Perhaps if we had coordinated things better (and by 'we' I mostly mean 'me'!), I would have suggested that Pastor Lyle end his sermon last week with "to be continued"... His words reflecting on last Sunday's scripture illuminated the text and serve as an excellent introduction to the message found in today's passage from First John. For those of you who did not have the opportunity to memorize the sermon or forgot to bring your printed copy with you this morning, let me recall the words at the conclusion of the message last Sunday:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, whose goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our lives—from the moment of our borning cry and our new birth in water and spirit to our last day on earth. We are always loved and cared for and forgiven by and known by the good shepherd.

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, works still to redeem our isolation, worthlessness, and despair, our pride and complacency, all of which grow out of the power of death. In so doing, he knows us and opens for us a space to know the victory of the resurrection and the grace of new and abundant life; space to be led in the green pastures, beside the still waters, and to dwell in the blessedness of the Lord's House. In Jesus, we are known fully and eternally treasured.

To that, all God's people say 'Amen'!

It is good to be regularly reminded of this word of promise that Jesus knows us and cares for us more deeply than we can comprehend. It is a message of not only relief, but it is freeing for us. But freeing how? Well, as if on cue, this week's reading takes off from that point and introduces us to the implications of that blessed assurance.

Now, on first hearing one might be inclined to hear this Sunday's text as more a repetition of last week's message instead of one taking us further down a path of understanding. You would certainly be excused if you got caught up in the inescapable sense that there is a lot of love in the air. In these few verses there are nearly thirty iterations of the word. Then add to this the fact that this is Mother's Day. As part of a Church that readily identifies God in parental terms it is within reason that we would be somewhat distracted. Why wouldn't those of us fortunate enough to know it firsthand do a little crossover and rejoice in the opportunity to reflect on the depth of a parent's love?

So it is especially in this context that all this talk of love can draw us into the "God" discussion with genuine emotion that God affects each of us personally. And that is not a bad thing. If you were raised in the church you were taught about this relationshipJesus loves me, this I know! We hear the stories and proclamations that Jesus died for each of us as individuals. Now I acknowledge that on this day when we are still celebrating the accomplishments of newly degreed thinkers it may be a bit of a heresy to say so, but when we hear the Jesus story, it is entirely appropriate that something inside us stirs in ways that cannot be explained. Sometimes our 'thinking mode' of trying to make sense of our faith is simply not enough. This act of divine life-altering love should, in one way or another, move us from here (head) to here (heart).

If you have already experienced such a visceral, unexplained reaction (or when the time comes that you do) know you are not alone. Millions of people across the globe encounter their faith in just that way. There just comes a time when we have to marvel at the very idea of it all. This raw human emotion basking in the embrace of the God whose love knows no bounds is not, however, invincible to the complexities of our lives in this time and space. As time marches on the world around us does not seem to be getting better. Civilians and service members in Iraq continue to die daily. Stories persist of families seeing their income and savings evaporate. New reports on global climate conditions reveal worst case scenarios are not so hypothetical anymore. Each of these things, and many others that remain unmentioned, chips away at our sense that any of those comforting feelings matter. The intoxication of that love we know wears off. Cynicism settles tightens its grasp. We shut off the world and concentrate on the things we can control. Over time our relationship with God becomes more distant.

Just when we are at our lowest, that is the time that the Spirit rescues us with a word like today's that reveals some particulars about God that lead us back toward hope. First we hear that the God we know in Scripture is a God of action. This God is not content with mutual, warm and fuzzy feelings of love. God does not stay distant 'sending good thoughts' our way. While we feel distant, we hear of that God sent "the only Son into the world to give us life." God did something about it.

Then First John reminds us that the God-human relationship was not confined to that singular event. We hear that God continues to venture into the human mess. God 'abides' in us. Now, a quick aside about "Abide" — That has become one of those church words that do not get much play elsewhere. In using this term the author of 1 John is telling us about a God who remains with us — a God who stays in relationship. This 'abiding' God is the God of constant covenant promising to remain a part of humanity in this world.

In these words we continue down the path blazed by last week's message. This overwhelming sense of God, who knows us through Jesus is within us shaping our lives and our relationships. Scripture reminds us this week that we are the signs of that perpetual presence. God's abiding presence is revealed in the acts of love we carry out toward one another. In our interactions with others we make God known. We are given the tools to allow the God of life to be seen. So the God, who knows us and has moved our center from here (head) to here (heart); that God moves us once again. Calling the people created in God's image to an active faith our abiding God this time moves us from here (heart) to here (feet), firmly placing our lives of faith in the world.

And when those footsteps of love begin marching, life blossoms all around. It often starts in small ways. One individual hikes her heels right on over to an acquaintance in anguish and brings life through the offer of a conversation over coffee. Some friends combine their four or six feet and head over to the local food pantry and bring life to a family that was unsure of where they would find their next meal. A committee's worth of feet get to moving and soon life comes to a village on the other side of the globe as their business ventures are financed through micro-loans.

Each of these small acts of love proclaims God's presence to the world. But it doesn't stop there. That abiding love of God moving hearts and feet becomes more contagious than the swiniest flu you can imagine. People of God get organized and together they bring life to more people than they even know.

I would like to conclude this morning with one such story of hundreds of feet of the faithful who organized to make the God of life a reality in the world. It happened just a few weeks ago in the capital building in Jefferson City, MO. Amid the flurry of the Obama administration's first 100 days, one federal program provided the state of Missouri funding for health care for its children and working families in low-income households. The measure offered almost $3 for each dollar the state allocated toward health care initiatives targeted to people in need. I think we can all agree that that is some math we can believe in! The state directs $20 million toward these efforts and gets $60 million in return. Sounds like a good deal to me! The bottom line for the people of Missouri is that the costs of such a program amounted to approximately $2 per family per year to provide health care to 10,000 children in the state. Well, for one reason or another, legislators in Missouri were having some difficulty adopting the provision.

To families from dozens of faith communities around the state, many of whom would receive health care benefits from this measure, this was simply unacceptable; and for some it was literally a matter of life or death. So on April 16, 150 members of those congregations converged on the state capitol. Standing just outside the state Senate chambers, under the inscription "Not to be served, but to serve" these people of faith made their collective voices heard. As they spoke, the rotunda began to fill with state legislators and their staff who burst into applause when the group was finished speaking.

One can imagine that some of the children who may benefit from this legislation haven't had the opportunity to know much about God. But last month, through these people, their lives were certainly touched by God. The believers gathered in the rotunda surely felt God's abiding presence. Together they exhibited God's love. They put legs, or feet as it were, on the old saying that "the church is the only institution that exists solely for the benefit of nonmembers."

May the God of love and life make your heart sing and move your feet in service for the sake of the world.

Amen.