Text for this Sunday's sermon/conversation at The River: Psalm 78 (The Message)
"Crazy, for thinkin' that my love could hold you,
I'm crazy for tryin, and crazy for cryin
And I'm crazy for lovin' you....."
Why does God love us? I mean... really? What have I done to deserve a relationship of love with him? What have you done?
Well... speaking for myself... nothing, nada, zip, zilch.
I want to repay him (or at least give myself to him) for creating me... nurturing me... watching over me... caring for me... saving me... extending mercy to me... being patient with me... giving me a future that transcends life on earth.
But two problems: (1) I can't... and, (2) Essentially, I'm a selfish fool - a spiritual prostitute who stupidly turns my back on God as often, and as furiously, as the wind blows in Ellensburg. And you, my friend, are not likely any different!
And yet he loves me. And he loves you... in spite of some major character flaws we inherited from Adam. God loves us profoundly (and inexplicably)... and what do we do? We return that love with a level of mistrust that would border on comical... were it not so tragic. So, why is God so crazy about us? And why oh why are we so stiff-necked, short-sided and self-consumed?
The story of Israel in the desert is the story of a passionate, patient, yet jealous and sometimes wrathful God who is enormously frustrated with his chosen people's unwillingness and/or inability to simply love the One True God. Instead they continually turn to stupid, lifeless, false gods they form together with their own hands. Over and over, God became frustrated and angry at his people's faithlessness and threatened to wipe them out... then relented and extended forgiveness and grace instead. Why? Why not just wipe them out and start all over again?
He gives and gives... and we take and take.
My conclusion: He's crazy. Crazy about us. Crazy for loving us... knowing we have no capacity to reciprocate... crazy for believing in us for no logical reason... crazy for having faith in a creature that shows no willingness to put their faith in their Creator.
Eventually, he did what any slightly insane, illogical, passionate, loving being would do... he lowered himself down and did what we couldn't raise ourselves up to do...
He gave up everything for you and me... became poor so we might become rich.
I tell you, he's crazy. Are we?
Why did he create us? My answer would be to commune with him. He left us with a free will, but created us with his will written on our heart and mankind chose otherwise. His hope and end is that we will again have his will written on our hearts and fully commune with him. He has extended his hand of mercy through Jesus Christ to this end.
ReplyDeleteGranted that any value we have is only in perfect communion with God, it is amazing how much he cares, and yet I cannot fathom the immutable Godhead, the creator, being so moved by each one of us. It suggests that we have so much influence over God's emotions. I think not. Looking at the old testament, I think he only expects, or already knows, a few to ever really make it back to true communion with him. Do I think of God as lonely? I have so many questions for God.
A-crazing love, how can it be - that you my King would die for me...
ReplyDeleteI like where the conversation is going. Crazy love. Who, but an indescribably brilliant Creator could come up with an idea so profound.
Anonymous:
ReplyDelete"Yet I cannot fathom the immutable Godhead, the creator, being so moved by each one of us." Hmmmm... I can see your point. But nevertheless, I respectfully disagree. For much of my life, I was exposed to a "perfect" Godhead that is aloof from the messiness of humanity - especially that neurotic condition of sin called emotion. And yet, reading through those same Old Testament Scriptures, I see a highly emotional Father - angry, wrathful, frustrated - albeit, joyful, generous, forgiving... and full of grace and truth.
Is God really an "emotional" being? Could our emotions be yet another one of the ways we're created in His image? Or are human emotions a direct result of the fall in the Garden? Does Abba really feel emotional angst for his people when they turn away... and consequently, an overflow of emotional exuberance when they repent...? Or is all that talk about his emotional state just an elaborate metaphor for us to better grasp the "perfect" character and love of God? Is he truly emotional... or is the Godhead just teaching us an object lesson... speaking the frail language of humanity so we can better grasp his perfection?
I don't know man... Just as love demands choice, I believe true, biblical love also demands emotional investment into the object of your affection. That, in fact, is the real essence of pure love in my humble opinion. Perhaps we humans don't exhibit this characteristic as profoundly balanced and beautifully as the Father, Son and Spirit do, but nevertheless, our emotions are an essential component of our godliness... yet another mysterious ingredient of that which preposterously makes us more authentically reflect the "perfect" character of God.
I too have questions for the Triune Community of God that somehow includes humanity in spite of our glaring lack of trust in His goodness. But in the meantime, I'm going to take his emotional outbursts as a positive sign that His love for us thoroughly and completely transcends any clinical definition we may be tempted to place on his holy character. Consequently... I'm going to continue to seek to allow the Holy Spirit break my heart of sin and draw me into ever-deepening fellowship (at least in part) through my emotional relationship with God Almighty.
Isn't this rather anthropomorphic?
ReplyDeleteWow... anthropomorphic. As in ascribing human attributes to a deity. Yes, I guess it is, Anonymous. But since we're using fancy, multi-syllabic words... let me throw out another one: Incarnation. Crazy, huh?
ReplyDelete