Love Divine

March 9, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
1 John 4:8,10

Our scripture for today is a marvelous reminder to take more time during these days of the Lenten season (40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter) and reflect upon the deep and gracious love of God; “God is love…This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”.

I have been viewing and reviewing Lenten study materials and came across this quote from Henri Nouwen; “The simple statement, ’God is love,’ has far reaching implications the minute we begin living our lives based on that statement. When God who has created me is love and only love, I am loved before any human being loved me” (Here and Now,77). It’s been said “What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” and yet, the Bible tells us that is just what God did, and is still doing and will do until His Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

The reality is, that too many people don’t know that. Why does evil seem to reign on this earth? Why is there so much injustice? Doesn’t anybody care anymore?

I could give you a sugary, watered down answer to these questions while at the same time trying to help you understand that God is love. What I choose to do is to acknowledge with you the reality of evil in our midst and encourage you that the God who made us all is still in ultimate control, as I understand the word “Is” in the above scripture. “This is love”, not was, but is”. Hang in there with me and try to envision Moses on the mountain when God gave him his marching orders; to set God’s people free. He told Moses that his name is “I Am”. Perhaps a modern understanding might be “I Will Be What I Will Be”, or “I Am Always Here”.

During this Holy season, I invite you to take a little more time every day to read the Gospels and see again how much God loves us all, even the one’s we might deem unlovable. God loved us [all of us] and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice [He paid for the sins of the whole world]. The catch here, is to acknowledge that God is love, that He loved us all. Apart from knowing that love of God, humans are unable to truly love. We can like, lust and crush on other people, but we cannot love as God intends. He intends to love us forever, and I believe He intends for us to do the same.

I hear the hymn by Charles Wesley; “Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down! Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All Thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus thou art all compassion; Pure, unbounded love, Thou art. Visit us with Thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart” (United Methodist Hymnal 1989, pg. 384).

AMEN!