Grace! We call for it,
We say we need it,
And at times we invoke her,
As if we were
Calling for a bird’s magic song
When we are called to
Repent and change,
But choose not.

Grace! We hide behind this word
All of our unrepentant sins,
All our dirty jokes,
Our open trespasses.
The limits we’ve
Intentionally broken and
We expect –demand– the rest of our
Brothers and sisters,
To love us.

Can’t they see,
Can’t they hear that we are
Saying “Grace”?
Grace!

Grace! We call for it
We say we need it
And at times it seems
That we are calling for it
As if we were calling
Our tamed dog.
“Sit here! Go out!
Move! Stay!”

Grace! Four letters.
Four letters that we have abused.
A short word in which we have
Hidden our responsibility,
A powerful word that we have vandalized,
We have striped it from its meaning.
We have used to hide cowardly our sins,
We have made it our flag to ask for tolerance.

Grace!
Grace!
Oh, Grace!

And when Grace,
True Grace comes.
It’s song is one of war.
It is never tamed.
It shatters our world.

Grace! True grace never asks
Permission to come in.
It is intrusive.
It rescues the one
who is in chains.
It opens the eyes of he
who loves darkness.
It gives life to the dead.

It is a light.
A bright light
That brings out all lies,
All bad habits,
And shameful behaviors.
All false reasonings,
And comfortable sins
Cannot hide from it.

Grace! It brings us to our knees,
to repentance.
It empowers us to fight
the good fight against
our flesh and sins.
It is like a strong wind that blows
where it wants.
Nothing can stop it.

Grace!
It is piercing.
It is painful.
It points us to our guilt
And then to the Cross.

That is Grace.

Grace destroys,
In order to build.

Becky