What does this surprising story illustrate? Some might say, “it illustrates how lucky you are!” But, to me, this story illustrates GRACE. I was guilty as charged and it was clearly written on the ticket and marked by the guilt on my face -- but the officer extended grace instead of punishment – an undeserved gift of forgiveness – and I was free to go! So it goes with us. We are tarnished with sin, not written on paper, but all over our lives. Guilty as charged. But, God surprises us and grants forgiveness through his Son who died and rose for us. Ah! That’s grace!
Need to experience grace rather than a ticket? Come to church on Sunday and experience the grace of Jesus Christ. Just don’t speed through the town of Horace to get here! You might get a ticket rather than grace!
Sorry Officer!
Early Saturday morning my son Ethan & I were on our way to his soccer tournament in Blaine. It was a quiet, cool morning and very few people were on I-694 -- we were running a little late! To make up for lost time, I willfully stepped on the gas pedal and propelled to a rate well over the speed limit. It wasn’t long until I noticed a police car directly behind me with bright lights flashing. I promptly moved over to the shoulder and quickly scrambled for the registration and license – I knew I was busted for sure. When the officer came to my car, I rolled down the window and immediately handed over my registration and license. He took them and proceeded to ask me if I knew how fast I was driving. Unable to get the words out in time, the officer answered his own question! “You were going 74 miles an hour and the speed limit is clearly marked 60 miles an hour all around the city.” After hearing the facts from the officer and knowing I was clearly at fault, I simply said, “Sorry Officer.” He quickly turned away from my car and returned to his squad car and then…I waited. Given the wait, I wondered what my son was thinking. I finally mumbled to my son (who until this point in history thought his dad was a perfect citizen), “I’m going to get a ticket.” And while I was saying this, I wondered how much this ticket was going to cost, how much higher our insurance was going to spike and what my lovely wife was going to say. After a long delay, the officer returned to my window – this time already rolled down. He handed me back my license and registration and then looked at my son and said, “On your way to the soccer tournament?” And we said in unison, “Yep.” And then came what I expected – the officer handed me the ticket slip -- with my name, address and a clear description of my traffic violation. Guilty as charged! But then, something totally unexpected happened! While looking at the traffic violation and guilt plastered over my face, I heard the voice of the officer say, “I’m not going to give you a ticket today – this is just warning. Stay within the speed limit and have a good day.” He was already walking back to his police car, when I shouted out to him, “I didn’t deserve this – thank you!” He kept walking and I promptly drove away before he changed his mind! And no, I didn’t have a clergy collar on!
