Iron Pyrite, Silica, White and Rose Quartz, along with the occasional Amethyst.  Those were the precious gems I prospected in my backyard in suburban Atlanta.  Yet, like Yukon Cornelius, I always hoped for more.  Surely there was a vein of silver or gold tucked away in that Georgia clay.  Or better yet, a cache of diamonds, scattered in with the fill-gravel.  Every small child is a prospector.  Curating buckets of rocks, confident of striking it rich.

But in Arkansas, every resident does have a stake in a rich claim.  One of the United States’ few diamond fields sits just a few miles south on public land at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. In a 37-acre field at the park, over 75,000 diamonds have been found since 1907.  1 to 2 diamonds are found every day.  On average, over 600 per year.  And the rule is finders-keepers.  The largest ever found at the park was a 40.23 carat white diamond, nicknamed “Uncle Sam.” 

But finding diamonds is not as easy as you might think.  They do not look like what you expect.  The diamonds at Crater of Diamonds Park are white, brown, and yellow.  They will not be clear like glass but have an oily film that prevents them from holding dirt.  They will have a metallic luster, like steel or lead.  And they are smooth and well rounded, like a polished stone. 

Only when they are cut and finished by a jeweler will they shine with the brilliance you would expect.   The jeweler cuts the diamonds into shapes with many “faces” or facets.  And each facet reveals a different aspect of the color, clarity, beauty and brilliance of the stone.  The many facets of the cut diamond allow light to enter and reflect and refract through the stone to reveal its true color and clarity. 

In the same way the treasures of God’s grace have many facets.  Facets that reveal all the subtle, rich beauty and sufficiency of God’s love for us.   Our tendency is to be theologically reductionistic.  We are familiar with the acronym for GRACE, ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’  But what are all these riches?  And what expense did Christ expend?  Why did Christ pay it? How did he pay it?  And where did this expense come from in the first place?  As Paul Harvey would say, we need to hear ‘the rest of the story.’

John’s account of the crucifixion is familiar.  Yet like a finely cut diamond, John 19:16-30 displays many of the facets of grace that reveal the depths of the Father’s love for us.  On the face of it the crucifixion appears to display failure, contradiction and injustice.  Yet the Father masterfully cuts and shapes his redemptive plan to reveal mercy and triumph as Jesus bears his peoples’ sin and finishes the work of redemption.

Join us as we study John 19:16-30 and examine the facets of grace revealed in the story of the Jesus’ crucifixion and death. We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join our livestream on YouTube.