This morning I had the wonderful privilege of leading a communion service for our parish. About 6:30 as the kids were getting ready for school, I was in the living room preparing for my role. Between helping find hair brushes and signing papers for school I read vocally and re-read the readings for the day. I prayed that God would provide me with a lector for the day (since our normal lector for Friday's was on a mission of mercy, and of course God provided.) Around 6:45 I began to pick out the hymn we would sing (which is also normally done by the same gentleman and brother who is the lector on Fridays.)So much to the joy of my children just before 7:00 they were serenaded (notice how that word reminds you of a grenade?) with my wondrous rendition of "will you let me be your servant." Now I'm one of those guys that gets music lyrics completely wrong. From Like a Cheestick (like a g6) to Rock the Catbox (casbah), I've gotten them wrong for years. So I wasn't surprised at all this morning when I sang the wrong lyrics to this song, to which my eldest of course corrected me.
"Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you, pray that I may have the strength to..."
From behind a closed door in the back of the house a disembodied voice bellowed "It's grace!" "What?" "I said it's grace!" "What!?" The door opens and she says "I said it's grace, not strength.. the lyrics are 'pray that I may have the grace'. The door closes.
Isn't it funny how sometimes God corrects us through others? How that something so simple as her just being herself was a moment of 'ah ha' to me? There is such a huge difference in me having the strength, and me asking for the grace to let you be my servant too. It reminded me immediately of the scene where Jesus says he's going to wash Peters feet and impetuous Peter declares Lord no! You will never wash MY feet. Jesus then tells him If I do not wash your feet, you will have no part of me. Then here I was this morning crying out with Peter, Lord then wash not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!
All too often we forget to humble ourselves enough to accept God's grace. He offers to do something for us and we turn our back on it, lifting ourselves up and saying I don't need that! Our pride gets in the way. It's when we try to do things on our own strength that we find ourselves falling back into those same old sins. You know when you say "I've got this beat, I haven't done XXXXX in weeks, I have finally mastered myself." that we fall. When we rather turn to God and say "I'm not strong enough to do this on my own. I need you. Please heavenly Father, send me strength, send me grace, send me help;" that is when we find ourselves able to resist and live a Christ like life.
