Sermon for March 22 from Daniel 10

So…

Did you realize that God thinks a lot of you?

I suspect for many of us, struggling with self-image is a constant problem, even though we are Christians. Perhaps that struggle is a safety valve, if we don’t think too highly of ourselves then maybe God won’t call on us to do anything. You know, lay low until all the marching orders are handed out!

But more likely I think, it is a problem of not understanding God’s love for us very well.

There is a commercial on TV for one of the large insurance companies that talks about four of the Greek words that describe kinds of love. There is “phileo” or friendship, “storge” or family love, “eros” or romantic love, and then there is this amazing love “agape” which is selfless love, love that puts another’s needs over one’s own.

It is the word “agape” that is used to describe God’s love for us, especially in that verse from John’s gospel, that talks about God “loving” the world, loving us.

We hear the gospel message that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whomever believes in him will not die but have eternal life, and we think, well I am not good enough to deserve that kind of love.

But that kind of love isn’t based on the beloved being worthy. It’s based on the lovers willingness to love with the possibility of no love in return.

We see with remarkably clear vision what we have done wrong, how we don’t measure up to either other Christians we know who we think are amazing, or to God’s standards which are wildly beyond our abilities.

And we forget, or ignore the fact that all the other Christians around us, even the supposed superstars of the faith are a mess. Yes, they may have some parts of their lives in order, but don’t fool yourself none have it all together.

Or we don’t understand that God is very much aware that those standards of holiness are well beyond our efforts, that those standards just make it clear to us that trying to be “good enough” is a fool’s mission, that grace, God’s unmerited favor and God’s love “agape” is the only way!

We can’t, but God can!

Even Daniel, man of faith extraordinaire, knows that he is a sinner, missing the mark, far from the holiness God requires, living among a nation of people who miss the mark as well.

We’ve tried, we can’t! None of us. No television preacher. No holier than thou politician. Not even your friend or neighbor who likes to make out that they have it all together. No way!

If Daniel ain’t holy, ain’t nobody holy.

But here’s the thing: Daniel knew it.

And then to be at the riverside and be in the presence of Almighty God and God’s holy angels, meant only one thing: Daniel was toast.

He fell on his face. He knew that he had screwed up and was as guilty as any other Israelite of not being what God desired.

But that’s where he was wrong, and where so many of the rest of us go wrong. God loved and desired to be in a relationship with Daniel, just as God loves and desires for us to be in an intimate relationship with us.

And God is willing to do what is necessary to get us into that relationship.

That’s why the angel can tell Daniel straight up, “you are highly esteemed.”

Not because Daniel was so good at being faithful, at least from God’s point of view, but because God loved Daniel just as God loves you and I.

Love is a funny thing.

We have been watching Noah, our grandson, the last few days because his mom works in a Dr.’s office and there are lots of sick folks there, and dad works in NYS Emergency Management, and they are dealing with the Coronavirus.

Now Noah is buckets of fun!

He is smart and cute and easy to love. But sometimes he also stinks, just saying. He needs to be changed and it can be an ordeal, especially if he helps.

We don’t stop loving him because he stinks, our he puts his hand right in the yogurt bowl at lunch, or because he squalls when he thinks he is being shorted his desperately needed extra handful of cookies.

Nope, we keep on loving him, and guiding him, and challenging him, and correcting him, and holding him in high esteem because we love him.

Yes, we want him to be amazing and faithful and loving, but we still love him when he is a stinker, just as God still loves you when you’re a stinker.

God wanted Daniel to see what was ahead so that Daniel would have a realistic expectation of the future. It was going to be hard; nothing was going to happen quick, there were some that were suffer, but in the end, God would prevail. Just like us now.

And Daniel, faithful Daniel, imperfect Daniel, was the one God wanted to use to share that message.

And today, the one God wants to share his love, his presence, and his message is with you, so that you will have the strength, and wisdom and desire to share that love and presence and message with the world.

Because God holds you, just like Daniel in high esteem!

Amen? Amen!!