Wondrous Love
Monday, 03 August 2009 00:00 | 
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10-11 )
This summer, our worship together has dedicated a good amount of its Scripture reading and preaching to surveying the many barriers that stand in the way of embracing Jesus and his mission.
Whether in his hometown, within his own family, in Herod’s court, or even among his disciples, barriers of prejudice, suspicion, superstition and fear conspired to sequester the Friend of the world, to contain his ministry of reconciliation, leaving him abandoned at the cross and grave. All these cursed barriers, however, could not finally separate the enemies of God (viz., all of us) from the Wondrous Love of God in Christ Jesus. An American folk hymn wondrously intones the profound sense of dismay (?) and relief (!) that grips the befriended soul:"What wondrous love is this,
O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
That caused the Lord of bliss,
To bear the dreadful curse
For my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse
For my soul?"
“What then are we to say about these things?” Paul inquires at Romans 8:31 . “If God is for us, who is against us?” It really puts the identity of our supposed “enemies” in question, doesn’t it—to reconcile in our own minds the wondrous extent of God’s love for all? Thus did Jesus command his disciples: “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.’” (Luke 6:27-28 ) Doing good, blessing, praying—such is the way of Love. Out of no way, God made a way—through all the captivating sins and structural evils—God made a way for Wondrous Love to prevail against every barrier (see Matthew 16:15-19). God give us the eyes to see and the ears to hear what your Wondrous Love requires— blessing and praying especially for the wellbeing of our “enemies”—that all would be “friends” indeed.
Peace +
