[John 1:14-18] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Good morning, Saints. Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, the Deliverer of God’s grace and truth! I hope this finds you basking in the Son-light of a warm spring day.

Today’s devotional thoughts are from the book of John. In this section, the apostle John writes about the miracle gift of Jesus, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  More specifically, the focus is on the grace we receive from this amazing gift from our Lord Jesus – grace upon grace – and ponder just what our response might be. 

Springtime is always a busy time, especially in education; there is always a lot to accomplish. In secondary education, we, of course, are on a seemingly “mad dash” to our graduation service, where we celebrate our students' God-given gifts in the completion of another academic milestone. This year’s no different: wrapping up coursework, completing advanced placement exams, research papers, final preparations for the college journey ahead, spring artistic and athletic performances, Mother’s Day, and of course, final exams. It’s an amazingly busy time.  

For our students, especially Seniors, it is often a time of reflection beyond what’s now and what’s next. Questions like: how am I doing, and how did I get here? Or, reflections like: amazingly, I made it this far; how is it possible? We hope that part of this reflective process includes faith and God’s role in these matters. How does God’s grace work in my everyday life and in all situations? And how should we respond?  

One of my favorite authors, Dr. John Kleinig, Dean of Chapel and head of biblical studies at Australian Lutheran College, Adelaidean, and author of Grace Upon Grace, puts it this way:

“Our whole life as the children of God is a life of reception. We have been justified by the grace of God the Father, so we now live by faith in His grace. Because we believe in Him, we now receive every spiritual gift from Him. We receive grace upon grace from the fullness of the incarnate Christ.”(p. 10)1

We are justified only by God’s grace, which is a gift. It is a gift that does not stop giving. That gift is Jesus, who is ‘full of grace and truth.’ Moses gave us law, and the law condemns. It is Christ who gives us grace and truth and keeps giving us grace, grace upon grace, and more grace! Klenig reminds us later in his book that it is the only way we are justified. What an easy trap it is to think we have some part in this:

“We believe in justification by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, in practice, we all too often fail to live by grace and faith. In our spirituality, in our devotions and praying, we, in fact, all too easily slip back into justification by works and reliance on our own performance.” (p. 161)2

We are blessed to receive God’s amazing grace, grace upon grace -- the gift of Jesus, the gift that keeps on giving for all eternity. We need this gift; our world needs to hear about this gift of grace, even more now than ever. It flows through our daily lives as a living gift to us, and through us to others. We are called to steward and extend the gift of grace as Christ did for us. Although regifting is generally frowned upon, Saints, in this case, it is acceptable and appropriate. Regift God’s grace to a world that needs it, doesn’t know it, and most of the time acts against it. 

Remember, in this busy season, and in all seasons, that it is our mission at Crean Lutheran High School to: Proclaim Jesus Christ through Excellence in Education (and in all that we do). In closing, a reminder from Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” [41:10] Amen! 

Stay blessed.

In Christ’s love and mine,

Dr. Jeffrey S. Beavers, CEO

Crean Lutheran High School 

dr.beavers@creanlutheran.org

Writing the Saturday devotion, along with our Campus Pastor, Timothy Unke, for the Crean Lutheran Saints family is an honor and a blessing, according to Dr. Beavers. Most of the time, Dr. Beavers and Pastor Unke alternate the writing of devotions on Saturdays for the community’s enjoyment. Dr. Beavers is a husband and father of three. He is a Minister of Religion, Commissioned in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and serves as the Executive Director |CEO of Crean Lutheran High School. He has served there since the school’s founding for the past eighteen years and is blessed to be a lifelong follower of Jesus Christ, a sinner and a saint, only by God’s grace. He and his family worship at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Orange, CA. 

References:

1Kleinig, John. Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today (p. 10). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

2Kleinig, John. Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today (p. 161). Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.