples they were infused with a new vision & courage they had not previously known. They realised that deep joy was found, not in
the absence of suffering but when they turned to the presence of God in their lives – as Jesus had done while He was with them.
The Gospel story for the 2nd Sunday after Easter (John 20:19-31) describes a room full of men & women who were lost in a vacuum. Not feeling the presence of God or the presence of Jesus made them anxious & fearful. When suddenly through closed doors He makes his presence felt: what was dark & desolate had become bright & clear. He was standing in their midst as a living proof of it. This encounter with the risen Lord was a life changing experience for these men & women. Even Thomas fell on his knees when he realised the enormity of what was happening before his eyes.
Up to this point the disciples had just read about God in scripture, but now they had experienced the risen Lord in their midst. Death had no hold over him! A higher power had intervened. There was no going back now.
The message in our Gospel story is still relevant for us today: Jesus was not just a great man in himself. He revealed a living God who had power over life & death. Jesus is risen from the dead & if we, like the disciples, find ourselves frightened, lost or rudderless on the stormy seas of life, let us remember that He is here with us, a presence & force in our lives – for good.
Let us remember that if God raised Jesus to new life, He has power to raise us all to new life. For our part, all we have to do is tune in to God’s presence through prayer & mindfulness.
Fr. Dermot Leycock