Will Vaus

How do you spell grace? Here’s a pretty good spelling, definition and a great acronym: GRACE is: ·        G od’s  ·        R iches  ·        A t  ·        C hrist’s  ·        E xpense.  Now, here is the key question: How do you respond to it? Do you accept God’s grace in Jesus Christ for yourself, and do you share it with others without perception of limit? Or do you respond in some way that is less than that? Do you limit God’s grace to yourself and others? Those are some of the questions I think our Scripture reading poses today. Listen for God’s word to you from Luke 4:21-30… Then he [Jesus] began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  22  All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”  23  He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that

Last night our family went to see the movie, Amazing Grace . Usually we go to see movies in Harrisonburg, Virginia because that is the location of the best movie theater closest to us. However, the closest theater showing Amazing Grace was in Charlottesville, a two hour drive from our home in the mountains of Virginia. Seeing this movie was worth every mile we drove, every penny we spent on gas, and the thirty plus dollars it cost for all five of us to see the film. Amazing Grace is, perhaps, the greatest movie I have ever seen. It is the story of William Wilberforce who lived from 1759-1833 in England. Wilberforce, or Wilber as he was known to friends, was the son of a rich merchant. However, he lost his father at the age of eight and went to live with his uncle and aunt who had been influenced by George Whitefield and the Evangelical Revival in England. Wilber's uncle and aunt were also friends of John Newton, the former slave trader and sailor turned Christian convert, preac