God first loved us

A friend recently recommended the book "God First Loved Us"
by Antony Campbell.
Cathedral of the Incarnation
(Nashville, Tennessee)
 - interior, stained glass
It's a small book dealing with the difficulty people have believing in God's unconditional love. Most of us can't seem to get rid of the idea of God as judge or benefactor. We think he will reward us if we are good and punish us if we do bad things. But to really believe God loves us passionately with no strings attached is a bit of a stretch. Reverence and fear often get in the way of our relationship with God. Fear especially keeps us at a distance from God. Words in Scripture and the liturgy don't help much to eradicate that fear. Phrases like "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," (Prv.1:7) and Peter's "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,"(Lk 5:8) seem to approve fear. In the liturgy we often speak of God's power and might which tends to evoke fear. There is, of course, a healthy fear, better spoken of as awe and respect, but it too can be an obstacle to accepting God's love for us.
Campbell proposes that the Incarnation can help us to overcome that obstacle. God became human out of his immense love for us. Jesus bridged the gap between Creator and creature and gave God skin to feel and touch and hold.
God loves us as we are, even when we sin. As Isaiah reminds us, "I, I am the One who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (43:25). Campbell further believes that the Son of God became "one of us because of unitive passion, because a loving God longed to be one with the beloved." Quite a love story!
I'm finding the book good Lenten reading. Maybe you would too.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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