Beloved. Chosen
Beloved. Chosen. Yep, we are. It’s a hard concept to grasp some days. The world is pretty darn good at telling us what’s wrong with us or that it’s arrogant to think we’re “chosen”. But, folks I’m telling you, it’s true. God’s been trying to tell us this through prophets, scribes, and through Jesus for thousands of years. “I have called you by name you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.” John 15:16. It’s been so easy not to hear these words. I know, personally, the Church spent more time telling me I was a sinner than I was beloved. I know our culture has spent more time telling me I’m not smart enough or rich enough or powerful enough than it has telling me I am precious, loved, and valued, just as I am. Indeed, I’m not perfect - nor are you, but we are more than enough.
This Advent we have been reading Henri Nouwen’s book entitled Life of the Beloved. I love this book. I love coming back to his beautiful words about how he understands our relationship with God. Nouwen says “…in order to live a spiritual life, we have to claim for ourselves that we are chosen…From all eternity, long before you were born and became a part of history, you existed in God’s heart. Long before your parents admired you or your friends acknowledged your gifts or your teachers, colleagues, and employers encouraged you, you were already ‘chosen’. The eyes of Love had seen you as precious, as of infinite beauty, as of eternal value.” We’ve been created in God’s image. We’ve been created in Love, by Love, and for Love. Claiming ourselves as God’s beloved, as God’s chosen, is what God wants for us. God wants us to know how much we are loved, how valued and gifted we are. The beauty of this, for me, is that we are all chosen. It’s not a competition, there are no losers. This truth doesn’t separate us from one another, it joins us together. If we claim this truth for ourselves, we can’t help but claim it for others. “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12.
In these early days of Holy Presence, I am consistently amazed, humbled, and excited by you all. I marvel at the work the Holy Spirit is doing. I am in awe of the love, care, and compassion you show me and one another every day. I am grateful for the faces on Zoom, for the laughter we always seem to find, for the prayerful spirit of this community. I am filled with hope when I witness the way you seek to serve one another and serve the world. My sisters and brothers, I believe we are beloved. I believe we are chosen. I believe we are called to spread this Good News to all of God’s children. As we wait for the coming of Emmanuel, let’s claim this truth as our own. Let’s follow God’s call to “live joyfully, walk hopefully, and forever live in the embrace of God.” And while we’re at it, let’s continue to invite others to walk with us.
May the peace which surpasses all understanding be with us all during these short but trying days.
Rev. Joan
