On Sunday morning we witnessed something beautiful. Neriah played Jesus Loves Me while her brother, Matthias sang the lyrics. The song and the performance were simple, yet profound. There are millions of pages of theological writings about all manner of topics. There is two millennia’s worth of church history from thousands of authors. Professors and pastors pontificate from the deepest wells of truth in Scripture. Yet, when everything is said, sung, or written, it all comes back to what those children shared with us on Sunday: Jesus loves us.
It is sometimes hard to fathom because so much of our faith is unseen by human senses. Unlike the clamor of our culture demanding our attention, God usually chooses to speak softly to us through the Holy Spirit. His voice is not heard by our ears, but in our spirit. We discern it in the pages of the Bible, in the stanzas of an old hymn, within a pastor’s message, or during periods of earnest prayer. Sometimes we recognize it in a book we are reading or in the words of a good friend. No matter the means of transmission we know that God did not cease speaking when the canon of Scripture was finalized. His Spirit continues to reveal truth, expand our vision, and enrich our lives by reminding us of the love God has for us.
There are many things that hinder us from hearing his voice: busy schedules, family worries, long hours at work, and past regrets just to name a few. It is easy to be distracted. It is even easier to feel like God does not want to talk to us. But, as Neriah and Matthias reminded us, this is not true. We know that he longs for us to be in his presence. We affirm that he accepts us with all our foibles, without demanding we “get it together” before we meet him. Take a moment sometime this week to breathe in the truth that you are loved, you are welcomed, and you are worth hearing the voice of God.
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Kevin
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:35;37-39