Praise of the Lord-His Name

Day  16 – 71

2. Thy name encircles every grace

that God as man could show;

There only could He fully trace

a life divine below.

A couple of days ago, I was conversing over a cafe au lait with a good friend  at Cafe Kafofo (a little Brazilian-themed cafe in Cambridge with the mascot of the sloth, endemic to the nordeste do brasil) about someone who is very graceful. This person is a dancer, but even beyond the physical way she carries herself, she also has an inward grace in her person that makes her a great team member, someone who neither effuses an air of entitlement in leadership, nor a desire to ensure self-accreditation and approval of others. The mention of a particular moment caused me to be more impressed with the kindS of grace a person can show.

Just moments ago, when I pulled out my book of hymns, with my own home-made version of a cafe au lait at my side,  I came to the next hymn in the sequence which enlarged my view to see that even the most impressive human actions and words, full of gracefulness and dignity, aren’t able to compare to the name of Jesus, which

encircles every grace …

John 1:17 – the law was given through Moses, but grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.

It could also be that the aforementioned dancer additionally gave off a kind of…say…fragrance of this Jesus – I know she enjoys the Bible herself – such that within the context of the  normal order of business, you probably could tell as much.

A person of grace. speaks words of grace, and aspires to be more grace than not.  (Picture: a pie chart – grace…and not grace)

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ and manifests the savor of the knowledge of Him through us in every place.

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God.

This is incredibly beautiful  – and, what a charge! The fragrance of grace is beautiful.