This being my first submission to Anglican Life, I offer these few words of introduction. I’m a relative newcomer to the Diocese of Central Newfoundland—in fact, to the province itself—having spent most of my life in southwestern Ontario, serving as a priest in the Diocese of Huron. Refer to me as “Come From Away” if you will, but I must insist that in these past 16 months, I’ve felt embraced and adopted in my new place of residence. It is a precious gift, pure and simple, for which I am most grateful.
Speaking of gifts… in a recent pre-baptism session with a young couple, we discussed the Rite of Holy Baptism, as it’s set out in the Book of Alternative Services. I hadn’t met the couple before, so I didn’t want to make any assumptions concerning their church background or their understanding of the sacrament of baptism. These conversations can at times be awkward, and so I was more than a little relieved that they were receptive to having these preparatory conversations. Turning to the service itself, we spoke about the questions that are addressed to parents and sponsors, including references to “Satan” and the “evil powers of this world.” We arrived at the penultimate question, concerning a desire to turn to Christ as Saviour: “Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?” There was a pause, which was broken by my question: “What is grace, anyway?” At this point, there was an even longer pause.
How would you answer that question? In our churches, we sing about grace regularly. We pray for it just as regularly. But when it comes to actually explaining what we mean when we say the word, it seems that the words don’t come so easily. How can one put one’s whole trust in Christ’s grace if the meaning and significance of that grace remain vague?
In our halting conversation, we eventually agreed that the word “gift” was a good place to begin thinking about grace. God’s gift is what we were preparing to celebrate, and that gift certainly included the gift that they held in their arms at that moment: the gift of their beloved child.
The late Christian writer, Frederick Buechner, devoted a great deal of time to setting down theological definitions as he understood them. Many of his definitions can be found on the website www.frederickbuechner.com. Here’s what Buechner says about grace: “The grace of God means something like: ‘Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.’”
Buechner’s definition is a gift in itself. It touches on our existence, inclusion, meaning, relationship, safety, love—a string of precious gifts, really. To which, you and I might wish to add our own.
Andreas Thiel+
Rector, Parish of Salvage
