Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

If you haven’t seen Tom Hank’s recent movie, It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, you should! I’m not sure there is a more Christ-like figure in our time than Fred Rogers. One of Mr. Rogers goals was to help children wrestle through difficult issues - issues that are often left festering into our adult lives.

The end of the movie features a song Fred Rogers wrote in 1974:

Sometimes People are Good

Sometimes people are good,
And they do just what they should.
But the very same people who are good sometimes,
Are the very same people who are bad sometimes.
It’s funny, but it’s true.
It’s the same, isn’t it for me and…

As we wrestle through these difficult times of COVID-19, racial tensions and incessant judgement of those from the past and present who think and act differently from us, let’s try to keep two things in mind:

It is God’s grace that covers us - not our works. Because of God’s grace, no one on this earth is better than anyone else: whether they wear a mask or not; whether they fight social injustice in an “acceptable” way or not; whether they have done good things or bad things - we are all saved by the same grace.
Sometimes even good people do bad things. It’s easy with the onslaught of social media and regular reports of doom and gloom to assume the worst in people. Instead, let’s try to see the best in people who do things we disagree with because “Sometimes the very same people who are good sometimes are the same people who do bad sometimes…and It’s the same…for me and you.”

Blessing:

Dear God,

Help us to show the grace you have given us to others. Help us to remember that those that are falling short all around us are under the same grace that we have received. Let us be a light in dark places by remembering that even good people who do bad things need Jesus.

Amen