"Grace Upon Grace"

(Eph 1:3-14; Jn 1:1-18) JG White ~ 10:30 am, Sun, Jan 4, 2026, FBC Amherst

The little twelve-day season of Christmas is almost over. Once again, in Church, we heard the start of the story of the Saviour. Each Gospel writer begins the Jesus story quite differently. 

Mark starts with adult John the Baptist and Jesus, both starting to do their things. Luke famously tells of the births of those cousins, John and Jesus. Matthew starts farther back, with the genealogy of Jesus, back to Abraham. Then John, written down last, says, ‘I’ve got this.’ John is cosmic. In the beginning… John’s starts at the creation of everything. 

John 1, the Prologue, is such a beautifully written and expressive text. I want to peek at the finale of it today. There we find “grace” a few times, that beloved and well-used word, grace. 

It speaks of “grace upon grace.” God is so full of goodness, we have received. This amazing grace. This fullness of grace. This grace and truth. I mentioned grace here on Christmas Eve; maybe you caught that. It is a central idea, a real thing at the heart of our faith and experience. Spiritual teacher Father Richard Rohr has said, We are all saved by pure grace, no exceptions. We must never live in such a way that grace is not needed hour by hour. (July 18, 2016)

Oh, how we need grace upon grace for the living of these days of our lives. I need grace upon grace because yesterday I heard of one more friend diagnosed with a serious cancer. 

I need grace upon grace because yesterday I heard about one more nation invaded by another (and even the president and his wife were taken captive). 

I need grace upon grace because I read about one more toxic chemical getting into the environment thanks to how I shop and live. 

I need grace upon grace because I heard about one more way artificial intelligence can take over the creative work of humans.

I need grace upon grace because I was rude to someone once again, in my own quiet way. 

I need grace upon grace because I found out about one more invasive species that might wipe out a certain type of tree in our area.

I need grace upon grace because I heard of one more pastor of a Church who crashed and burned out, leaving ministry if not for good, for a while. 

Thanks be to God, grace is still abounding! Goodness is overflowing! Help is near! 

Grace is mentioned also in today’s epistle scripture, from the start of Ephesians. This reading in the Greek is really one very long run-on sentence! It is like the author is very excited to speak out all there is to say. A lot is said here. A lot of blessings are listed; seven verbs for nine gifts. Actions God takes for us ‘in Christ,’ in other words, thanks to Jesus. Listen to these all again:

God blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

God chose us in love, before the world began. 

God destined us for adoption as God’s children.

God freely bestowed upon us grace.

God gave us redemption in Jesus’ blood,

                 forgiveness for our trespasses,

                 the riches of God’s grace lavished upon us.

God made known to us the mystery of God’s will.

God marked us with the seal of the Holy Spirit of our inheritance & redemption. 

We could easily spend an hour upon each of these nine (or more) things listed here. What do they each truly mean? A lot! They mean a lot. So much of it, here, is about people’s identity and sense of belonging with God. Being chosen, destined, adopted, sealed - these all express that. 

This really is grace upon grace. Goodness upon goodness that we could not simply build for ourselves. Blessings that well up from beyond little ole you and me. Our Higher Power truly is beyond and better than us (higher) and is real power. 

So our Source of justice in this evil world is still available and kind. Our Source of consolation in terrible times is still our Comforter. Our Source of healing when relationships break is still our Counsellor. Our Source of forgiveness in times of our terrible failure will still pardon us. Our Source of truth is still speaking into a world of fake news and images and scams. Our Source of healing is still making house calls in our lives of pain and death. Our Source of friendship is still bringing people together and bridging the gaps.

We find grace upon grace. We proclaim grace upon grace. It all flows in the midst of everything else. 

I was reminded of the old gospel hymn, ‘It Is Well With My Soul.’ Written in 1873 by Horatio Spafford, the story is well known. After the sudden loss of a son, and the great Chicago fire destroyed most of his investments, Spafford planned a restful family trip to England. He sent his wife and four daughters on ahead of him. The ship they sailed upon collided with another and quickly sank. He received a message from his wife: their four daughters we lost. 

In any circumstance, God can dwell with our souls.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say, 

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we hear a similar attitude, relying upon the grace of God. 4:12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 

In the midst of the list of blessings from Christ in Ephesians chapter 3 are some things we Christians do, three responses, you could say, from us.  

Be holy and blameless. 

Praise (God’s glory) - said four times here.

Believe (in God/Christ).

Be holy and blameless. There’s a high calling! The message behind this, I’d say, is that we have our part to play. We don’t just let God, let grace take care of things in our world and our life. We join God. We do our part. We strive together. 

Praise, praise God’s glory. Well, that’s what we practice together here on Sundays. Not to mention other ways we learn to do this six other days a week. 

And believe in God, in Christ. This is not just facts we accept or agree to. It is putting our confidence in this Holy One.

So, in 2026, we can find more ways to live good lives. Discover more about how to praise and worship God. And find more confidence in Jesus, in the Spirit, in Creator. I am trying to organize a sermon series on the practice of Christianity that will hit on all this. 

In the midst of our discipleship, we are blanketed with grace. Grace upon grace. So let us do our work. As a primer, a reminder, here is ‘The Work of Christmas’ by Howard Thurman.

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.