This is a special music presentation from the Faith Bells of Fairest Lord Jesus at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan
As Lutheran Christians, our theology is rooted in an understanding of the cross. As such, our understanding of God’s presence to us in Jesus Christ focuses on what it means to walk the way of the cross and carry the cross. This also means that we name a thing or situation for what it is, and we do not preach a theology of glory and false optimism. Therefore, I am going to name and be honest about the cross we are presently carrying. We are experiencing some very challenging, painful, fearful days. And, this cross we presently bear is heavy as we grieve the lives of over 147,000 Americans who have died from the Coronavirus, a number that is greater than two and a half Viet Nam wars. It is a very heavy cross we bear when we understand it did not have to be this way! So, for me, this grief is substantial and, as I said last week, there is a deep, deep longing within me for the Kingdom of God to be fully realized, NOW! Quite honestly, if we have any sense of empathy as we look at what is happening in our country, the pain and grief seem intense.
At times when we experience intense pain and grief, God seems to be hidden and we often ask the question, “Where is God in the midst of this?” So, it is fitting that we receive today’s life-giving word from Romans because, in this passage, St. Paul essentially is asking the same rhetorical question. And, in his answer to this question, we receive some of the most assuring words of comfort that we can ever find in scripture as Paul writes:
….in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now, while these words provide immense comfort, I think we still seek visible signs of God’s presence to us, visible signs of God’s reign and God’s justice breaking into this world. We long for the dream of God, for God’s kingdom and presence to become realized in this world and in our lives. However, we tend to look for God in all the wrong places. We tend to look for God somewhere out there, up in the heavens or someplace far away. So, today, Jesus’ words help us better understand the way in which the Kingdom of God is already breaking into our lives but not yet fully here.
Today, Jesus continues to describe the Kingdom of Heaven, the way we talk about God and the way God is at work in this world. And, his words are rather surprising. He does not describe a kingdom that is far off in the distance, in some exalted place up there or somewhere out there. No, he describes the reign of God by using analogies that are literally very down to earth – a mustard seed, some yeast, a thief, and a merchant. In his stories, he uses examples of an annoying seed and a corrupt agent. He describes qualities that seem hidden, and he uses some rather corrupt characters in the process.
The parable of the mustard seed is one of the best known of Jesus’ stories. Mustard seeds are so small they are almost weightless. They can easily go unnoticed. They can lie hidden and undetected in a large sack of other seeds. I can imagine an unsuspecting farmer unwittingly sowing a mustard seed in his field as he is sowing wheat.
Mustard is in fact a wild weed. It is something farmers would try to get out of the field because, once it is sown, it is hard to get rid of. Jesus uses the example of a bothersome weed that grows from a small, hidden seed but, when germinated, becomes a huge bush that tends to take over the field. Jesus is describing the way God is at work in this world. And, he compares it to a miniscule, annoying seed that can hardly be seen, but grows and is transformed into a life-giving tree as it becomes a leafy haven where the birds can make their nests. In this little parable, unnoticed beginnings of the work in the kingdom of God are contrasted with great, even surprising results. Have we been looking for God in all the wrong places?
Then, Jesus goes on and uses another example - yeast or leaven. Yeast was an unwanted agent. It is something that bloats and rots corpses. It is also something women would attempt to get rid of when cleaning their homes in preparation for Passover. In Jewish tradition, yeast was a symbol of corruption and impurity. It was considered evil and unclean. However, in Jesus’ parable, we find out that yeast becomes the agent of miraculous growth of God’s kingdom and it permeates every part of the dough. Like a woman who spoils the flour with yeast, God is fermenting the Kingdom of Heaven within this world, within our communities, and within each one of us. That kingdom permeates all of creation and it has transforming power in this world. Now, considering these stories, do we have eyes to see God’s reign hidden in everyday life? Are we able to trust God’s transforming presence and love in our everyday life? Or, are we too often looking for God in all the wrong places?
In the next little story, Jesus uses the analogy of a deceitful thief. He tells the story of a man who discovers treasure buried in someone else’s field. The man then quickly sells all that he has so he can buy that field from this other guy without telling the owner about the treasure. Now, I really must wonder what this crooked man was doing digging around in someone else’s field in the first place. Yet, in light of Jesus’ story, I ask, is God like that thief who gives up all God has to buy the whole field, simply to possess that treasure and claim it and the entire purchase as God’s own? Can we picture a God with so much grace?
