The Upload
Posted on Jan 09, 2015 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:4-11). Now, according to Mark, as soon as Jesus was baptized, God said, "You are my Son” (Mark 1:11). To me, that is pretty clear. Jesus is truly the Son of God. But for me, the really interesting thing is not that God said, “You are my Son”; the part I really like is the part where God said, “With you I am well pleased." Jesus had not done anything in his ministry yet. He hadn’t healed anyone, he hadn’t begun to teach the people God’s ways; yet, God was already pleased with him. How awesome is that? Jesus didn’t have to prove anything to his Father; all he had to do was be his son, and for that God said, I am pleased with you. That is good news, but the best thing about this good news is that God feels the same way about each and every one of us.
Oh, I know I am always preaching about how we ought to live differently and how we ought to do more for the world, but the fact of the matter is that God loves us just as we are. As difficult as it might seem to you, God loves you the way you are, right now, before you even make any changes to become a better person.
God doesn’t love us because we come to church or because we give lots of money to the church or to the poor. God doesn’t love us because we are Christians or because we say the correct creeds. No, God loves you, marks you, claims you, and delights in you because you are you.
During this time of year, it is common for us to want to make resolutions to improve ourselves and to make our lives better, and that is always a good thing, but no matter how much you improve yourself, or not, God will still love you. Of course, God sees your full potential and probably hopes that you'll move in that direction, but even if you don't, God will love you anyway. No matter how miserably you've failed, God will always welcome you.
Now, you may find this hard to believe. You may be able to believe that God loves people like Pope Francis, or Archbishop Tutu, or any number of people who seem more worthy than you, but the good news is that God loves you the same way. God sees you in the same way. We are all equally worthy.
So, remember you are a child of God’s and you are loved, just as you are.
Shalom,
Pastor Dave