Year C Proper 19 - September 11, 2022
God Loves You, No Exceptions
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts. Amen.
“God loves you, no exceptions,” leaps out from today’s parables. Whether you stray from the herd or stay, whether you are safe in a pouch or hidden in the shadows, whether you are a Pharisee, tax collector, scribe or sinner, God desires relationship with you.
“God loves you, no exceptions,” is my bumper sticker and a slogan used by the Diocese of Ohio. In 2011 the slogan made it into radio commercials that aired around Ohio, including Cleveland.
At the same time, the trial of Anthony Sowell, a serial murderer, was taking place in the city. The trial updates and media coverage were brutal. The evil revealed in the case was deeply disturbing.
One December morning during a shock jock radio show, the Episcopal commercial played just before the morning news report. As a segue from the Episcopal commercial into a report with trial updates, the host railed against us: “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard, there’s no way God loves Anthony Sowell… and I don’t need some stupid Episcopal minister telling me ‘God Loves You. No Exceptions,’ 'cause that to me is an offensive statement.”
Our diocesan staff challenged the radio station and Bishop Mark Hollingsworth was invited to the show. The host was cordial but challenged the bishop. He was adamant that some acts of cruelty are so heinous God cannot love the people perpetrating them.
He and Bishop Hollingsworth bantered scripture and theology. Each man shared a personal story of a loved one who died because of another person. The bishop agreed that it was ridiculous for God to love genocidal tyrants or serial murderers. He went on to explain he finds profound comfort in, “knowing somehow in the mystery of God, God can love every one of us. If God can love [the person who caused the death of my young relative] or Anthony Sowell [a serial killer], God can love you and me…” (The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, December 13, 2011).
Today Jesus tells a diverse gathering that God is like a shepherd, rescuing a lost sheep. God is like a woman, diligently searching her lost coin. Jesus reveals God’s persistence in reaching for us. Not one human being is forgotten or abandoned by God. When the consequences of a person’s sin fling them far from our human ability to love, God still seeks them. When trauma drives them away from the fold, God still seeks them. When distraction draws a person into the brambles of this world, God still seeks them. Even when a person has never encountered the knowledge of God in any form and has little concept of their soul, God seeks them with a passion.
Typical bible studies identify the lost sheep or coin as marginalized members of society who the church shuns. In more evangelical studies, the lost are those who have committed grievous sins, like Anthony Sowell or the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks of September 11 in 2001.
For me, the lost sheep or missing coin is anyone not experiencing the breadth of God’s love. Believers can wander far from the embrace of God without stepping foot outside the church. Whether or not we accept the truth, the truth is we are beloved by our Creator and Messiah.
Few of the most ardent saints accepted this. I think it’s why your average Christian, myself included, work so frantically at being Christian. Our prayer is a hurried list of forgive me, help me, and thank you. Then we dash into our Christian duties in worship or serving our neighbor. When you’re busy, it can be tough to experience authentic love and belonging. Any marriage counselor will tell you that.
Relationship, even with God, is not rushed. Unconditional love is not earned. Kinship with Christ cannot be taken away. If we will simply wait in prayer, breathing in the love of the Holy Spirit and the joyful peace of our breath, we will be found and we will be claimed…for “God loves you. No exceptions.” Amen.
The Very Rev. Vanessa E. B. Clark+