Jesus just continues telling one yarn after another. His next one is about a pearl merchant. Now, merchants were not held in highest esteem in ancient culture. In this little story, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a merchant searching for that one pearl of great value. When he joyfully finds it, he sells everything he has in order that he may buy that one pearl. Essentially, this merchant puts himself out of business by radically selling all he has so that he can make the ultimate purchase. So, as we think about his story, I ask you, “What is the most radical act through which we see God’s immeasurable love for this broken world?”
As we move through Jesus’ stories, we come to the Parable of the Dragnet. When the net is cast into the sea it catches all kinds of fish, good and bad. The fishermen indiscriminately pull in all the fish and wait to sort them out later. In our world, the good, the shady and the bad do exist together, even within our own selves. And, in our world, we often spend too much time trying to figure out who is in and who is not. I have to say, if those fishermen are willing to pull in all sorts of fish and have them sorted later, I think we can let God take care of the sorting in God’s own good time because God is the one who loves us the most.
Jesus uses examples of unscrupulous people and questionable items to describe God at work in this world in surprising ways. Today, Jesus shares some staggeringly good news. The reign of God is not far away, but very close at hand. It is present to us, between us as people of God, and even within us. And, in the person of Jesus, we find the God of creation, not far off, but incarnate and present to us in human form. We need not go searching or looking somewhere out there for God, the author of love, because the truth is that God’s kingdom is closer to us than the air we breathe. God is at work in each one of us, even in those parts of ourselves we want to hide. God is even embracing our very own brokenness and transforming us in the process.
So, as I name the painful cross we are presently experiencing and bearing, I also name and rejoice in the surprises of God’s Kingdom, present even in the pain: the work of our Parish House project as we now have six guys living there, and the new ministries that are forming within our community. God’s Kingdom is being born in new ways. And, I rejoice that together we know this truth: nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that holds us, the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This morning, I am going to be very honest with you about something. Over the past week, I have found myself feeling overwhelmed by the pain and grief over what is happening in the world. I have been overwhelmed by the agony, grief, and pain in our country as I think about:
As I felt that sense of overwhelming pain, I also experienced a deep, profound yearning for the Kingdom of God to be fully realized, NOW! The desire for God’s justice to break into our lives right now was burning in my very bones. At the same time, I was feeling a very real sense of fear. Then, in the depth of that experience, I began studying today’s scripture readings, and God’s word truly came to life for me. It was a life-giving word!
First, in our reading from Isaiah, the Lord says, “Do not fear, or be afraid.” The words “Do not fear!” are some of the most repeated words in scripture. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord says we do not need to fear because we are God’s witnesses and there is no other rock but the God in whom we place our trust. God is the first and the last and God is in control. Yes, even in these present disheartening, disconcerting circumstances, God is the rock! God is ultimately the one in control and we don’t need to fret because God ultimately has this!
Then, as I read the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, his words leaped off the page! Paul uses the pain of labor as a divine image to explain how God is at work in the world. Friends, I yearn for God’s justice to break into our lives in these challenging times and I yearn for God’s Kingdom to be fully born. Now, for any of you who have given birth, you know the pain one experiences as new life comes into this world. When I read Paul’s words, I again became aware of how, in this present world, the good and the bad are all tangled up together. And, Paul compares this pain we often feel in these circumstances to labor contractions. He says even creation itself labors as the promise of the Kingdom of God comes closer with every contraction. In fact, Christ's promises come closer to fulfillment with every surge of pain. While we may at times expect the worst and even think that our whole society is going to hell in a hand basket, we need to remember that we are children and heirs of the one God who made even the grave a womb of rebirth. And, because of this, we have hope! We place our trust in this God, and therefore the suffering and pain we experience as we long and yearn for God’s Kingdom to come to fruition are like birth pains in which all groans lead the way to new life. We are resurrection people, and as we look at this present world and the way the good and the bad are all tangled up together, we do so with hope, placing our trust in the one God whose promises and plans will not be thwarted.
