Saying Grace

Reverend Sykes’ voice was as distant as Judge Taylor’s. “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. You’re father’s passin’.”
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 242

At our dinner table, we say grace before each meal. We offer thanks for the day, the food, our family, our time together, and in a phrase I learned from my father, “all our many blessings.” It’s a good umbrella, and it covers a lot of ground.

What I don’t always appreciate is the connection between thanksgiving and grace. Thanksgiving is our way toward God. As Meister Eckhart has said, if the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it is enough. But God’s role is what I sometimes forget. There would be no need for thanksgiving without grace.

Grace is the selfless giving of oneself for another. Grace is the undeserved over-and-above, the unmerited extra mile, the overflowing cup when a sip is all that is expected or required. It can’t be parceled out in tiny packages, because it flows like a mighty, everlasting stream from the very heart of God.

Grace is Atticus Finch defending Tom Robinson against trumped-up charges and Scout defending Boo Radley’s privacy. Grace is God’s gift to us revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and living presence of Jesus. Grace is the source of the challenges and blessings of each day.

I expect Rev. Sykes had it right, telling Scout to stand up as her father was passing by. At the dinner table, maybe offering our thanksgivings isn’t enough. Perhaps we should also stand.

Along the Way, I wish you God’s peace on today’s stage of your Lenten spiritual journey. May Christ’s companionship bless you with confidence for the day, comfort you in trouble, and put a spring of joy in your step.