Words we long to hear

words-we-long-to-hear_Vanishing Grace

Excerpt from Vanishing Grace:

“Mark Rutland whimsically recalls a survey in which Americans were asked what words they would most like to hear.

He predicted the first choice: ‘I love you.’

Number two was ‘I forgive you.’

The third choice took him by surprise: ‘Supper’s ready.’

It dawned on Rutland that these three statements provide a neat summary of the gospel story. We are loved by God, forgiven by God, and invited to the banquet table.

In the midst of a planet marked by brokenness–violence, natural disasters, ruptured relationships–the gospel is truly good news. Like an iPod listener dancing in a subway station full of glum commuters, a Christian hears a different sound, of joy and laughter on the other side of pain and death.”

– Philip Yancey

Vanishing-Grace_Philip-Yancey

* * *

8 thoughts on “Words we long to hear

  1. Dianna

    I love the way this plays out…without His love there would have not been a reason for I forgive you, but the third one…that just causes the smile to spread across my face even more…”invited to the banquet table”. How blessed we are!

  2. Susan M.

    Love thinking about these three sentences! And looking forward to the new memory challenge–maybe. I will be successful this time! šŸ˜€

  3. Tracy

    Hi Lisa, I absolutely love that, love, forgive, food! The basics right?! The heart, the soul, the stomach. I love how the Lord makes sure all the bases are covered. And He knows us so well. Maybe we can love and forgive better when our stomachs are full?! šŸ™‚ My mind is now going on rabbit trails lol!
    God bless
    Tracy

  4. TC Avey

    As I read this I thought of all the ways Satan likes to divide us…but in all actuality we are more alike than we realize. We all want to be loved. We all need forgiveness. And we all love to eat (and need to eat).
    Graciously God provides for all those.
    I pray this world will begin to see all the ways we are alike instead of focusing so much on the ways we are different.

  5. Andrea Hutchinson

    I love this post! The correlation is awesome. I also love and resonate with this:
    ā€œa Christian hears a different sound, of joy and laughter on the other side of pain and death.ā€ā€ I live this in the current circumstances in our family. Some of my family and friends donā€™t understand how I can be the way that I am during the trial and constant disruption of our lives. This is a wonderful way to describe that sense of peace I feel, even as I worry and stress, I hear something different deeply within me ā€¦ I hear God.
    Thanks for this. Iā€™m going to think and act with ā€œwhat would grace sayā€ when the opportunity comes to react to something today.
    Blessings.
    Andrea

    1. LisaNotes Post author

      I believe you are definitely hearing a different sound of the “other side”, Andrea. I love how you hear God. And how you keep pressing in to hear even more. Your faith encourages mine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *