Work Won’t Save You
Before I was a pastor I was a youth director. I worked for a church in San Clemente, California and I was responsible to teach the faith to the youth. We would organize youth group activities, fun outings that would bring the children and teenagers together. Then we would use those outings to teach deeper lessons about faith and God.
One such outing we made was to a roller skating rink in Fountain Valley, California. We were there meeting up with a couple of other youth groups. The roller skating rink was a lot of fun. It had neon, strobe, black, and more kinds of lights. They played music that was loud and super popular. There was an arcade with the coolest video games. The people that were there were dressed cool, and they were so good at skating! Many of the youth in our youth group were new to skating and so they were scared to get out there. That’s where my job kicked in.
I did my best to show everyone that you did not have to be an expert to have a good time roller skating. This wasn’t hard to do, because it was obvious that I was far from an expert at roller skating. I got out there with my wobbly knees and made my way around the rink without falling. This helped to encourage the more timid youth to give it a try.
Meanwhile there were some very talented and aggressive skaters that whipped around us and weaved through our group. At one point I was a little off balance and struggling to not fall over. At that precise moment I felt a swoosh of air as another roller skater passed me, and I also felt the smallest of nudges, but it was just hard enough that I lost my balance and I fell hard on my behind. I quickly got up and looked at who had passed me, he looked over his shoulder and laughed. It was one of the really good roller skaters and his friends laughed with him as they pointed at me.
Obviously I was not a super strong roller skater, and for a moment, I felt as if I was not a very good youth worker at all. I was trying to work at teaching the youth how to skate, and I was failing at that work. One of the other youth directors talked to me to try to help me feel better. Her church was located in Fountain Valley not far from the roller rink. She said to me, “Did you know that the motto for Fountain Valley is, ‘A Nice Place to Live’? The thing is, if you have to put that on a sign to tell people, then it’s probably not as true as you’d like it to be.” I chuckled and it did make me feel a little better.
You are Saved by Grace
It’s true. If you have to make a point to tell people to be nice, then they probably aren’t all acting nice all the time. Consider Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He says that if you get anything from Jesus, be of one mind and one heart. Think of others and not just yourself. If Paul had to write these things to the church in Philippi, then you can imagine that there must have been division. Paul inspires the church by focusing on the gorgeous work of Jesus the beloved.
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 2:8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death– even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Jesus was so full of unconditional love and beauty that he came down from heaven to spend time with you and save you. He teaches you how to love, and he gave his life for you, to save you, that you might have life. Jesus’ work is powerful enough to save us. Jesus loves you with grace. You are saved by God’s grace in Jesus, and not by your own works.
What does it mean to be saved by grace? I remember one of the first times I roller skated. I was young, maybe in the fifth grade. It was not a fancy roller rink with lights, music, and super talented skaters wearing the latest fashion. It was on a basketball court in my hometown of Sedona, Arizona. I was invited by some friends. I remember them waiting for me in the parking lot of a big church. This was the big baptist church in town, and looking back, it must have been their youth director who organized the event. They had strung up Christmas lights even though it was a cool autumn evening. Maybe there was some punch, and music played out of a simple boombox. My friends were there! We strapped on roller skates and with wobbly knees skated around the rink. I had the wobbly knees back then too. But it wasn’t about me being good at skating. It was a joy to be outside on a Friday night, under the stars and out of season Christmas lights. To be with friends and feel free warmth and joy. It was grace. It was something given to me that I didn’t earn or work for. It was a gift.
Have Faith
So what do you do when you experience grace, the unconditional love of God? There is but one thing to do, and that is to have faith. You are saved by grace through faith. Jesus tells a parable of faith in action. He said that a father sent his two sons into a vineyard to work. The first son refuses to go, but then later does go. The second son says he will go help, but never does. Who is faithful? It is the one who lives out his faith, who listens to the father, and goes out into the vineyard. Faith is believing that God in heaven will care for you, and you can serve God out of love. The parable isn’t really about the work of the sons. It’s about the grace of the father. These two young men are blessed to have a father who owns a vineyard. That’s tremendous! Your heavenly father, God, owns a vineyard and you get to enjoy it. Believe that it is for you!
So there I was with an aching backside. I wasn’t a nine year old in my hometown. I was a 20 something youth director in the heart of Orange County, California. Roller Skating hipsters were zooming all around me, and I was trying to teach the faith to tween-agers like I once was. I was feeling embarrassed and unsure of my ability to work this roller rink. I was doubting my abilities. Then something happened. Right in front of me the same guy who pushed me over fell. It looked like one of his friends, or one of his enemies caught him off guard and he was down on the ground. I skated up to him, stopped and looked down. He looked kind of afraid. I put out a hand for him to take. He took it, and I helped him up. He said, “Thank you.” I said, “You’re welcome.”
One of the youth asked me why I helped that guy up if he had pushed me over. I said that Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. That doesn’t mean to be weak, but it means to show God’s grace and power through love. The rest of the evening that aggressive skater and his friends left our little youth group alone. I really didn’t know what would happen when I put out my hand to him, but it wasn’t about me or my work, it was about having faith in God’s grace, and God’s ability to work. So answer God’s call to go to work in the vineyard, or the roller rink, in your home, or at work, in school, or simply wherever you are. It’s never too late to have faith in God’s unconditional grace. Amen.
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