A sweeping victory worth celebrating

In a world full of noise, it is difficult to hear the whispers of God’s call and direction. In the early stages of my discernment there were times I felt cut off from God’s love and direction. Why won’t God tell me where I need to go? Is this what I am supposed to do with my life? Am I making everyone in my life proud? These thoughts made me feel as if I was cut off from God’s love, drifting through life on my own.

There may be moments in our lives when we convince ourselves we are not worthy of love. Whether that love is coming from a significant other, a family member, or a friend we instill a narrative in our lives that we do not deserve love. The individualistic nature of our society only further perpetuates this feeling of inadequacy and loneliness. By nature, we desire to love and be loved, and Paul reminds us that we are truly loved even when we feel the exact opposite.

Well, how much could God possibly love us?

God loves us so much that “He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,” and that love wasn’t limited to Paul’s Roman audience. It does not matter what we have done in our lives, what we are doing, or what we are going to do, because God’s love lives in us through the power of the Resurrection and the forgiveness of sin. Paul says, “It is Christ Jesus who died, even more, who was raised…It is Christ Jesus who also pleads our case for us,” and there is nothing we could possibly do for Jesus to stop advocating for us.

I began my journey attempting to find God’s love on my own. By trial and error, I tore through many different meditations, contemplative practices, and Scriptures to try and experience God’s love. Little by little I felt I was inching further away from God’s love and direction. It was in those moments I felt there was a “charge against God’s elect” which was pushing me away from God. When Paul asks, “Will we be separated by trouble, or distress…” my answer at the time was “yes.”

You see, I thought my relationship with God was purely dependent on my own experiences, and I believed those experiences came from inward reflection. Now, I can reflect on those thoughts and tell you that we not only experience God through inward reflection, but we can witness the love of God through others. In the case of my discernment into ministry, I began to see the love of God through those who affirmed and supported my call into ministry. The love of God erupted out of those who helped me understand the ordination process and how to begin. I saw the love of God through congregations who made me feel heard and seen. Their support is what gave me the courage to take another step into ministry…and then another…and another. Now, I am blessed to say I am at a faith community that continually embodies the love of God and makes it their mission to share it with everyone. They inspire me to share the love of God with others and help those who feel they are unworthy of love.

When we are able to come together as one body in Christ, amazing things happen. Communities feel the healing power of God, the mission of the church reaches more of those in need, and we strengthen our relationship with God. When we are able to achieve these things “we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us,” and it is our responsibility to share that victory with others. How will you share the love of God with others? Will it be through mission? An invitation to worship? Or maybe you simply let others know they are loved by many. Regardless of how we share the love of God, the important things is that we share that love with everyone.