Advance to Go

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-2 ESV). Faith and Logan have “invented” a game. They have called it “Atheleteopoly.” As you may guess from the name it is based on the old stand-by board game of Monopoly. You may recall Monopoly first originated in the United States in 1903 as a way to demonstrate that an economy which rewards wealth creation is better than one in which monopolists work under few constraints and to promote the economic theories of Henry George and in particular his ideas about taxation. The current version was first published by Parker Brothers in 1935. It is now produced by the United States game and toy company Hasbro. Players move around the game-board buying or trading properties, developing their properties with houses and hotels, and collecting rent from their opponents, with the goal being to drive them all into bankruptcy leaving one monopolist in control of the entire economy. Since the board game was first commercially sold in the 1930s, it has become a part of popular world culture, having been locally licensed in more than 103 countries and printed in more than thirty-seven languages. Faith and Logan’s version substitutes the names of famous athletes for the properties, though the rules remain the same. They have a Chance Card that advances the player to “Go.” As you know, as the game progresses, that card is most welcome at times. It gives you a “salary” and keeps you from landing on someone else’s property where you are required to pay rent.

Returning to “go” is often a good thing. I have found that returning from time to time to the beginning of our faith and hope is always helpful. That’s why the Apostle Paul always begins his letters with grace. It is going back to “go.” For the apostle Paul grace is the sum total of God’s goodness toward his children. Karl Barth, defines grace as that merciful “Nevertheless!” with which God steps out from the mystery of his majesty and holiness and turns to address us as “beloved.” Grace isn’t grace without that “nevertheless.” We are sinners; nevertheless we become beloved saints when we receive God’s grace. To know this grace is to experience peace, a deep sense of well-being, of being saved. A remarkable footnote to all this is that this grace and peace flow to us from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our salvation is a joint venture. Jesus is no mere preacher who must wait till the fourth century and the Nicene Council to be assigned a divine status. From the very beginning he is the Lord who works for our total peace. For the next few days we are going to examine grace a bit. Today, return to “go.”