A Conspiracy of Grace

Mike Yaconelli, in his book Messy Spirituality relates the following story that I think illustrates what God is doing in what Yaconelli calls “a conspiracy of grace.”

Little league baseball can be a brutal sport, especially for nine-and ten-year-olds who compete in national tournaments. It was the area Little League championship game. The stands were packed with families of each of the players. One young man brought his mother and father, both grandparents, and three uncles and aunts to watch him play.

The bottom of the seventh-inning was a nail-biter. The other team was ahead by one run, the bases were loaded, two outs, and the little boy with the large family was up to bat. If he made an out, the game would be over and his team would lose. If he walked or hit the ball, he would be the hero of the game. He swung at the first pitch and missed.

“Strike one!” the umpire yelled.

The families from the other team cheered, but his family cheered even louder. “It’s okay, Carl. No problem. You almost hit the ball! Now clobber the next pitch!”

“Strike two!” the umpire yelled after the next pitch.

Pandemonium broke out. Both teams and their families were yelling back and forth at each other. Carl’s family and team was encouraging him; the players and families of the other team were taunting. It was so loud no one could even hear themselves think.

Wrinkles appeared on the nine-year-old’s forehead as he waited for the next pitch. As the ball left the pitcher’s hand, it became very quiet. The ball sped towards Carl. It seemed like it took forever to cross the plate, but cross the plate it did, and Carl swung with all his might.

“Strike Three—You’re OUT!”

Not only was Carl out, the game was over. And he was the cause of the loss.

The winning team went crazy, their families swarmed onto the field, and everyone was dancing, laughing, cheering and celebrating. Except Carl’s team. As Carl’s team walked off the field, dejected, they mingled with their families and headed back to their cars in silence.

Except for Carl. Carl was still standing at home plate, devastated, alone, his head down in disgrace.

Suddenly someone yelled, “Ok, Carl, play ball!” Startled, Carl looked up to see his family spread out over the field. Grandpa was pitching, Dad was catching, mom was at first base, Uncle David at second, and the rest of the family had covered the other positions.

“Come on Carl, pick up the bat. Grandpa’s pitching.”
Bewildered, Carl slowly picked up the bat and swung at Grandpa’s first pitch. He missed, and he missed the next six pitches as well. But on the seventh pitch, determined to get a hit, Carl smacked the ball to left field. His aunt ran, picked up the ball in plenty of time, but the first baseman, Mom, must have lost the ball in the sun, because it went right through her hands into the dugout. “Run!” everyone yelled.

As Carl was running to second, the first baseman recovered the ball and threw it. Amazingly, Uncle David was blinded by the sun as well. “Keep running!” yelled someone, and Carl headed for third, where the throw went at least two feet over the head of the third baseman. “Keep running, Carl!” and Carl raced for home, running as hard as he had ever run. The ball was thrown with deadly accuracy as the catcher, Dad, blocking home plate, waited to tag him out, but just as Carl reached home plate, the ball bounced in and out of the catcher’s mitt, and Carl was safe!

Before he knew what happened, Carl found himself being carried around on Uncle Dave’s shoulders while the rest of the family crowded around cheering Carl’s name.
One person who was watching this amazing event commented to a friend, “I watched a little boy fall victim to a conspiracy of grace!”

Carl, the loser—the one who struck out, failed his team, disappointed his family—went from loser to hero. Carl, who would have been left with that awful memory of failure, was instead given a memory of grace, love and acceptance. He heard God’s Love song.

Just like a certain woman at the well. Just like the disciples, or the lame or the blind or those with leprosy. And God continues to sing that same song to you and I today.

Through people who show us a conspiracy of grace. Through family members who hold us in our darkest hours. Through scripture and sunsets. Through prayers and petitions on our behalf. God continues to sing His love song to you and to me. “It’s alright. I’m here…and I love you more than you will ever know. I’ve forgiven you already through the blood of my sacrifice, so whatever it is, confess it and let’s move on. I want to make you whole and happy and free. I want you truly know Love at its’ deepest level. I want you to know Me.”

All that’s left to do now, is respond.

DO-OVER! Starting with a Clean Slate

It is right, at this time of year, for us to pause to reflect over the past year. It is good to see how the Lord has blessed and how His leading has brought us through both tragedy and triumph. But have you taken time to reflect on whether your life has made a difference in the past year…especially for the cause of God? Have you considered how your life will make a difference this next year? 

Have you ever considered how even seemingly small things can make a huge difference in the outcome of things. Take temperature for an example. Consider how things change when the temperature changes.

What happens when things get cold? At 45 you grab your coat on the way out the door. At 32, water freezes. 28- Human skin in danger of frostbite. –27. Ammonia changes from liquid to gas.

