I was speaking with a friend who told me how much he wished he had never been born. I was surprised by this. “Really?” I asked him. “You don’t believe anything was worth this life? And hey, I’d be super disappointed for I wouldn’t have known you.” He laughed and we talked more about those feelings, which speak of a heart narrative that is ruling his own thinking. It is his belief that his life doesn’t measure up, isn’t important. Now I know I have had such feelings -- which makes me a great person to talk with for I get how deep they can go. But how painful to live with them, when the reality is, by every measure of all of creation, the love for us is immense, absolutely immense. There’s so much beauty, joy, pleasures, laughter, fun in our lives that are all evidence of God’s immense love for us. That God loves us -- like a father, “daddy” is the biblical name “Abba” -- is the basic, bottom-line of all of the scriptural testimony. Immensely loved.
Indeed in Sunday’s passage, Ephesians 3: 14-21, Paul prays a prayer that outlines just how all encompassing this love is -- it is love with dimensions. This Sunday we are reflecting on the love we get to show God as we have received Love from God, but also we are expressing love as we commission the Wells’ Family and Jan Shoemaker off to their missions work on our behalf in Seattle and Houston, respectively. We will be praying for them in worship and celebrating their presence with us after worship with a feast of burgers, hotdogs, and all the salads and sides you might want to contribute.
Don’t miss experiencing love in worship by not coming Sunday, and don’t miss expressing love in worship for God and for these families whose lives have immensely blessed our lives.