This is something Jesus clearly acknowledges in today’s gospel reading – the good and the bad are all tangled up together. Today, when it comes to Jesus’ storytelling, he is on a roll! Jesus is telling yet one more story as he tries to describe that Kingdom of Heaven we so yearn for. He compares the Kingdom to someone who went out and sowed good seed in his field. Then, that night, when the hired hands were all asleep, an enemy – a word that would be better translated as “hostile human being” – came and sowed weeds among the wheat. This hostile human being sowed weeds, which are often called tares or bearded darnel. Truthfully, it is a “devil of a weed” and it has a deceptive appearance. Its roots surround the roots of the good plants, and it sucks up not only the precious nutrients in the soil but also the scarce amount of water. It becomes virtually impossible to get it out without ruining the good plant. This bearded darnel is not even discernible from wheat until the grain begins to form. In its early stages, it looks like wheat, but when it starts to produce its seed, it creates an ugly grain that hosts a toxic fungus. And, it is only after the plants grow up and begin to bear fruit that the weeds seem to appear.
As Jesus’ story continues, he tells us that when the crop finally starts to mature, it becomes obvious the toxic weed had been sown among the wheat. The servants in Jesus’ story wanted to pull up these weeds. However, the wise farmer emphatically said, "No, if you gather up the weeds you will uproot the wheat along with them. Let them both grow together until harvest time. Then we will separate the tares from the wheat."
Jesus acknowledges the presence of evil and its malicious nature. Yet, he calls for restraint because one cannot always be sure about these plants. What I find so interesting about the statement “let them both grow together,” is the Greek word that has been translated as “let.” This Greek word is “aphete” and, in the Bible it is most frequently translated as “forgive.” So, one could say the sentence is “forgive and let the tares grow with the wheat until the harvest.” Wow! Again, we have a parable that is all about the grace we find within the reign of God.
As human beings, we all have weed aspects within us. As a church, we exist as weed infested communities. We are tangles of wheat and weeds together, good and bad wrapped up together. The fact of the matter is that both grow within each one of us. I like the way theologian, John Petty, describes our weed side and the coming harvest. He writes:
We all have our “weed side” – that part of us which may look good, but doesn’t produce fruit. This part will be burned away, leaving only that which is built on Christ. Don’t worry. In God’s time of harvest, this will be seen and experienced as a good thing. After all, the one who judges us – the one who sends the purifying fire – is really the one who loves us the most. Our propensity to judge others will be burned away. Our sucking up to hierarchical authority will be burned away. Our trying to see ourselves as better than others will be burned away. Our moralistic fervor will be burned away. Our self-righteous attempt at self-inflation will be burned away. Praise God!
The blatant truth for each one of us is that we are imperfect people and we live in an imperfect world where evil is inevitably part of life. And, it is not always easy to distinguish the good from the bad. There are problems within us and around us that lie beyond our ability and power to prevent, correct, or heal. However, the God who is seen in this parable is one of infinite patience and restraint. In this parable about a God of patience and grace, we find an intentional ambiguity that is holy as God allows the good to grow up with the bad. Theologian, Theodore Wardlaw, describes this place of holy ambiguity by saying:
God creates space that frees us to get on with the crucial business of loving, or at least living with each other. Often, in the space created by such patience, it is not just the others, but we ourselves, who are welcomed into a larger reality. This is the sense in which we are ‘reborn’ not just once, but over and over and over again.
Every one of us, every little child and every adult, lives life tangled and ensnared within a plethora of self-justifying impulses. We face self-love that has run amuck. We seem to trust in things that are not worthy of our trust. This is part of our humanity, part of life. This is what we who are Christians call “sin.” And, in God’s economy of grace, God’s constant surprise for us is that this God even uses our deep, deep brokenness to bring forth beauty in God’s kingdom. God even comes to us through the weeds of our lives, our own brokenness. God mysteriously and graciously comes to us disguised as our life, even in the depth of our present struggles, and patiently transforms us into new beings. God’s gracious, patient love for each one of us is so great that God even takes the horror and evil of a cross and transforms that experience to show God’s deep love for our broken world.
