Grace, Grace, God's Grace

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8


Last Tuesday night, the historic EPC church at Port Gibson, Mississippi was broken into and vandalized. The pews were turned over, stained glass was broken, and the organ was badly damaged. It was an act of pure vandalism – nothing was stolen.

The next day, the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office apprehended the offender. The Stated Clerk of our Presbytery, Michael Herrin, is the pastor of the Port Gibson Church. He promptly went to the jail, visited the offender, encouraged him to turn from his life of drugs and alcohol and put his faith in Christ.

Michael is a good pastor. He understands the nature of grace. It seems that the vandalism of the Port Gibson Church offers us a chance to understand the nature of grace a little bit better ourselves. Isn’t it true that we have also profaned the Lord’s house with our sin, self-righteousness, and half-hearted worship? Isn’t it true that we have also broken in pieces the image of God found not on stained glass but engraved upon our very being? Isn’t it true that we have silenced the worship of the Lord not by destroying an organ but by silencing our voices?

And yet, in spite of all that, Romans tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn’t just come visit us in prison, he broke us out – never to return. That’s grace. God’s grace.

Your Pastor and Friend,

John Knox Foster