Unexpected Grace: When Brotherhood Transcends Economics
cbr, 2025 - #nowplaying - Punctual, Jordan Shaw - Do It All Again
cbr, 2025 - #nowplaying - Punctual, Jordan Shaw - Do It All Again
A Sermon from Topanga Canyon
Brothers, let me tell you something raw and real today. This past week, I found myself in a place many of us fear—a negative bank balance. Not just low, but rock bottom. The kind of moment where your pride wants to shut down, where the enemy whispers lies of inadequacy and shame.
I live here in Topanga Canyon, a place of rugged beauty and unexpected connections. And in this landscape of spiritual terrain, God decided to show me something profound about brotherhood, about provision, about the economy of the Kingdom.
My neighbor—a brother I’ve known spiritual, but never truly knew deeply—sensed something through the Holy Spirit. Not through words, not through a long conversation, but through a divine intuition that transcends human understanding. He showed up. Unexpectedly. With groceries from the local farmers market.
Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” This isn’t just a verse, brothers. This is a spiritual principle that operates beyond our limited human calculations.
When he dropped off those groceries—fresh produce, locally grown, each item a testament to God’s provision—I didn’t just see food. I saw the hands of Christ, working through a brother who was willing to be inconvenienced. Who was willing to step into my struggle without judgment, without expectation of return.
We don’t talk about money in the church enough. Not because it’s taboo, but because we’ve reduced the Kingdom’s economy to transactional thinking. But God’s economy is relational. It’s about connection. It’s about seeing the image of God in each other and responding.
My brother didn’t ask questions. Didn’t require a spreadsheet of my expenses. Didn’t demand to know how I got to this place. He simply saw a need and filled it. 2 Corinthians 9:7 rings true: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
In Topanga, where the mountains meet the sky and spiritual warfare is as real as the wind through the canyon, I was reminded that provision comes in unexpected packages. Sometimes it’s groceries. Sometimes it’s a text. Sometimes it’s just knowing someone sees you.
Brothers, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. Not just in grand gestures, but in the mundane moments. In the dropping off of groceries. In the quiet understanding that says, “I’ve got your back” without ever uttering those words.
Matthew 25:40 echoes in my spirit: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” My neighbor didn’t just bring groceries. He brought Jesus. He became the embodiment of grace in that moment.
I don’t know what economic struggle you’re facing. I don’t know what negative balance—financial or spiritual—you’re wrestling with. But I know this: God sees. God provides. And He often does it through the most unexpected vessels.
So to my brother who showed up this week—thank you. Not just for the groceries, but for being a conduit of God’s unexpected grace. For reminding me that in the Kingdom, we rise together. We provide for each other. We are more than conquerors.
Romans 8:28 isn’t just a verse. It’s a lifestyle: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even in a negative bank balance. Even in a moment of need.
Stay strong. Stay connected. Stay expectant.
-Pastor Mitchell Royel