So, as I think about the overwhelming pain and grief I have been feeling, Jesus’ words today remind me and unequivocally affirm that God is still in charge. God ultimately has this, and God is ultimately in control. And, as I so yearn for God’s Kingdom to be fully realized, I know it is toward this very God that we are forever moving – individually, collectively, and as a cosmos. As a dearly loved old hymn proclaims, “Though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”
Have you ever had the experience of reading a book or seeing a movie in which the story was so powerful that it stuck with you for a while and kept you thinking about it for the next several days? This frequently happens to me. For example, when I saw the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the movie about Mr. Rogers, its themes of forgiveness and redemption were on my mind for several days afterwards. Jesus’ parables, those rich stories he shares, are designed to work that way in our minds and hearts. In fact, theologian, John Dominic Crossan, suggests they are designed to be like time bombs that tick away in our heads as we continue to think about them, and then eventually they explode and their meaning takes us to new places in understanding God’s relationship with us.
It is also important to remember that, by nature, Jesus’ parables can be interpreted in multiple ways. In fact, as you hear each of his stories, you can insert yourself into any one of the various characters and then, by doing so, discern different and deeper understandings of what Jesus is saying.
Today, we hear Jesus telling the crowd a parable about a farmer who has gone out to sow seed. And, I have to say, this farmer seems quite irresponsible in the way he goes about planting his field. He has a very unusual process for planting, something that makes no sense to our 21st century way of thinking. Truthfully, he seems reckless and careless as he arbitrarily, indiscriminately, even wastefully throws seed everywhere. In fact, he throws seed in the most unlikely of places and it appears that he does not know what he is doing. When we think about planting, we know that farmers and gardeners ordinarily put an emphasis on planning before they plant. First, they plow the field and prepare the soil, because they want the ground to have just the right pH balance. Then, they inject the seed, irrigate the soil, and fertilize. They do not just wastefully throw seed around and let it fall wherever!
Well, in Jesus’ time, randomly throwing seeds on the ground was not unusual. In fact, Jesus’ account of the farmer’s process is quite realistic. Unlike modern farmers, first-century farmers would throw seed around all over the place and then plow. With this approach, something that seems crazy to us, it is not surprising that some seed would fall on hard soil, other seed on rocky ground, and yet others in the thorns and weeds. This was just the reality of the situation. Everyone knew this and understood the process. So, as Jesus begins to tell the story, I can imagine people in the crowd standing there nodding their heads in agreement as Jesus talks about the way the farmer plants seed.
Jesus was taking an example from everyday life, an example everyone understood, and he turned it into a teaching moment about his very own ministry. You see, in the analogy he uses, he is not only describing a familiar process, he is describing the situation he has already been facing in his ministry. Jesus has been teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Kingdom of God has broken into this world and is in fact growing. In all of Jesus’ parables, he is describing God’s kingdom which is already breaking in upon us, but not yet fully here. However, most of the time the people just do not get it. If you remember last week’s gospel, we heard that Jesus had been misunderstood. In the gospel narrative preceding today’s reading, Jesus had faced opposition. His message seemed to be falling on rocky ground. Furthermore, the Pharisees are always wanting to choke out his message. And, we will find that in the passages following today’s reading, his message falls on the hard soil of his hometown folks and they will reject him. Jesus’ metaphor is very much about his message and what is happening in his present life.
I think for those of us who have heard the Parable of the Sower so many times, it is very familiar and we tend to think it is about us – about the kind of soil within our hearts as we receive the message of good news. In fact, in the second part of today’s reading we hear Jesus explain the parable’s meaning, indicating the story is about our response to the word of God which has been sown among us. This certainly is one valid interpretation and it can be helpful. But, this explanation, as printed in Matthew, was not part of the original parable. Those verses were added at a later point in time by the gospel writer or the early church. And, while those verses do offer a compelling and helpful interpretation of the story, the truth is this is not necessarily a story about us. While it can be interpreted as a story about what kind of soil we have within our hearts, I think it is really a story that is all about God. It is all about an amazing God who is extravagant and even wasteful in the way God’s love and grace is poured upon this broken world.
