Thursday after Epiphany

Lectionary: 215

Beloved, we love God because
he first loved us. 

The first nine words of today's first reading bring the thoughtful listener to a full stop. 

Those who are new to the faith, or perhaps only approaching a church or prayer group, might say, "I have decided to look into this." or "I wanted to come." But if they have sat among us and heard the Word of God, they must concede, "I was invited." and, "I could not stay away any longer." 

"In the beginning..." is more than an invocation of memories long past. It is a statement about the present moment, the beginning of this instant and this existence. I am here; and I am held in being by something infinitely greater than myself.

I am amused by those who think there must be intelligent life elsewhere in the vast universe. They point to the mind-boggling number of galaxies with their innumerable stars and the probable planets that orbit those stars with their lesser moons. Surely the odds declare there must be life and even self-aware life out there. 

But they forget that human life on this planet around this particular star is not necessary. Unlike nearly every species of every life form we have discovered, we serve no particular purpose here. Plants, animals, fungi all cooperate in mutual support and sympathy. We can fit in and do our work of husbandry as the Book of Genesis describes, "The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it." (Genesis 2:15) 

But we can also choke and kill the earth with our sinful mismanagement. "Nature" doesn't seem to care much what we do. The Earth will persist and if we make it uninhabitable for ourselves we will perish, but life will go on. There are no odds, mathematical calculations, or ecological principles that require the image of God to people the Earth. 

We are here to suit God's purpose, one of them being the object of divine redemption. Beloved, we love God because he first loved us.

Our faith teaches us about God's initiative and our response. We find that story on every page of the Bible. We recognize it in our common worship. We know it in our hearts as we pray. 

Our purposes are praise and gratitude. We express them publicly and privately; we demonstrate them by our care for one another and our husbandry of the world in which we live. As Pope Francis has shown so clearly in his encyclical, Laudato si, neglect of the Earth is abuse of our own people. Gratitude will produce an abundance for everyone even as it makes sacrifice of oneself.