Message by Janice Good : May 18, 2008
“Flooded by Love”
Text: Ephesians 3:14-21
Janice Good, Preacher
I’ve been with you now close to two years. I think we have developed a close enough relationship that I can make a small confession today. As hard as it is to admit, I have discovered over the years that I, being human, have at this one (at least one) fault! You see, having been born after the 18th century, my life (as is yours) has been influenced by the Enlightenment – the age of reason and the age of Rene Descartes who said, “I think, therefore I am.” So, as any reasonable human, I have this tendency to think about things. Not just the casual thought, the passing acknowledgement of information. But you see my fault is that I think about things a lot! Sometimes I have been known to think about a subject or event for days – processing it in my mind, twisting it around and looking at it from all sides, thinking how this topic could be presented in a different manner, how others would react to this bit of knowledge, even how this knowledge might benefit others, or even change circumstances in someone’s life. Pastor John has witnessed this fault probably on more than one occasion. My husband would call it worry, but it’s more analysis, than fret or worry.
Now this is not a fault that I have acquired through my seminary training, although some might say that it sounds like I am describing the thought processes of a theologian. No, I have been “blessed” with this condition most of my life. In fact, my children are so use to seeing this fault of mine; so used to seeing it that just the other day my son, in his own wisdom, told me I needed to turn off my thinking valve, or at least try because it appeared that I had turned in up to overdrive and in the process stripped the threads on the dial! He obviously has seen my normal routine of over thinking. I ponder and scowl, tuning out conversations, and mull around almost oblivious to my circumstances,. And since I am a country girl, when I am in “overdrive” thinking mode, in order to unwind so to speak, I need to go out for a walk. This physical exercise serves two purposes. One is to remove all those distractions that exist in my house: computer, TV, household chores that need done, you name it. The second is to physically work my body so that it becomes too tired to think… to literally exhaust my mind.
So, this week facing thoughts of graduation and what happens next, of where the next leg of this journey with God is calling me, I have excelled at over-thinking. I have been in fine form, my thinking dial turned up to full speed, cranked beyond return. So in thinking overdrive I grabbed my jacket and headed outside for a walk. Now I have been known to walk the block that surrounds my house. Remember this is not a city block, but a country block that wanders up hill and down covering a span of about 3 and ½ miles, along back roads with houses sprinkled some distance apart. And I use that word sprinkled literally. For you see, as I was in the midst of this walk, a gentle spring rain began to fall. The scattered drops of rain speckled the road, living little circles on the road. I don’t mind walking in the rain. I don’t mind getting a little wet. But I would guess that you all know what happens sometimes when there is a gentle spring rain. Those gentle little drops unite in a symphony of splatters, ever increasing, ever intensifying until this gentle rain is a downpour of cold, hard, and most especially wet pellets against your face, soaking your clothing, sogging your shoes. Such was the case on this walk. With no cell phone with me to call for rescue, no cover of sidewalk awnings, no option to duck into the closest storefront, and the nearest tree to hide under in sight, but a half-mile down the road, I continued my walk – soaking up each and every one of those drops. But you know what – all these raindrops reminded me of how I soaked in the love of Christ, reminded me how my life has been flooded with this incomparable overflowing measure of love. As my head was also washed of the over abundant thoughts that had been filling it, the only thing that filled my brain was that divine voice saying, “You know I love you and want what is best for you.”
So now you know my fault. And knowing this fault -- how I think – or over-think – let’s talk about our scripture for today. As I began to think about what I would preach today, I was drawn to this text. As I read it, over and over again, my thoughts were flooded by the magnitude of these words, this simple short snippet of the prayer of the apostle Paul. Paul literally saw the light along his life’s journey, which impacted the rest of his life. He made living in this light of Christ and drawing others into it his sole focus. While I am not the apostle like Paul, I have had my own earth-shaking encounter with Jesus along the road of my life. My life has been flooded by the unsurpassed love of Christ and I have been caught up in the unsurpassed depth and breadth, the length and width of God’s love given to me through His Son. Paul broke out into praise when he thought about this love. We should all do the same! But how do we find the words, how do we say something in our human terminology that describes the indescribable?
We could turn to one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. He possessed a brilliant mind and wrote thousands of words exploring the interrelation of faith, theology and culture. Towards the end of his life Barth gave a lecture at the University of Chicago Divinity School. At the end of the lecture he was asked what he considered to be the greatest theological discovery of his life. Everyone sat with bated breath ready for an extended and complex answer. Karl Barth paused for a moment, then smiled and said "The greatest theological insight that I have ever had is this: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!"
As I studied this text and prepared to preach this morning, I found I read this text over and over again, and realized that these words spoke such volumes that there was little I could say to expound upon the meaning. Here in these words we are reminded that we are rooted and grounded in love. Our very foundation is laid on the firm ground, this firm foundation of God’s love sent to us through His son, Jesus Christ. We are reminded that the Spirit strengthens us so Christ can dwell in our hearts through faith.
When I read this text, when I read this text, I am neither theologian nor pastor, not even a student or teacher. When I read these words that Paul prays for his Ephesian brothers and sisters, I am simply a child of God, a member of His enormous family. I am your sister in Christ who prays this same prayer for you, who prays these thoughts without over-analyzing, without over-thinking, without hesitation. I pray that you too will be able to grasp the knowledge so that you may understand how high and deep, how wide and long is the love of Christ for you.
But, just when we begin to think that we understand the goal of prayer is greater knowledge, we are told it is not about knowledge at all. It’s all about Christ’s love for us; this love that flows through and from Christ. We speak of the fullness of God’s love – fullness – being filled to capacity, even overflowing. God floods the universe with His love and we are caught up in it! Isn’t that a wonderful thought for our Christian calling: participating in flooding the world with God’s love!
This is Tower Church. We are Tower Church. For some odd reason, every time I hear that name I think of lighthouses. Those tall towering buildings that sit at the edge of the ocean shining a welcoming beacon out on the sea of darkness, shining its light to all who travel through across rough seas, through rain storms and dark nights. We are, we should be, that beacon of light in this community, shining our light of love not only here but out into the entire world. Show me a church where this kind of love exists, and I will show you a church that has a powerful impact on the community. If we could only show the people of this world that we love them, that we care about them because of that great love and compassion that flows from Christ to us and through us. If we could only make them know that they are loved and that we, as Christians love them too, then there would be fewer empty churches, and a much smaller proportion of our population could say they have never darken a church door. Let love be your guiding principle in all you do and soon the world will know, soon the world will understand how much God loves each one of His children, each member of his family world-wide.
Earlier I spoke of being caught in a rainstorm with no place to escape. To me this is what it is like to be loved by Christ. Each raindrop reminds us of the great measure of Christ’s love. The next time it rains, think of the every raindrop as an outpouring of the love of Christ. Every time it rains, remember that you are loved more than all those raindrops put together, you are loved more than all the waters that flow in all the rivers of the world and that fill the deepest oceans. Every time it rains, remember that you are a precious child of the family of God, caught in the rainstorm of love that surrounds you and envelops you. You are loved beyond any concept of measurement that we humans can imagine. You are caught in a rainstorm of love with no place to escape! With that knowledge, let us listen again to Paul’s prayer for his brothers and sisters. But don’t just listen to it as Paul’s prayer, listen to this prayer as my prayer for you, as our prayer for each other:
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.