“God’s Exquisite Love!”

How exquisite your love, O God!

And those who seek your wide wings’ shelter—

They feast on the abundance of your house

They drink the delights of your streams

For you are a fountain of cascading light,

You are the light within the light.

-Psalm 36

Last week I was able to write to you about God’s exquisite love and the Lenten program that we will be using to explore that love in our individual lives and in the life of the church. This week I would like to preview for you the work that our church’s artists have done to beautify our sanctuary for Lent.

Following our Lenten theme, our artists have taken the image of water as a sign for God’s exquisite love. As you walk into the sanctuary you will notice an installation next to the baptismal fount that reminds us of a flowing fountain, a wellspring. This brings to mind the baptism of Jesus where he heard a voice from heaven saying, “You are my son, my beloved, with you I am well pleased. This theme of love is repeated throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and as we examine our lives we sense the bedrock of love upholding our very being. This fountain of exquisite love in our sanctuary will remind us throughout lent of the overflowing abundance of grace that is our’s in love. I remind you once again of Julian of Norwich, when asked of God’s meaning in Creation,

love was his meaning. Who reveals it to you? Love. What did he reveal to you? Love. Why does he reveal it to you? For love. Remain in this, and you will know more of the same.

As you look at the artist’s design there is a blue drape coming off of the cross, flowing down over a smaller cross, out over the altar and into the congregation. This is the flowing stream of God’s love, flowing from the cross of Christ, over the smaller crosses that we bear, and out into the world as it flows over the communion table. There is an abundance of love in Christ, that reaches into our lives and through us into the world. This tells us that this exquisite love that we enjoy in Christ is not for us alone – but for all whom we meet along life’s way.

There are many other exciting aspects to the artist’s design, which you will have to come to church to see for yourself. It is quite exciting. On the side walls are some beautiful drapes, seemingly waterfalls of grace pouring into our sanctuary. God’s abundance is for us and for the whole world. Please join us as we begin Lent this Sunday, as we become aware of God’s exquisite, extravagant love!

Blessings,

David