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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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Understanding Grace A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of World War II. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, take entire orphanages to baseball games and, when the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a bad neighborhood, your Honor," the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, "I've got to punish you! The law makes no exceptions - $10 or 10 days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the $10 fine which I now remit; and furthermore... I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat! Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant." So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. 50 cents of that amount was contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some 70 petty criminals, people with traffic violations and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid 50 cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.* LaGuardia understood grace! The debt had to be paid, but he paid the debt himself! God is the Author of grace! YOU and I owe a debt – the debt of sin (cp. Matthew 6:12). God is a RIGHTEOUS God who requires payment for our sins. But God is also a LOVING God who paid the debt of our sin. God gave His son to die on the cross as payment for our sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). You and I accept that grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) – a faith that trusts God (Hebrews 11:6), repents of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confesses Christ (Romans 10:9-10), submits to baptism (immersion) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and follows Jesus as Lord and Savior. Has YOUR debt been paid? God bless you! David A. Sargent, Minister Church of Christ at Creekwood * Brennan Manning, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchsearch.org Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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