Conduits and channels

I went to a funeral on Saturday morning. It was at the Catholic Church my family went to when I was a very small child. It’s funny how our memory works. As soon as I walked in the door I knew the smell of the building. The time stowed away in the brick, the incense burning for so many years stored up in the rafters. 

The priest was from Africa, his heavy accent made it difficult to understand him at times. Yet, my heart connected with every word. Although I am not Catholic, it was evident that this man was my kin. No doubt, he was my brother in Christ. His words penetrated the heart and brought hope and peace. While I didn’t want to be rude, I had to take my phone out and jot down some things he said. In my notes app I wrote these simple words:

Conduits of grace
Channels of redemption

He was speaking of my friend’s mother, a dear Christian woman who lived her life in a way that could be described by the terms above. She was sweet and loving. She brought Christ to those around her. And as I listened I was moved by those words. 

Conduits of grace.
Channels of redemption.

Are we those things?

Do we bring grace to the world around us? Not our own version of grace, but rather His grace, because a conduit is a person that acts as a channel for the transmission of something. We are simply to be transmitting His grace to the world around us. 

Are we being a channel of His incredible redemption? The definition of a channel is interesting. There are many different types noted, but they all do the same thing. They transfer information or matter from one place to another. 

We are to be the channel through which His redemption is presented to the world. Not His judgement, He clearly said to leave that to Him. But rather His redemption. When we open our mouth redemption should come out. And when a conduit or channel has mud in it, or particles of various kind, it affects the transmission of the information or matter. It cannot always make it out the other side, and if it does, it comes out altered. 

Make me a conduit of grace, a channel of redemption to the world around me, Lord. That they would know You. Unaltered, unaffected by my human condition. Your message. Your grace. Your redemption for a hurting world. More of You, less of me. 

He must become greater; I must become less.

John 3:30