A minister thought she had done quite well as she stood at the door greeting people as they left the church. The remarks about her preaching were complimentary. Everyone said something nice, nice sermon vicar kind of thing…

That is, until a man shook the preacher’s hand and said, “Your sermons are far too long.” Then he exited the church.

And she’s like, ok. Can’t please everyone.

But there was a backdoor, and the man came around again.

And he shook the minister’s hand again, and he said, ‘you mumble – no one can hear a word you say’ then he left the church again, entering via the back door again. The minister was confused. No one else had ever said her sermons were too long, or that she mumbled.

And then she looks up and she thinks, my goodness, here he comes again.

Taking her hand and looking her in the eyes, he said,  ‘you know, you use far too many big words; we need God’s word explained in simple terms, this is not about showing off your learning’.

Ouch she thought. And off he went again.

Out the church, round the back, and back in…

She’s not sure she can take anymore.

So she calls over the church warden, and says, who is that guy who keeps coming back in and insulting my preaching.

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” the warden replied. “All he does is go around the church, just repeating everything that he hears.” Grace and truth/ truth and grace. That minister needed the truth that her sermons were a bit obtuse, and maybe too long, and that would probably have been helpful. But people were saying it behind her back. Wanting to be kind, and probably  being very gracious to her face. But saying nothing. But this guy comes along, having heard want others are saying and just gives it to her straight. All truth –  no grace.

There’s a tension I think between truth and grace. Most people for whom kindness matters, which is all of us I hope,  will find themselves thinking how do I speak the truth into this situation, without hurting the feelings of the person I’m speaking to. It’s been said that you never look into the eyes of a person God doesn’t love. God is infused in that person – they bear the Holy Spirit. Is getting your own opinion or need across, or speaking your truth – whatever that means – or being too tired to find a polite way of addressing an issue that needs addressing; is it worth harming someone who bears the image of God. So I, and I guess, we, tread gently. Maybe too gently.

Because the truth matters. Things have to be done; some things have to change to make things better – those sermons needed improving.  And some of us maybe think truth is so important, we just let rip. And the truth comes, but not in a good or gracious way. Like the man giving both barrels to the preacher. Had those whispering behind her back about how long, and tedious her sermons were, found a gentle way to tell her, his two barrels of truth might not have been such a punch in the guts.

In John 1:14 it says Jesus came full of grace and truth. The problem is in our lives most of us lean towards grace OR truth. But there is a tension and we kind of need the tension. Because truth without grace breeds self-righteousness and legalism. And sometimes pomposity and self-obsession.

But here is the amazing unlimited  truth – still God loves us, still grace forgives us, still grace did the unimaginable and unthinkable – it reached down and saved the very ones that were trying to kill it.

And if you ever find yourself saying of someone, well they don’t deserve mercy, do remember, that’s the point.

You can’t deserve mercy.

You can’t deserve grace. If you could it would be justice, not grace.

As Paul puts it in Romans

 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

One of my favourite lines from Corinthians – it was written across the kneelers at the altar of a church – as you went forward and knelt at the altar for communion, you found yourself reading, necessarily because it was right there, as you knelt, hands empty as you came –  these words – my grace is sufficient

But grace can only exist where truth has come to rest –

As St Augustine put it

When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful. 

I am the way, the truth and the life, says Jesus

And again, and you know truth, and the truth will set you free.

John the Baptist speaks of testifying to the truth.

And we know that absolute truth can be seen and understood and known – because Jesus is the truth,

No one can flourish without truth and God wants us to flourish, to live abundantly.

The best expression of love is found in the tension between grace and truth. For us humans. And we know it’s the best expression of love because it is the nature of Jesus and therefore of God – filled with grace and truth. Jesus was/is full of grace and truth and, in Jesus, we  see the full nature of God. Writ large in history.

 

The Word, God the Son – became flesh – that is – leaving behind none of his divinity, he put on humanity. The Word who was fully God, also became fully human.

Think about the implication of what John’s saying here: We have in Jesus a Word from God. A revelation. Jesus is God’s speech to us. That’s what it means for Jesus to be the Word of God. A word, primarily, is a means of communication. And Jesus is God’s communication to us.

If anyone wants to know what God is like – they need only to listen to Jesus. In Jesus God has spoken decisively and finally.

In fact, after Jesus has come, after the incarnation, you could argue it’s no longer possible to say: “I think God’s like: this or that.” Imagine I introduced myself to you and said: “I love Coronation Street, writing, and Italian food.” And you heard that, but ignored it and had the arrogance to say: “I hear what you’re saying Mandy, but… I really feel you like Eastenders, and knitting and fish.”

If someone reveals themselves to you, it would be outrageous to ignore that. But think how many people do this with God. God has spoken his Word in Jesus Christ: and he has decisively declared this is who I am. And God is, in Jesus, filled with truth and grace.

It’s not only the case that Jesus is God-like but also wonderfully, beautifully true that God is Jesus-like (God is gentle, and patient, and kind – filled with truth and grace.).

And made in his image, we have  in our lives, to find then tension between truth and grace. And live in it.

It take practices as most Christian virtues do.

I said before that if the Confession is a call to truth, the Absolution is the response of grace – I would go so far as to say that Grace is found on the cross, carrying the sins of the world, and that truth in the empty tomb. And just as you can’t have the empty tomb without the cross, neither can we have truth without grace, or grace without truth.