Jesus laid down His life for us. For you. For me. It was the only way. The only way to save, to salvage, to repair the damage that had been done. He stepped into our world, took our punishment and our sin, and accepted it all on His shoulders, in His hands and in His feet, and deep within. For us. Because this was the only way to save us. And He taught us a few things along the way.
We often hear stories about a brotherhood or sisterhood that comes forth between groups of men and women. It may be through military service with fellow soldiers, perhaps through battle. Or through sports, putting in the work to be the best team you can be. Or even through time spent at work on a particular project, or just working through a struggle with others. Or maybe it’s time spent on something else.
The point is, you spend time with these other people, you get to know them, you work towards a common goal. You bond. You share something that others don’t. You come to love and respect them, even in spite of their faults. You become a family. You sacrifice for them. You’d accept pain, struggle, and even death for them, to make their lives better, to save them.
We, humanity, are Jesus’ band of brothers and sisters. He came to earth, was born as we are, and for thirty-three years, He was one of us. He lived in the trenches, with us, dealing with all the pain and struggle and joy we all do as humans. Teaching us. He grew to love us, all of us, more so than we can even imagine. All of us.
Which is why He did what He did. He laid down His life for us. He took the bullet, so to speak, so we could live – eternally.
Which is why I am eternally grateful. Grateful for His mercy. Thankful for His grace. And as I heard our priest say last week, I don’t presume on His grace – I rely on it!
I rely on His grace to get me thought the good times and the bad, to get me through those times where I don’t know how I’m going to get through it.
I rely on His grace to show me joy in the little things, in the simplicity. I rely on His grace for humility.
I rely on His grace to help me love those that are hard to love. I rely on His grace to help me do the right thing even though the world, and my emotions, may be pulling me down another path.
I rely on His grace to provide solutions to impossible problems. I rely on my Brother in Jesus, I rely on Him to have my back as a good teammate does, I rely on Him to coach me, to lead me.
And I rely on Jesus to provide me the grace and the ability to stand up and sacrifice of myself for Him, for His mission, for His will in this world, not mine. I cannot do this on my own, none of us can. We have to rely on God’s grace through each other, through the sacrifices we make for one another, as one does for their fellow soldier, teammate, or colleague.
Jesus came down and laid His life down for us and the grace we need flowed out. He didn’t cast the first stone, he laid it. He is it, the cornerstone of our faith, of our path through life to Heaven, and of the foundation of which we build our lives and our families, and how we treat each other.
No matter what you’re going through, or what state of life, or state of faith you are in – rely on your brother Jesus. Rely on His grace. Be grateful for it. Be grateful for Him.
Because He laid down His life – for you.
