Are you loved?

“God loves us not because we are lovable but because he is love; not because he needs to receive but because he delights to give.” C.S. Lewis

 

He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove, The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of his love, And wonders of his love, And wonders, wonders, of his love.

– Isaac Watts, Joy to the World

What is love?  How many (bad) pop songs have been written on that theme?

It’s quite the universal question because it strikes at the heart of the deepest and most universal longing of the human heart, the need to feel loved.  So, do you remember what it was like the first time you heard your spouse declare their love for you?  Or, in the arena of friendship, when you finally connected with someone on the deepest level of brotherly/sisterly love?  That moment when your souls had connected? That is a spectacular, life changing moment!

But even more importantly, how does having this kind of love impact you?

My wife and I love each other deeply…but truth be told, we still have our fair share of emotional disagreements, some of which end up in awkward and extended periods of unsettled distance from each other.  But one thing I can say that I have never felt, even during our worst disagreements, is the sense that our LOVE was in danger.  What I mean by that is that even though Katie may not really have liked me at one particular moment, I have never doubted that she still loved me.

I think it’s this idea that Watt’s is driving at as he celebrates the “wonders of God’s love.”  He is declaring the wonder of being in an eternally secure and loving relationship with the God of heaven and earth, with no need to worry incessantly about whether or not that love might disappear or dissipate when tough days of sin and broken intimacy invade. Now that’s a wonderful thing to have!

As we come to this fourth Sunday of Advent, we celebrate and give thanks for the love of God that comes to us through the advent of Christ the redeemer, a kind of love that should cause us to sing!

Pastor Chris