Belovedness

I’ve heard it said that maybe Jesus’s perfection was not in his moral superiority, but in his being the only person ever to live into the fullness of who God created him to be.

 

If God whispers our identity into being before we are born,

And the world constantly tries to form us into itself,

Away from our identity in God,

Then a person who does not listen to the world, rather listens to God‘s voice,

Is a person not missing the mark, 

A person living into God’s design and perfection. 

 

When God created humanity,

God called us good.

Adam and Eve, 

In their original insecurity,

Forgot that they were created as God’s beloved

And decided to pursue knowledge for themselves, 

Thus realizing their nakedness and sin. 

 

When Jesus was baptized, 

God said this is my son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus then went into the wilderness and was tempted for 40 days. 

Yet he remembered who he was—

God’s beloved—

And was able to resist temptation.

 

So maybe if we,

In our original insecurity,

Could do as Jesus did,

And remember our worth and value in God, 

Then we could stop seeking security and validation from the things in this world 

And actually enjoy life and work and rest. 

 

We are God’s beloved,

Created in the image of God,

Sustained by the spirit of God,

Redeemed by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. 

 

We are fully loved. 

We are fully valued.

And we are able to withstand the temptations of this world by remembering who and whose we are.

 

May we surround one another with voices of belovedness today. 

Not moral reprimands. 

Not reminders of how messed up and sinful we are. 

Not slaps on the hand and knives to the heart. 

But belovedness: 

Possibility, goodness, grace, forgiveness, and love. 

 

Amen. 

 

**This is my sermon response to Pastor Ann’s sermon on 2.22.26.**