The loving discourse
I mentioned yesterday that universalism (“God loves EVERYONE!”) isn’t what the longing human heart needs to hear. Rather, we need to hear the three words we need to hear from any loved one: “I love YOU.”
But that’s just one side of the discourse of love. There’s another side that’s required to complete the closed loop…
This is what in churchy language we call ‘praise’ ‘thanksgiving’ ‘worship’ and even ‘confession.’ It’s the four-word response to the three words:
“I love you too.”
I know it’s easy to see God as this uber-masculine, unmovable, mighty, Zeus-like figure in the sky looking hella jacked with a giant scowl on his face. But this is not the God Christians worship (right?).
The God that Christians are called to abide with in Christ is a God with a fleshy heart who loves to love and (this is the kicker for today) to RECEIVE love in response.
It’s half of the loop to receive God’s “I love you.” But you can feel a palpable liveliness in saying back, “I love you too.”
You are part of this equation. God created you. God crafted you and knit you together out of stardust. God delights in you! And God longs to hear your response. Not like a legalistic tyrant (for this type can never move the human heart to love). But like the kind of God we see in loving Triune conversation in Christ.
It’s a conversation, not a monologue.