Living With Grace: The Reckless Love Of God

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

In October of 1984, a new science fiction thriller hit the big screens that launched a whole franchise, a set of catchphrases, and a new career for weightlifter-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator. In this blockbuster film, Schwarzenegger played the part of a T-800 Terminator – a robot in human skin – sent from the future to find and “terminate” Sarah Connor, the main protagonist. At one point, when Sarah is contemplating running away and hiding, her companion, Kyle Reese, tries to impart the seriousness of the situation to her. “That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will not stop. Ever!”

Do you know what it is like to be pursued or chased by someone? Surely most of us grew up playing one form of chase or tag, either on the playground or out in our neighborhood. There’s that feeling you get when you’re lungs are burning from running, and you can tell from the glance over your shoulder that you might not get away this time! I feel like the poet of Psalm 139 must have felt like that too. Except the One who was chasing that guy was always going to catch up! “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10). Tag - you’re it!

That kind of holy pursuit can be scary, no question. In fact, if you’ve never been a little scared by the overwhelming, relentless pursuit of God, you may not have reflected on this before. The One who dreamed up and spoke into the void to create everything that we know and everything that we are – every star and planet and galaxy in the known universe and beyond – also has lowered the divine gaze onto the earth, into this space and time, into your little piece of all creation, and has looked Straight. At. You.

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But here’s where things get even crazier. This is no T-800 coming for you. The One who focuses on us together – and yes you, in particular – pursues us with massive, overwhelming, even reckless love that knows no end. So much so that we don’t even grasp the fullness and the wholeness of that kind of love. Even the best experiences of love and compassion that we have known in our lives are the stumbling glimmers of the Love that is coming after us!

Author, teacher, and speaker – Henri Nouwen – knew that kind of pursuit by Love. Henri was in a serious automobile accident, and he had good reason to believe that he might die from internal bleeding. In a particularly holy moment, Henri experienced what he described as an extraordinary grace: he suddenly knew himself as God’s beloved child. It wasn’t like he had never had that thought before, or come across that theology in the bible. But in that moment, God grabbed a hold of Henri in a way that he had never known! He later reflected that he had spent much of his life feeling that he needed to become better, accomplish more, and somehow become worthy of God’s acceptance. But facing death stripped all of that away. He described the experience as hearing God essentially say: “Henri, what are you so scared of? I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

And the best part? Once we stop running, stop hiding, stop pretending – when we allow Love to catch, we don’t ever have to be afraid of Love letting go. God’s love holds on just as fiercely and relentlessly and recklessly as it pursues us. That’s just the nature of God. And God’s love for us does not, can not, will not stop. Ever. Thanks be to God.

Marc Corazao is the pastor of Roxton United Methodist Church and Forest Hill United Methodist Church.