Many of us grew up with a theology that emphasized performance. Work hard to earn the love of God and the people around you, do what is right in order to get into heaven and avoid hell. Seeking God can feel like a video game, often with a difficult boss that we cannot overcome.
In life, we often feel ugly, invisible, rejected, unworthy, impure, broken, lonely or abandoned.
But in reality, God comes to us in grace, unmerited favor. The painter Scott Erickson describes grace as “presence not withheld. ” And the way Jesus brought that grace and presence to us was through the bloody, painful process of childbirth, entering the world through the womb of a woman.
God’s presence and love are not limited. We have no reason to live in a scarcity mindset, because the love of God is abundant like nothing else. As a church let us be a place that brings this presence and love to our world.
— Sermon Notes, Eunice Cho, Renew Church, Lynnwood, WA, March 17, 2024