Umbrella

Being caught in the rain is no fun! The other day, I happened to be stuck outside while it poured. I was getting soaked. My clothes were drenched. I was waiting in line, unable to escape the rain. Suddenly, I heard a soft, sweet voice whisper, “Come stand here with me.” Her large umbrella was already open. I was intrigued by both the simplicity and directness of the tender invitation: “Come stand here.” Of course, I stepped under the umbrella, and we continued to wait in line together.

It raises an intriguing theological question… Did I save myself from the rain, or did the woman with the umbrella save me? On one hand, I stepped under the umbrella. On the other hand, it wasn't my umbrella. I simply responded to a gift that had already been offered to me. It would have been cruel if the woman had refused to share her umbrella. But it also would have been strange if she had forced me underneath it against my will.

This is a story about God's grace. The rain represents our sinfulness; we cannot escape it on our own. The woman with the umbrella represents God. And the umbrella represents God's grace: a gift that we neither create nor earn. The good Lutheran question is not, “How did I get under the umbrella?” but rather, “Who brought the umbrella?” God did.

Grace does not begin with us. It begins with God. God comes looking for us before we ever go looking for God. God creates faith and gives us what we cannot manufacture or earn for ourselves. Even our ability to trust in God is ultimately a gift from God. That doesn't mean God drags us beneath the umbrella against our will. God's grace is not coercion. Instead, God graciously calls, invites, and draws us toward the cover God has already provided.

God is the soft and gentle voice amid the downpour, whispering, “Come stand here with me.”

 As Lutherpalians, we are cautious about making salvation primarily about our decision. Saying, “I accepted Jesus into my heart,” can be a beautiful expression of faith. But there is something even more profound to understand: Before I ever accepted God, God had already accepted me. Before I ever reached for God, God was already reaching for me. Before I ever knew I needed an umbrella, God had already brought one.

When we find ourselves standing beneath the protection of someone else's umbrella, the appropriate response isn't pride in having made the right choice. It is gratitude for the person who brought the umbrella. The emphasis is not on what I have done, said, or thought. The emphasis is on what God has done. And when the rain continues to fall, and it will, we don't have to pretend that the storm has disappeared. We simply remain under the shelter of grace. Grace does not begin with us. It begins with God. And when we hear that gentle voice saying, “Come stand here with me,” our response is simply to give thanks. Because ultimately, the good news isn't that we found the umbrella. The good news is that God brought the umbrella.

 Covered and assured,

Pastor Lucas

Photo by Jody Antonio