Wrestling with Grace

Today has been spent wrestling with grace sounds a strange idea maybe. I've been writing a assignment on the means of grace and how they relate to the mission of God. One of the books I've been reading for  this was by Kevin Watson A Blueprint for Discipleship 

 "what is grace?" 

Watson tells the story of a class he had at seminary on friday morning  turning up half asleep for a three hour class ( I can sympathise with him as he wrote). Getting there finding out that the lecture had a task for them that morning to go out and ask people three questions. One of those was that question asked above "What is grace?"

He recounts how 

" I remember being terrified that someone would respond, "I don't know. What is grace?" I did not know hat I would say if the question was turned back on me "

and asks what would you say if asked what is grace?

What they found as they shared back in class in talking to people out on the street that was that most people they spoke to did not have a good idea about what grace is. They had ideas and opinions about church and christians and Jesus but when it came to grace they found it hard to explain.

(writing the essay today I know what Watson means :) )

Watson suggests that the question of what is grace and of how we interpret it is 

 a crucial question because grace is the foundation of the Christian life. According to scripture, grace plays a primary role in our salvation

Durring bible study with a friend two simple questions are often asked

1. what does this mean in my life
2. what does this mean in ministry 

I found myself asking what does this mean in my patch what does this mean for the people living here in vauxhall and lambeth in 2010.  What does grace mean to them, to my neighbours.