What happens when things get hot? 90 is the melting point of butter. 100- crank up the air (that happens for me at about 80) 140 5-second exposure to the human skin causes 3rd degree burns. 212- boiling point of water.

Isn’t it interesting that in the physical environment, just a change of temperatures can cause so many reactions?

Just think about how a change in temperatures affects you. Have you ever stopped to realize that a change in temperatures causes you to change? If you are person that loves cold weather, then you may have gotten up in the past few weeks and found yourself invigorated by the cold, crisp mornings. On the other hand, if you don’t like the cold, or if you are like my wife and hate the cold, then you have suffered through the past few weeks, perhaps huddled around a wood stove or a gas heater or something else that radiates warmth.

If you are like me, let it hit 90, and my whole disposition changes. It’s too stinkin’ hot and I just want to stay in the A/C where I can live a normal life.

No, I don’t want to go on a picnic—or a bike ride—or anything that requires me to haul my body outside. Mowing the lawn happens as close to sunrise or sunset as possible in order to protect against meltdown. Sandy, on the other hand, always wants to open the windows and just enjoy the summer. I can tell you, that makes for an interesting marriage, but that’s a whole different blog post, so I’ll not get into it here.

I just find it interesting, that just a change in temperature can cause reactions in not only our physical world around us, but in us as well.

But did you notice what happened to things that stayed at room temperature? Nothing. In the physical world, no temperature related reactions take place at room temperature. Have you noticed the same is true for us? We are able to relax at room temperature. Not too hot…not too cold. Just right. Ahhhhhhh.

Thank you Pastor Don, for this incredible lesson in science and physiology, but that isn’t what I came to read. Come on Mabel, let’s go, we have other stuff to do.

Hold on, Mabel…not so fast. Here’s the point. In this season of evaluation, recognizing that just a change in temperature can cause a reaction in the physical world, have you stopped to reflect on your life? That’s the question that needs to be asked! Is your life, more specifically, your spiritual life, causing any reactions? Are you really who you say you are, or have you just settled for a room temperature faith existence? Do you see a reaction, any reaction, to the way you live out your faith?

When was the last time you heated someone up spiritually? Or when was the last time you found yourself chilling someone’s enthusiasm for the gospel?

Jesus isn’t saying that he wants you to be cold. But He is saying that He would rather you be cold towards your faith than just lukewarm. If you were cold, people would at least know where you stand. If they wanted to be cold in their faith walk, they could come join you. If they want to be on fire in their faith walk, they could avoid your chilling effects on their lives. But lukewarm? Nasty…God says.

You ever had a hot day where you got really thirsty while mowing the lawn or doing some yard work and you just couldn’t wait to rush inside and pop open a can of lukewarm Sprite? Nasty. It foams everywhere and leaves you feeling more unsatisfied, and just as thirsty.

Or what about that cold day where you are out raking leaves and getting chilled? You rush inside to grab that nice cup of lukewarm chocolate…not hot chocolate…lukewarm. It just doesn’t do it for you.

It doesn’t do it for God either. Notice in Revelation 3: 15,16

Rev. 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Some versions translate that word: spew, implying not just a spitting out, or emptying the mouth, but a violent and rapid evacuation of the mouth. A spewing forth. So we see that with God, lukewarm does cause a reaction. And it isn’t positive.

God is saying that He wants His people to be hot, to be on fire for Christ. If not, then be cold. Lukewarm isn’t a state He wants His people in. What causes “lukewarm-ness”? Verse 17 gives us a hint.

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

You’ve grown comfortable with where you are. You feel like you are doing ok. You feel like, in the spiritual realm, you are all right. You’ve accepted Christ. You’ve given up things that you needed to get rid of. You’ve walked, or at least lounged, on the path of righteousness for a long time…so you figure you’ve got it pretty well made in the shade with a glass of lemonade.

But God says that you’re real condition is less than ideal. He says you are wretched. He says you are pitiful. He says you are poor. He says you are blind and naked. In essence, God is saying that your self-sufficiency can cause, or has caused or is causing your spiritual walk to go bad. He’s saying that you’ve grown soft in the middle of the battle. He’s saying that you’ve grown so used to the comforts and accouterment of modern life in America, that you’ve forgotten this isn’t your real home.

And so He sends a new year—a giant conspiracy of grace—a colossal do-over, so that we can stop and re-assess where we are in life, and once again start with a clean slate.

I suppose one of the greatest things about a new year, is that, though many in our society say they don’t believe in God, they participate in one giant celebration of Grace. A colossal “do-over” as it were. The world, at this one time of year, gets a glimpse of grace. It’s as if they have read and understand God’s words in the book of Isaiah

Is. 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Every one is ready to forget the past and start fresh. Everyone desires a clean slate.  How will you write the next chapters of your life?  Will your life make a difference for someone else this year?