For the Love of God

Romans 8:26-39 and Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
The Rev. Christina van Liew

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:26). Isn’t this comforting? No matter how we mess up, if our hearts are in it for the right reason – namely God’s purpose – we really can’t fail. No matter how badly we mess up, God uses our failures as well as our successes to teach, heal and encourage others. Sometimes we get to see how this plays out in hindsight.    

Paul is saying God is with us, so who is against us? No power, no matter how terrifying, is more powerful than God. By faith we are more powerful than the world wants us to believe, and more powerful than the worldly powers want us to know. 

What we do for the love of Christ is eternal and far greater than what we do for any other purpose. We have God with us, we have the love of Christ with us no matter what. No failure, no repented sin, nothing at all can keep us from the love of Christ. With this in mind, let’s go ahead, and keep on living our faith, or starting anew in faith, spreading the kingdom of heaven as Matthew described:

• Planting tiny seeds of hope that can yield the kingdom of God in our time and place.
• Being like the yeast that mixes in with the flour until the love of God within us transforms those around us.
• Treasuring God’s love enough that we will give to God (like a merchant who finds the prize and sells all he has to buy it) all that stops us from receiving and sharing God’s love.
• Being willing to gather in all who come our way, like catching fish of every kind, keeping the good and letting the angels take care of the bad.

We can be this bold because Jesus has shown us how; the Spirit of God is guiding and empowering us to do it; and we know that no matter what happens, whether we seem to fail or succeed, everything we do for the love of God according to God’s purpose will work together for good. This is a divine win-win proposition. It inspired the first disciples and all who have followed to plant, influence, transform and treasure that which is godly, bringing the kingdom of heaven into their present reality. 

Let us go and do likewise.

Amen.