Nothing more, nothing less.

Grace, simply grace. No more, no less, grace.

God does not bless us because of anything we do just as He doesn't withdraw his blessing for something we omit to do or something that is especially horrid. This is the great confusion in Christianity today. We are taught that if we do good God will bless us and, beware, if we do bad then God will curse us and turn his back on us.

The cross shows us the exact opposite.

The cross shows us that, at our heinous worst, in the midst of torturing, crucifying and finally ending his life with a spear thrust deep into his side, God in Christ has only ONE response: he prayed a brief prayer over his unrepentant persecutors, the most powerful prayer in all eternity. "Father forgive them for they don't know what they do".

At our worst, totally devoid of compassion, full of hatred, Jesus pronounces a blessing on us all..

What did we do to deserve this blessing? Surely all that we had done deserved a curse. Yet God shows that there is nothing we can do to move the heart of God...? His heart is ALREADY MOVED, Jesus proclaims a new covenant, the covenant of unmerited and unconditional grace.

We have one part to play. We must set aside our pleadings for God to bless us. We must set aside our fears that God, at best, may turn his face from us, and, at worst, curse us.

Our one role is simple: with the words of Jesus on our lips and in our hearts..... "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven".... All we can do, all we need to do, is to receive.

God's grace remains unswervingly constant.... Seated at the right hand of God reaching out his grace and love to all.... Unconditionally. Makes you want to shout, makes you want to love, to grace and to forgive.

This is our God. This is his glory.