This week we are going to be looking at a parable about God’s grace.

Grace seems to be something that is so familiar but so misunderstood. Grace is a word that we hear and see often. It’s a girl’s name, a title of U2 song, something we say before meals, and something that’s mentioned in churches a fair bit. And more recently the academy award nominated film “Tree of Life” by Terrence Malick is all about grace.

His film is a brilliant exploration of the two ways of living: by grace, or by “nature”. By nature he means what comes naturally to us, living out of strength, and our own preconceived ideas of fairness. Nature is the opposite of grace.

So my question for you this morning: is what does a life lived by grace look like? And the opposite what does a life lived in the way of “nature” look like? How do you know when someone is living out a life of grace rather than nature?

And lastly and probably most importantly – are you living your life in the way of grace? Or are you living it in the way of nature?

Come Sunday we’ll be looking about both – but why not start the discussion a bit early…