You see, God is this crazy farmer who sows seeds of forgiveness and love in all kinds of places, even the most unlikely of places. God is this strange farmer who nurtures those seeds wherever they fall by showering them and drenching them in abundant grace. God is this whacky farmer who blesses those seeds with the vibrant sunshine of unconditional love and mercy, and continually nurtures their growth. Friends, our God is one who always randomly throws seed around, not only on good soil where hearts are ready to be open to the Word. This God extravagantly throws seed out on to rocky ground where hearts are hard and the seed cannot easily take root, on weed infested ground where hearts are filled with hate and anger, and on sandy ground where the soil of people’s hearts just keeps shifting around. And, the most amazing thing happens – some of this seed takes root and produces a great harvest. Yes, some of this seed produces bushels of abundance. Jesus ends the parable with these words, “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Theologian, Talitha Arnold, says, “Maybe [this parable] should be called the Hundredfold Harvest.” I like that idea and it makes great sense because, if you understand the harvest measurements Jesus gives at the end of the parable, you begin to understand the astonishing aspect of this story. In the first century, if a harvest brought forth only thirtyfold, an entire village would have been fed for a year. If a harvest brought forth sixtyfold it would have been an extraordinary year for a farmer. And, if a harvest brought forth a hundredfold, the “the farmer could retire to a villa by the Sea of Galilee.” (Feasting on the Word)
This parable of Jesus ends with a miracle when Jesus talks about a hundredfold harvest. It is a parable filled with promise. It is a parable about abundance, the abundance we find as children of God, the abundance that is all about a God of love who wastefully sows seeds in the most unlikely places, even in the messiness of our own hearts. It is all about God’s abundant grace for all people. And, in the person of Jesus Christ, this God of abundance gets down and dirty, working the ground, the soil of our being in the messiness of our lives. This parable tells us of a God who is so extravagant he gets down and dirty to the point of dying on a cross because of God’s abundant love for this world. And, it is that abundant love and life we are called to share as we deeply connect with others and allow God to use us to wildly and wastefully sow seeds of forgiveness, grace, and love into the lives of others. As theologian, Thomas Long, says: “The church is called to ‘waste itself,’ to throw grace around like there is no tomorrow, precisely because there is a tomorrow, and it belongs to God.”
I am a big fan of Dr. Anthony Fauci. I have been for years. If you look at the work he has done and accomplished in his lifetime, you will find it impressive and stellar. And, he is deeply respected in the scientific community. However, it is deeply concerning that so many leaders and people in our country simply are not listening to him as he has been speaking and continues to speak to us about COVID-19. In many ways, he is a prophet in our time as he tells us what we should be doing and warns us about what is to come if we do not do the things necessary to mitigate this virus. His message is rooted in science and it is very clear. In fact, just this past week he said too many people, especially young adults, are unconcerned by coronavirus and, consequently, they are carelessly shedding this virus and ultimately killing other people. Far too many people just do not seem to listen. I find it deeply troubling because it is as though they simply do not understand.
In today’s gospel reading Jesus is also talking about people who do not understand. He shares this little parable about children playing in the marketplace, and their songs are never quite understood. The children play a glad, happy song for their friends, but no one dances. Then, they play a sad, mournful dirge, but no one mourns or weeps. Jesus goes on to say, the children were no better understood than John the Baptist or he, himself.
Jesus is addressing the failure of society to understand the reasons for dancing and the reasons for weeping. He is addressing the failure of society to understand and respond to the messages he and John the Baptist had proclaimed. Their messages had been extremely clear. However, society – the entire generation – was unfaithful and fickle. The people had been given every opportunity to hear, but they refused. They had heard from both John and Jesus, but they could not decide what they wanted.
Now, John and Jesus could not have been more opposite in style. John appeared on the scene as this eccentric, sober, teetotaler who ate bugs and honey for lunch, wore scratchy clothing made from animal hair, and often fasted. He came addressing his listeners as a “brood of vipers,” proclaiming a message that was all about austere repentance. But, the people complained. Some even labeled him as demon possessed. Jesus, on the other hand, invaded the scene as this welcoming character who feasted, ate, drank, and partied with all sorts of people. He came proclaiming the good news of a God of love, a God of disturbing, startling, astonishing, even unsettling inclusiveness. He came healing the sick and performing all sorts of miracles. But, the people dismissed him. Some even called him a glutton and a drunkard. Listening to other voices in their culture, the whole generation, a whole people, did not understand the song of these two very different men. Listening to other voices around them, they did not know when to dance and when to mourn. In fact, they found reason to take offense at both John and Jesus and thus evade the call of both.
