A number of things (an email, a conversation, a song) came together the other day to set me thinking about the love of God, both in the sense of God’s love for us and our love for God. But it was the song, Charles Wesley’s “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” that really got me thinking about love.
Now, at the risk of having some of my friends come down on me, I have to say that while I like many contemporary worship songs, especially for their vibrant, upbeat music and simple, personal lyrics, and their commitment to connect and contextualize the faith for a new generation, I have a real affection for the hymns of the 18th century hymn writer Charles Wesley. And one of the concerns I have for those whose worship experience is only or primarily nurtured on contemporary worship songs and an almost complete absence of some of the great hymns of the church is that they miss out on some profound and powerful theology. I know it is requires a stretch and maybe even some interpretation to get passed the arcane language of some of these hymns, but their deep message is usually worth it. Again, I know that many people shrink from that word “theology”, but they shouldn’t because theology is inevitable. “Theology” is talking about God and the way God has revealed himself in Christ for the transformation of our lives and our world. “Theology” is the articulation of our experience with God. The only real question is whether or not the theology reflected in our songs (and sermons and worship as a whole) is good, robust, God-honoring or is it flawed, or weak or woefully myopic?
And while I struggle with John Zundel’s tune that is often used, I never ceased to be amazed at the words of “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” Its images of God’s love shown in Christ are powerful and reveal a compassionate, pure and unbounded, transforming and abiding love. It is a love that can give peace to a troubled heart, liberate a bound spirit, and empower us for life in a challenging world.
It is no secret that our lives need love just as much as our bodies need air, water and food. Only when that love touches us and teaches us how to love can our loneliness be transformed into intimacy, fear into courage and anxiety into restful hope. And while genuine, self-giving, other-affirming love is possible in human love it has its limits. Whether those limits are determined by our environment, our sets of connections, or our own imperfect nature, human love is limited.
God’s love is different from all human love. Human love is always limited and conditional even in the best of relationships. But God’s love is radically different. God’s love is based on nothing that we have or have done or can do. And while that sometimes makes me uncomfortable because as a driven, goal-oriented, achievement-based person I would like to believe that God loves me because I am so dedicated and unselfish or because of my personality or special qualities, the truth is that God’s love isn’t based on any of that. God’s love is based on nothing except God’s nature. You and I can do nothing, absolutely nothing to earn the love of God. It was there before we existed.
And a great thing about this love which God offers to us is that it bottomless as well as unconditional. No matter how deeply we try to plumb it’s depth or are immersed in God’s love, we never reach the bottom, since that doesn’t exist. God loves unconditionally, completely and unreservedly because God is love. We can love and we do love, but God IS love.
To sin is to refuse God’s love. When we sin – that is, ignore or reject God’s will and decide to go it on our own -- God doesn’t cease to love us. God doesn’t abandon us. God’s love remains. It is like the father’s love in Jesus’ story of the wayward child who finally returns to his father (Luke 15:11-32), except raised to an infinite degree. When the son returns, he finds the father waiting. In the same way, God waits, God hopes, God’s love remains. Only our ultimate rejection of that love in death severs that love, but only on our side. God’s love continues. It is a pained loved, a scorned love, but a constant love. It is a love that respects, however painful it may be, the decision to refuse to live in the love of God.
It is this love, a love that excels all earthly love that seeks to embrace me and every person on this planet. To know that love, to live in that love, however imperfectly, is to know joy. It is a reminder that we are loved by God and because we are loved, we matter.
I like a prayer by the spiritual writer Macrina Wiederkehr. She understands how difficult it is for some of us to accept that we are loved with the divine love that excels all other loves and so she prays: “O God, help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful.” How about you?
Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down;
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit;
let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver,
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
