St. David's Episcopal Church | The Rev. Frank Allen | March 12, 2015
Absolutely and Completely Loved

 

"I have called you by name; you are mine."                            Isaiah 43:1

 

Dear People of St. David's,

 

I pray that you are well and want to use this week's message to remind you how loved you are by God, not because of your family, or because of what you do, or have accomplished. You are loved by God not because of how attractive you are, or how smart you are, or how often you say your prayers and come to church, or even because of what you do for others on God's behalf. Those are all good things in their own right, but they are not the reason God loves you. God cherishes you, and is just so pleased that you are! God loves you and marvels at your uniqueness because that is God's nature. God's love is a grace thing. We can't earn it because we already have it. We can't aspire to it because it already exists. We can't stop it because none of us has that kind of power to hold the creator and redeemer of all that is from loving us. 

 

I want you to know deep down how loved you are. The events of this past week in our own, larger community, and in conversations I have had over the course of my life and ministry  suggests to me that we don't believe this most important detail of the creation. We are afraid that we're not enough to be loved by God. We have moments when we're fearful that we don't matter or that we have to do something, be someone before we can be loved by God. We look to other sources for our identity as though the love of the God who created each one of us in our own exceptionalness is not enough or is an assumption that we refuse to grasp.

 

Look at yourself in all your goodness and giftedness and shortcomings. There's plenty to be loved in you from a human perspective even on some of your lesser moments. Imagine how the God who created you looks at you and loves you. It humbles me to the depth of my soul, but at the very core of life and happiness is the promise that God has called us by name and has named us His.

 

The great truth of Jesus coming to live as one of us, to die on our behalf and to be raised from the dead is the ultimate sign for all people that God loves us and we are His. Whatever you imagine or have decided that the Christian life is about outside of this truth, please think again. Whatever you think you're supposed to be or do, let go and open your heart and mind and soul to the truth that you are loved and so is everyone.

 

I pray that all of us will take a moment each day to remember that we are loved. Life may be throwing us some curve balls or may not be going the way we hoped it would go, but that's not the measure of who you are. God is the measure and God says again and again and again, you are loved.

 


Grace and Peace,

                                                                                                                                                              

 Frank Allen

  
 WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 15, 2015
9:15 am in the Chapel
 8:00 & 11:15 am and 5:00 pm in the Church

                                      
St. David's Episcopal Church | 763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne, PA 19087
610-688-7947