Beloved, God is For Us
To Our Beloved Guests, Friends, and Members,
I write "beloved" not because I wish to be flowery or flattering. This is what you are to God: beloved. That's not just a descriptor. You are, in your core, your very being, God's beloved! This is a message so counterintuitive and radical that's almost impossible to receive.
It's particularly difficult given our collective and personal issues with self-worth, self-image, our struggles, ugly spots, personality flaws, anger issues, carelessness, addictions, miscalculations, blatant acts of self-destruction, harm caused to others, in short—our sins. And yet, If we can begin to accept God's radical love, we slowly come to understand not only our worth, but the worth of one another. Little by little, we begin to love God back. We do so through self-acceptance and self-care, and adopting positions of patience and grace towards our neighbors, just as we've been shown. We do the hard work of learning to forgive. We allow love to permeate in ways that allow us to love others.
And so the journey—life's journey, the spiritual walk—begins with the realization that God loves us, we are God's Beloved. That God is with us. That God is for us. And this makes all the difference.
This Sabbath I’ll be bringing you encouragement from scripture. This is an assurance that God is really for us in both expected and unexpected ways. Whether we're talking about personal or spiritual growth, character, or how we see the world and those around us, God is for us. Now I'm not saying that God is available to help you in ways that work against others. No, God is for us in a way that's not exclusive—God's for them too! God is for us in ways that go to God’s desire that all should be saved, and none lost.
That, in my opinion, is a God worth our worship. Worth our loyalty and allegiance. Worth listening to and growing in. Because we're beloved, of course!
May this Sabbath, our worship and the gifts we bring strengthen you and give you hope and courage for the week to come.
Grace and Peace,
Pr Greg