Mtr Kelli Joyce

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance."

Dear Friends in Christ,

In the particular time and place in which we live, the idea of the meritocracy is very popular. We might debate whether or not our social systems actually reward merit, but typically we don't debate the value of meritocracy itself.

But God rejects meritocracy. God blesses the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the hungry. God chooses to work through fools and failures. God chose to save the world not by the use of armies and violence, but by accepting the most shameful form of execution the world had to offer. God's ways are not our ways.

And God rejoices more over the unearned rescue of a someone who is genuinely bad than God does over the safety and goodness of ninety-nine people who were already safe and good. God delights in good things happening to screw-ups. God's plan of salvation is all about doing the most for the people who, in the eyes of the world, deserve it the least.

Maybe this seems unfair. Maybe we want God to value our hard work and our merit and our righteousness. But the truth is, we don't deserve the grace God has given us, either. That's what makes grace grace. It's not fair. But, thanks be to God, it is good.

In peace,
Mtr Kelli