Being God’s Beloved

Isaiah 42: 1-9 & Matthew 3: 13-17

Roger Lynn

January 28, 2018

(click here for the audio of this sermon)

As people of faith, how do we define ourselves? Where do we look to find meaning and purpose for our living? Who are we? Such questions can be answered in a wide variety of ways – some helpful, some not so helpful. But I believe that whatever else we might say about who we are,  it is most useful to begin with the foundation upon which everything else is built – by declaring in no uncertain terms that we are God’s beloved. We are loved and cherished by God. Our true home is the very heart of God’s love. We need to say it clearly. We need to say it often. We need to say it in as many different ways as we can think of so that it might actually begin to sink in. That’s why I chose to use a term like “God’s beloved.” It somehow carries a different weight than just saying “God loves you.” Hopefully it will slip past our “oh yeah, I’ve heard that before” filter and really find its way into our souls. We are God’s beloved!

It is also important to follow up this declaration with the recognition that it is true not because we are people of faith, but simply because we are alive. The faith part just allows us to recognize and acknowledge what is true for everyone. In the words of Peter from a sermon in the book of Acts, “God shows no partiality!”

So, take just a moment to savor this reality. You are God’s beloved! Let it surround you and fill you. Begin to take seriously the fact that this is what defines your life and gives it shape and purpose and meaning. Everything else flows from this wellspring. It is who we are.

When we read passages like the one from Isaiah, we usually understand it in terms of Jesus. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1) But the truth is that when those words were first written, they were most likely understood as being a reference to the people of Israel. Later Jesus came to embody all of that vision, but even then it was never meant to stay with just one person. One of the oldest images for the Church was “the Body of Christ.” In a very real and important sense, to follow Christ is to be Christ for the world – to be God’s anointed one bringing light to the darkness. Matthew tells us that at Jesus’ baptism a voice from heaven declares him to be “my beloved.” What we need to begin hearing is that Jesus came to show us who we all are. We are all God’s beloved. And as such, our mission, like Jesus’ mission, like the mission laid out in Isaiah, it to bring forth restorative justice to the world, to shine the light of God’s love into the darkness.

Such thinking often scares us and leaves us feeling nervous. We’re pretty sure that thinking too highly of ourselves is wrong. And saying we’re going to be Christs for the world sounds dangerously close to blasphemy. But there is simply too much darkness to illuminate and brokenness to heal to be too worried about feeling scared and nervous. We are all God’s beloved and we are called to share that news with the whole world. A couple of weeks ago I shared a quote from Marianne Williamson. It is worth reminding you of that quote in this context. She said, in part, “You are a child of God. . . .We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.” (from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson) We are called to be “a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:6-7) 

And the fact of the matter is that we are already doing that. In big and small ways, the people of this congregation give of themselves everyday in ways that make a difference. Some of you volunteer in local organizations like Food Share or Family Promise. Some of you help care for those who cannot care for themselves. Some of you make music which brings joy to all those who hear it. Some of you make a practice of praying for specific people and situations everyday. In a variety of ways you already live out the reality of being God’s beloved.

Who are we? We are God’s beloved, and we are here to bring light to the world. So what are we waiting for? There’s work to be done!