I look around me and weep for what I see. A world torn to pieces by war, poverty, a crying earth, cultural devastaton and discrimination. And I often wonder what God thinks of all this. I think of the Book of Genesis and the Fall of Humanity. —I don’t want to devote any time to theological posturing; there are plenty of people for whom that is their area of expertise. —BUT, if there was a great fall and because of it we have the current state of destruction in our world, then what was/is the purpose of grace?

I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that he came with a powerfully redeeming message about God’s grace that if we all applied could reverse the very state of our world and transform us into a unified race of people. Right now we are divided because of everything…skin color, doctrinal beliefs, social class, gender…you name it. If there was a great fall and the very nature of humanity became nothing more than self-serving, self-loathing Eden rejects separated from the nature of God, then it makes sense that the current state of our world would be utter chaos. There are and have been countless examples throughout history of teachers, sages, leaders, and prophets who tell us of a state of awareness that transcends all human calamity; a state of being that is one with the very force of creation. How can such a divine state of being be possible amidst the ills of our world and why isn’t this kind of awareness made available to everyone? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone was made aware of such an existence and given access to all it afforded?

So, I return to my previous quesiton: what was/is the purpose of grace?

In a world where black men are hunted and caged like animals.

When the bombing of communities can be justified.

When greed and consumption becomes the standard.

When my transgender friends can be harassed, beaten, or jailed simply for being.

When we live in a world controlled by fear and money.

In the United States, our money says, “In God we trust” but the concept of God has been so tainted by our very human need to reduce everything down to sizable, consumable parts that we have created a god that is more like a vengeful Santa Claus than The Great I Am that is All There Is and All There Will Ever Be. We have ruined God.

If we desired to know God, instead of understand God, perhaps the presence of grace would be more visible. If we looked to God to lead for the church instead of looking to the church to lead for God, perhaps grace would be more accessible. If we lived in a way that truly reflected our beliefs about the very nature of God, perhaps grace would be more recognizable. My prayer is that we all find some measure of grace and allow it to be the currency of our souls.