By Jaci Garrett | Since the inauguration chapel, I have received a couple of requests to write about the power of grace and the role that plays in our lives. What is great about this, is that grace is by far the most important part about understanding the Gospel. According to a study of 16- to 29-year-olds by the Barna Group, 87% view Christians as judgmental and 85% view Christians as hypocritical. If I am being totally honest, I understand, and would probably agree with, this group of people polled. The problem, from my perspective, is that somewhere along the way we forgot about grace. When Jesus came to earth and lived among the people he came, not to cast stones, but rather to have people drop their stones.
From the start of Jesus’ ministry, we see a man that desires love for all people. Jesus did not care if you had leprosy or if you had robbed your own people as a tax collector, he just wanted to love you. Healing and change came once grace and love had been extended. We seem to think that for someone to know Christ they must first have their lives in order but that’s just not how it works. If we look at the disciples alone, this is made clear.
Jesus wants to know you; all of you. There is not a place that is too deep, too dark, or too ugly for Jesus. No matter where you’re at, it is the desire of God to meet you there, like the father in the story of the prodigal son that runs to meet the son even in his broken state. This is what grace is. This is the Gospel.
I like to think of the life of Jesus in this way: Jesus came from wholeness to brokenness to be broken so that I might be made whole. If we are not extending grace to our brothers and sisters then we are not being Christ-like. We have to love others first and above all things because that is what Jesus did. If we expect perfection, we will never be satisfied, not even in ourselves.
To speak to some of the things said about our generation, I will say this: the constant berating, negativity, and hatred that is spoken over Millennials/Gen Z’s has to stop. The things people say about us simply are not true and, if we are being totally honest, are hurtful. You may not like us, but you cannot deny that we are daily looking for ways to love and serve people and sometimes even fix the mistakes of older generations. The church is full of young people looking to love and to set their brothers and sisters free from the bondage of racism, war, famine, sexism, hatred and so much more. The direction the church is going is toward love and acceptance and grace. I am proud of my generation and the work we are doing. I am thankful for the grace I have received. I believe that Jesus looks around at us and sees people doing all they can to love their neighbor and that He is proud of us.