Readings: Ephesians 2: 1-10; Psalm 100; Luke 2:13-21
St Paul reminds us in today’s first reading how God has been so generous towards us with His mercy and how we have been saved only through His grace.
In simple language, mercy is not getting what we (our sins) deserve and grace is getting what we do not deserve.
God relates to us according to mercy and grace not according to our merit (Psalm 103:10), in fact, there is no merit in us, it is by grace.
The parable in today’s Gospel further reaffirms this message. We cannot rely on our wealth, strength, power, knowledge, achievement, connection and possessions. All of these can fail and they do fail. The rich man in today’s Gospel had great success, he confidently made good business and life plans, but could not control the day of his death – and all his accomplishments and plans were instantly nothing.
When we think it is about us, we are in charge, we control things, good things happen to us because we work hard and we deserve them, when we do not recognise our reliance on God’s mercy and our need of grace, it is not just a wrong perception, it is foolishness.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka Gukena Okami on
October 19, 2020.