Grace Don Appear

Something appear. No be like ghost for night. E be more like sun wey dey rise over di sea after long dark journey. Paul get one word for am. Grace. And e appear for everybody.

Crete na long island wey get plenty mountains for di Mediterranean Sea, for di south of Greece. Paul leave im co-worker Titus there with one hard work: to choose good leaders for every town, and to help Christians wey just believe learn how to live. E no easy. Paul even quote one of di Cretans own poets, wey talk say Cretans na liars every time. Some troublemakers dey scatter whole households. So Paul write Titus one letter full of practical advice for old and young, for families and workers. But under every instruction, e put one foundation. And di foundation na Christmas.

Because di grace of God wey dey bring salvation don appear to all people, Paul write. Grace na God kindness wey we no deserve, love wey we no fit ever earn. And e appear. E show for our world, inside one person, inside Jesus, wey dem born for Bethlehem. And e come for all people, slaves and masters, Cretans and Jews, old and young. Dat grace, Paul talk, dey also teach us. E dey train us, like good teacher dey train student, to say no to wetin dey wrong, and to live with sense, with righteousness, and with godliness for dis present world.

And e dey teach us to wait with hope. Paul talk say we dey look for di blessed hope, di glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. So two appearing dey. Grace appear once, for di first Christmas. And Jesus go appear again, for glory, for di end. Christians dey live for di middle, like people wey don see di first light of morning and dey wait for full day. Why e come? Paul tell Titus: e give imself for us, to free us from all wrongdoing, and to make us im own people, wey dey eager to do good.

Small after for di letter, Paul talk am again. E remember how all of dem be before, im self inside: foolish, disobedient, full of jealousy and bad mind. But after dat, e write, di kindness and love of God our Saviour for human beings appear. No be because of di righteous works wey we do, but because of im mercy, e save us. We no earn am. We no fit earn am. God wash us clean and make us new by im Holy Spirit, wey e pour out plenty through Jesus Christ. So dat, as God don make us right with am by im grace, we go become heirs, with di hope of life wey no dey end.

Di line wey Paul talk say Cretans na liars every time no be im own invention. E talk say e come from one of dem own prophets. Di early Christian writer Clement of Alexandria, around di year two hundred, talk say di line come from Epimenides, one famous wise man from Crete. Paul dey quote one local proverb, di way preacher today fit quote one popular saying.

Grace Don Appear. You go find am for Titus chapter two, verse eleven to fourteen, and chapter three, verse four to seven. For plenty churches, dem dey read dis words for Christmas, because dem tell wetin appear dat night for Bethlehem: di kindness and love of God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Grace na gift wey you no fit earn. How e fit change di way you dey treat people wey never earn your kindness?