Friday, March 1, 2013

Abide in the Sea of Love.

The Hope of Loving 
by Meister Eckhart

What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?
I think it is the hope of loving,
or being loved.

I heard a fable once about the sun going on a journey
to find its source, and how the moon wept
without her lover's
warm gaze.

We weep when light does not reach our hearts.  We wither
like fields if someone close
does not rain their
kindess
upon
us.

As humans, we long for connection, acceptance, and community.  In the void that is present within all of us, there is loneliness, hurt, and shame.  There is insecurity and self-doubt.  But, oh but, there is the potential for that void to be curve outward into the world.  The possibilities of laughing so hard your stomach aches, of feeling confident about who you are, the dream of being loved.


There is this eternal hope of an end point of love.  As if one day, everything will be alright because you will love and be loved, Moulin Rouge style. But there are quite a few pieces of the picture missing.  What about the power of the love that we abide in every day, the agape love that we breathe in every few seconds?  What about the sun's rays on your skin or the bitter wind of winter, reminding you that you are human and indeed loved by God?

I sat in worship this past Wednesday, feeling beyond broken and incompetent.  I felt alone in the sea, unsure of where I belonged.  But as I stepped forward to receive communion, this huge wave of abiding in love washed over me.  I felt immense relief in the reminder that Luther said that the people that need communion most are the people that are broken by sin and doubting.  I felt like a young child, being held by something much bigger than me.  I ate and drank the remembrance of the radical act of love in Jesus Christ.

The great thing about this message?  Not only am I full of the love that God gives me, but I am called to wash myself with self-love.  That's the most difficult aspect of love for me, but here I am: open and vulnerable.  In this moment of uncertainty and openness, there is the possibility of change and growth.  Here I am, standing in the moment of kairos (God time), posed for the new.  In this uncomfortable state of what I have felt is failure and being constantly afraid of failure, I have the choice to appreciate and love myself and my opinions.  Challenge accepted.

3 comments:

  1. This reminds me of the new Cloud Cult album that I just got - and of my own journey as an intern. Do you know the band Cloud Cult? It's called Love and so much of the entire album is about just this (although, they don't talk about Christ per say, but you know it's all connected.) I'll have to share it with you sometime. Love to you!

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  2. I've heard of Cloud Cult but I haven't heard anything by them! I'll check them out--thanks Maria! :)

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