A Bottomless Well of Love
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 04/18/24
“For, our Lord God is so good, so gentle and so courteous that he can never assign final failure to those in whom he will always be blessed and praised….For before he made us he loved us, and when we were made we loved him; and this is made only of the natural substantial goodness of the Holy Spirit, mighty by reason of the might of the Father, wise in mind of the wisdom of the son. And so is man’s [sic] soul made by God, and in the same moment joined to God.”[1]
When Julian of Norwhich (14th century English mystic) wrote about her mystical visions of God, at the very center of her retelling was a profound conviction that we are deeply and irrevocably loved by God. This month’s sermons are taking us through 1 John, a powerfully poetic piece written to encourage the church community to keep on in the faith and to not allow themselves to be cowed by fears that they weren’t enough. The most powerful statement of God’s character comes in chapter 4, verse 16: God is love.
To say God “is love” rather than God “loves,” removes all distance between God and love. To say that God “loves” leaves open the possibility that God might not love (like love is a choice that God might one day stop making). But to say that God “is love”reminds us that love is God’s very being. It isn’t a choice, but rather an honest expression of God’s very character.
What greater assurance could John give his readers who are struggling with fear that they aren’t enough than to point to the very essence of God’s character as love! We love - and have faith and walk in the light - because “God first loved us” (4:19). We don’t have to live in fear that we aren’t perfect - we have only to let ourselves be loved and to love the world around us as best we can.
What is one small way you can love the world around you this week? Earth Day is on Monday, can you love the world by planting something or caring for an outdoor space? Can you love the world by reaching out to a friend, family member, or acquaintance who might need some encouragement? Can you make reconciliation with someone you have harmed? Can you help carry someone’s burden through an act of service?
God’s ever abundant, overflowing love can fill us to overflowing if we open ourselves up to it by loving God and loving others!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
[1] Julian of Norwich, Showings, translated by Edmund Colledge and James Walsh (Mahweh,
NJ: Paulist, 1978): 282-84.
