simple

for me, the essence of faith is summed up in the exchange that took place between jesus and one of the criminals dying beside him...

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (luke 23:39-43)

when everything else is stripped away...all the man-made laws that we impose to make our faith more complicated than it really is...the debates on baptism and dress codes and alcohol and what version of the bible to read and who's worthy, or not worthy, to receive communion...

for me, all of those distractions fall away when i read this excerpt from luke. a man, a criminal, acknowledges as he is dying, that jesus is the son of god.

jesus' response? simple and unquestioning. the essence of grace. the criminal has done nothing to deserve christ's love. he simply believes.

i am the criminal. i am filthy. i deserve death.

i could not exist without christ's mercy. i could not live without his grace.

and i ask him every day to remember me in his kingdom.