Listen to these awesome words St. Paul records for us in Romans 8: “What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword … nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We can readily recall those events that leave us feeling insecure and apprehensive. There are world, national and local events that cause us to feel that way. In the world and nationally, we know that the fight against terrorism continues even in the midst of our draw down of troops in the Middle East. Locally, we are concerned about decreasing home values, lack of new home sales, layoffs and the increasing numbers of people in need of assistance as evidenced by the increased volume of those seeking aid at out United Food Bank of Plant City. In our search for security, we often hang our need on some thin wires.
At times, we hang the need for security on the thin wire of our health. Some of you have that vertical, zipper-like scar that runs down your chest. You are living proof that we really are only a heartbeat away from death. A blood clot smaller then a pea, if lodged in the wrong place, can suddenly turn our speech into a slur and reduce our fast steps to a shuffle.
There are too many in America who hang the need for security on the thin wire of possessions. In the mad dash for more and better, we have convinced ourselves that life does consist in the abundance of our possessions — that contentment is not limited to food and clothing — that the birds of the air don’t know what they’re missing without all our creature comforts.
Along the way, many folks have racked up huge credit card debts, enslaving themselves to the things of this world and live paycheck to paycheck. Then, all of a sudden, comes a layoff or company restructuring. Or, without warning, we find ourselves faced with huge medical bills. Out the window goes that little we’ve been able to put away, and our new financial plan for the new year is a flop. “Snap” goes the wire of our security.
It’s at this point that many of us begin to focus on God’s inerrant word. “What shall separate us from the love of Christ?” the apostle Paul asked. His answer is clearly implied: There is no one thing that can ever separate us from the love of Christ. God’s love shown in Christ, is the sturdy cable on which we can hang our need for security.
The beauty of the message of Christ’s love is that it is meant for everyone — it’s God’s own universal care with no exclusions. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That means we need not fear, thinking that we are exempt from God’s love. God loved the world — we are a part of that world!
Another important point of Christ’s love is that His love is unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” There is no panic thinking that his love is limited or will disappear at some future time. As the song goes, “Jesus loves me this I know / For the Bible tells me so …”
Additionally, Christ’s love is unconditional. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can reject the love Christ, but we can never destroy it. His love is always there for us sinners, offering us forgiveness and life, as well as the security that we long for and need in our lives.
It is a comfort for us to know that our security is where it has always been — Christ’s love is our security. Nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let this word of God — and His love for you in Christ Jesus — ring loud and clear in your hearts and minds each day.
The Rev. Dean R. Pfeffer is the senior pastor at Hope Lutheran Church, Plant City. For more, email him at hopepcpastor@gmail.com.