Scripture: 1 Peter 1:2b
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Thought for the Day: Here’s the legacy of humanity: grace and peace in abundance. That may seem like a difficult thing to believe if, try you know, ambulance you’ve turned on the news anytime in the past 5000 years. There’s always a war, ask there’s always a natural disaster, there’s always one group of humans oppressing and abusing another group of humans. Where are grace and peace, in any way shape or form, much less in abundance?

One would expect to be able to turn to religion to find grace, but in a real bummer of a development, religion has caused most of the world’s wars, including the wars we fight today. Most religions define a narrow set of rules and regulations that, if not followed, mean you’re out—out of the church and out of God’s good graces. This idea is contrary to Jesus’ teachings, though, and is a result of the misappropriation of Jesus’ message by the Roman Empire, then later by people like Calvin, who took what the Roman Empire started and ran with it. As a result, today, Christianity is most closely associated with very non-Jesus ideas like “rapture” and “the elect.”

There’s never going to be a rapture, folks. Aside from the fact the idea never appears in the Bible (no, it is NOT what the book of Revelation is about), it’s unnecessary if we believe in grace, if we believe that God loves us. God doesn’t pick and choose like Santa Claus. God loves us all. No matter what. God loves all of us so much, that even despite the fact we’re constantly killing each other and generally misbehaving, we’re forgiven, we’re loved. That’s grace, freely given TO ALL.

Jesus’ message—his Jewish message which he developed from Jewish Scripture, was simply this: God loves us, everyone, even with all our flaws. God loves every sinful dimple on our souls and every stupid thought in our brains. God loves us whether we call ourselves Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or other. God loves us whether we’re white or black or gay or straight or other. We’re all accepted, we’re all chosen, no matter what, no exceptions, no questions asked. God is love, and makes no excuses, and threatens no ramifications.

Christians need to create a new legacy, which is ironically Jesus’ original legacy: God loves us, everyone. Grace and peace be ours in abundance.

Prayer: I praise you, God of love, for unconditional love, and accept that you love me even with, maybe even because of, my imperfect nature. Amen.