February 8, 2004, Number 5 of 7 in the Series: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

The question we have before us this morning is: "Does God really care about me?" I mean, really . . . does God really care about me? Out of all of the billions of people who have lived upon the face of the earth . . . how does God even recognize me, let alone care about me?"

This is an important question because until we sense deep within that God cares about us, about us personally; until we know deep within, that God loves us and cares about us, then we will lack the dynamic power of God in our lives, that God intends for us to have.

When I look at the life of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, it seems to me that that was what his experience in the Christian faith was all about. Up until that night on Aldersgate Street, he had done all of the right things: he lived his life in accordance with what he understood to be the ordinances of God, he was an ordained clergyman, he was an Oxford don, he was a member of a Holy Club that gathered to support one another as they sought to organize their lives as Christians and to grow in the faith. But it wasn't until that night on Aldersgate Street when he felt his heart "strangely warmed," that he finally sensed deep within that God knew him, accepted him and loved him for who he was.

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a written record of how men and women of faith have experienced God through the centuries. And while the witness is different in different generations and times, and in different situations in different places, one thing is clear throughout — God knows and loves and cares for each and everyone of us. This is a unanimous witness of the scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

Along side the Biblical witness, there is the witness of countless men and women of faith — that God knows and cares about each of us, and that God is near to us. It seems to me that the most remarkable Christians throughout history are those who have felt the caring, loving presence of God in their lives most keenly and were passionate about sharing that love with others.

And then there is the testimony of those who have undergone times of severe trial and suffering who often say:

"I could never have made it without knowing that God was with me. God knew what I was going through, and I could lean on God's love."

So the witness of scripture, the witness of the lives of ordinary everyday Christians, the witness of the saints, the witness of those suffering is the same; that the power of God is enabled when we know and we sense the very real, the very attentive, the very caring presence of Almighty God in our lives.

But how do we know when anyone cares for us or loves us? Because we have experienced that loving care. The same is true about God. There is nothing I can say to you that will convince you that God cares about you. The only way you will come to know that God cares about you is to experience that love and care in your life.

For some of us, this sense of God's caring presence comes as easily as a child taking food from the hands of it's mother, while others have to struggle to believe. I don't know why. But whatever the reason, be assured that God's grace is sufficient for all of our needs. And it is good to remember that we will find the path by walking it.

Let's listen to the witness of one woman:

When I was a young child of eight years old, I lived on a beautiful farm. Like my other siblings, I had chores to do after school. Mine consisted of feeding the chickens and gathering the eggs. I didn't like doing this because my free spirit wanted to be out in the grove playing or down by the creek watching tadpoles and catching minnows.

But one day all of that changed for me. I learned that I had a secret companion who always kept me company, even when I was doing the daily farm chores. Hidden away deep within my heart was a loving being named God who would always love me and would never leave me. It was at this time that a wise teacher taught me about friendship with God. She assured me that I would never be alone because I was carrying the very life of God within me. I was enthused about this discovery. I could sense that "Someone" was there. I began carrying on endless conversations with this Friend. Walking home from school, doing my chores, playing in the grove — all of these activities became opportunities to be with my "special Someone." This was the beginning of my relationship with God.

As I grew older, I recognized this inner presence as a dynamic source of guidance and consolation. I became ever more deeply rooted in the belief that this indwelling God loves me totally and unconditionally. To this day, I draw comfort and courage from the belief that I am a container holding the presence of God. This awesome and humbling gift of the Divine Indwelling constantly enlivens my spiritual path and seeds my transformation.

—From The Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp

When Jesus was baptized by John, he heard the voice of God say: "You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased." To realize that God loves us, that we are God's beloved children and that God knows us by name and calls us by name is to be transformed and changed.

In the gospel narrative, Jesus moves immediately from his baptism into the wilderness, where he is tempted by Satan. Jesus prevails in that encounter because he remembered God's voice; Jesus remembered who he was and who was with him.

We are not aliens or strangers to God. We have as our Divine Lover the Creator and Master of all that exists. The one who calls us is also the one who knows us so intimately and well that even the number of hairs on our head is known.

To remember who creates us and recreates, who calls us again and again, who knows us completely, and who loves us unconditionally is to be prepared, as Jesus was, for all that is to come. We need have no fear for today, nor anxiety about tomorrow. We belong to God who claims us as beloved children and holds us close in the embrace of strength and love. Listen and remember today that God calls your name and be transformed and sustained in all that awaits you.

I invite you now to close your eyes, and to listen with great inner attentiveness to the voice of God, and hear these words at the very center of your being:

I have called you by name, from the very beginning. You are mine and I am yours.

You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests.

• I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother's womb.
• I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace.
• I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother for her child.
• I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step.
• Wherever you go I am with you, and wherever you rest, I will keep watch.
• I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst.
• I will not hide my face from you.
• You know me as your own as I know you as my own.
• Wherever you are I will be.
• Nothing will ever separate us. We are one.

(From Life of the Beloved, by Henri J.M. Nouwen)

So be it. Thanks be to God, Amen.

Eldon J. Simpson, Pastor