"I love you."

This week on the tenth day of Christmas, I received a wonderful and  very unexpected gift.   I  was in my office and was beginning work on this sermon—I opened up one of my homiletical books  that I use to research texts and there staring at me on the top  of one of the page were these three words- scratched in pen, “I love you.” 

I immediately knew that my daughter Alexis had written those words a few years back.

About 6 or so years ago, she went through a phase where she would write me messages in the  pages of the books in my office.  Every once and a while I will open up a book on my shelf and I get this wonderful message from my eight-year-old daughter.

To say that it made my day would be an understatement.  Not only did I feel her love but was also reminded of God’s love for me

Those three words----"I -Love -you” are perhaps the most powerful words we can say to someone else.    

They convey the deepest sense of affection that we can have for another human being. 

I have been so fortunate to have grown in a family where those words were and  are still used frequently.  Both of my parents used those words on a regular basis. And now Chrishelle and I use those words regularly with our children.  I know for some of us that is not the experience and may be one of the deepest disappointments that we’ve had in life to not hear the words I love you from someone who is vitally important to us.

Ira Byock in his book The Four Things that Matter most says that one of the four most important things for terminally ill people to express to their loved ones is their love for them.  He says that when people do that it helps them to find meaning and purpose in their illness and also help those left behind know just how important they are to the ill person.  

“I love you” are powerful words

Today we hear the story of Jesus Baptism and there as Jesus is coming up out of the water---we are told the heavens and sky tear open, are split- and the spirit of God descends upon him and he hears God the Father say--

“You are my beloved son and with you I am well pleased.”

Essentially God is saying,  “I love you.” 

Must have been a powerful moment for Jesus to hear God the Father speak those words—I imagine that those word and that moment helped get Jesus through a lot of stuff. 

But you know what---those are not just words for Jesus—those are words for us—from God the Father. In our baptism-God metaphorically tears open roof and says to each one of us—you are my beloved—with you I am well pleased.”

The creation story says that at the end of each day-God looks at what he created and pronounces it tove—Hebrew for good.  We heard it today—God looks at the light he has created and pronounces it good.

And what God pronounces good I believe God loves.   On  the sixth day, the book  of Genesis says that God scooped up some clay from the earth, fashioned it into a human—God pressed his mouth against the first man’s nostrils and breathed his life into man and at the end of the sixth day he looks at what he has created and he says that it is good. 

I don’t know if you have ever heard God say I love you—but I want you to know  he says it today to each of us.

Sometimes it is just so hard for us to see or even believe.

I think that our own sense of unworthiness—gets in the way of seeing that- how could God love me.

I think that sometimes sin tarnishes our ability to see it in ourselves and to see it in the other.  Sin darkens our ability to see the beautiful creation we all are.

So may you on this day know that the creator the heaven and earth looks at you and say you are tove—good and may you know that the creator looks at you and say you are beloved and with you I am well pleased.

May you say good bye to any sense of unworthiness because God says you are worthy 

May you say look beyond the tarnish of sin to see what is underneath  that there is  goodness and beauty in each of us .

May you know that today God has three words for you right now—I Love You. 

AMEN