Yes, John and Jesus were misunderstood, and their call to living a life that truly mattered was evaded. I really wonder about the ways we fail to understand Jesus, the ways we fail to understand the reasons for dancing and the reasons for mourning. How deeply are we lulled by the songs of our culture: songs of toxic, malignant individualism; songs of success; songs of money, power and control; songs of pull yourself up by your bootstraps; and songs proclaiming a belief that strength, might and determination will solve all problems? How often are we lulled by power hungry voices in our culture telling us to believe that we need not care for the most vulnerable in our midst because it costs money, so we cast the least of these aside even though that might mean they go without health care in the midst of a pandemic, go homeless, or go hungry while trying to find a way. How often are we lulled by narcissistic, self-focused voices in our culture, telling us it is ok to exclude and not welcome others who are different from us, cutting others out of the picture, whether it be globally, nationally, within our communities, even within our very own families? How often do we miss the moments in life that really matter? And, how often do we dance when we ought to mourn for a world whose burden is so very, very heavy? How often do we dance when we should weep for so many people who are suffering and need rest?
Well, Jesus turns away from the gathered crowd and offers a prayer that is rather jarring to our success oriented, power and control seeking, self-focused, wisdom and intellect pursuing psyche. And, we discover that in God’s realm, all those things that attract our attention, those things that drive our behavior and become the attributes we consider important, are barely noticed. In fact, they are dismissed. What is even more interesting is that Jesus’ words indicate the blessings of God are hidden from the wise, hidden from the powerful, hidden from the intelligent and sophisticated. Instead, the infants of this world, those who are innocent and naïve, those who are the most vulnerable, are the ones who best understand the ways of God.
You see, only the vulnerable can really identify their deep need. And, when we are vulnerable enough to identify the need within our very selves, the need for God’s presence in life, it also means something must die and we will be changed. Oh, how we tend to fear that because it means facing our own messed-up-ness, letting go of our issues, and facing loss. Yet, the truth of the matter is that, in doing so, we will be made new! As he addresses this aspect of today’s gospel reading, theologian David Lose writes:
Here’s the difficult truth about life in Christ. You cannot enter into it and expect to be unchanged. Which means a precondition of receiving Jesus – perhaps the only one! – is to recognize your need for Jesus. Forgiveness, when you think about it, is meaningful only to those who have sinned, grace avails only those who are broken, and the promise of life abundant and eternal is only attractive to those who know they are dying……Jesus knows that this kind of message – a message that is good news only to those who can identify their own deep need – will be of little appeal to the self-made man or woman of the first or twenty-first centuries. But it is good news – unbelievably good news – to those who know their own brokenness, can admit their own need, and who turn to God in Jesus to be known, understood, and accepted. (Blog: David Lose In the Meantime)
So, on a weekend when we as a nation are celebrating things like our supposed strength, our might and power – can we not only give thanks for things we may consider good in our lives and in our country? Can we also face our deep brokenness and messed-up-ness as individuals, as families, as communities, as a nation, as a world, and lay that before God? In the person of Jesus, God is calling us to come unto him. In the person of Jesus, we discover God in Christ who not only enters into a messed-up world that is preoccupied with power and control, but is willing to be misunderstood and become vulnerable, even to the point of death on a cross, all because of God’s deep love for this hurting world.
In Christ, we are called to turn again to the God who walks with us in our struggles, knows our pain and is present to us in our deepest despair, even in this present COVID-19 experience. We are called to turn again to the One who calls out to us through Jesus saying, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (from Eugene Petersen’s The Message)
These are words that can touch the deepest part of our being. And, when that happens, we truly begin to understand. We discover that we are truly known, and we are accepted by a God of love. And, most of all, we will find that this God of love understands us! And, this God of love will lead us into wholeness and life that truly matters.