The grace of our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach with all of you. Amen. Philippians 4:23

Grace – Charis is one of the most important words in the Ketuvim Netzarim (New Testament). It is by grace (charis) alone that we are saved. God’s charis is our strength and shield as we await the return of His Son. We are known to each other by the charis we share with each other. The word is found in the symbolic meal (eucharist), in our greeting (“Rejoice!”) and in the character of our community. We know this word. Or do we?

If we recognize that Hebrew is a dynamic language, built around the flow of actions rather than the accumulation of things, perhaps we need to give more consideration to “grace” as event-language rather than spiritual coinage. Perhaps our experience of God’s grace is much more akin to swimming in the flow than it is to being awarded a trophy. Maybe it’s the journey, not the destination, that really matters.

We have a verb “to grace.” It’s not very common, but we do know how to use it. “Would you grace my presence with your company?” This is grace as action. What does it mean? It means to do honor or provide credit to someone by the way that we behave. This verb is entirely relational. It can’t function at all without at least two “players” in the mix. The action of “gracing” occurs only in the event of the relationship. As soon as the relationship is removed, the word no longer has meaning. I can’t grace. I can only grace someone or something.

What if God’s grace is a verb? What if God is gracing us with His presence and in that relationship we find rescue, deliverance and salvation? It has nothing to do with us, of course. God is the one who does the gracing. He shows up and we are graced by Him. But if we don’t show up, all God’s gracing won’t benefit us one bit. If we want to experience God’s gracing event, we must get into the flow of the relationship with Him. If love is a verb (and it is), aren’t faith and grace and joy also verbs? None of these are “things” I can add to my spiritual treasure chest for use at a later time. They exist only as I experience them in action, right now. While the grammar is horrific, perhaps we should be speaking of “faithing” and “joying” and “gracing” along with loving. Maybe we need to see our spiritual condition in terms of the journey of experiences in the household of God rather than a collection of mementos from past travels. Do you think the Bible is a picture album or a narrative story? When you read it, are you immersed in the flow of God among men or are you merely a critical historian observing what others wrote?

Imagine what it would be like to walk the event horizon of the intersection of God and His creation every moment of the day. Imagine the wonder, the surprise, the awe you could experience as each new verb came into play along your journey. Imagine what it would be like to swim, not with the Spirit, but in the Spirit. Just imagine.

Topical Index: event horizon, verb, grace, charis, Philippians 4:23, journey