Yearning for the deep warmth of love

Brrrr it?s been cold out there, baby! As the temperatures dropped below zero we vividly became aware that we are heat seekers. We became unrecognizable to one another as our bodies were bundled up to block the cold, biting wind. In our homes we cranked the thermostat up, we piled on blankets, wore warm socks, and sipped hot cocoa. We did our best to stay warm and barricade the cold.

As I write this article the weather is different. The sun is shining brightly and the temperatures are on the upswing. Packed snow on the roads is becoming slush, mittens are left in the car, and coats are unzipped. The bravest of our high-schoolers go without coats and wear shorts. The truth of the matter is: we remain being heat seekers. No, we may not seek out that extra blanket, space heater, or the thermal long johns. Yet, we still are a people who long for warmth. The heat, the warmth we yearn for goes much deeper than thwarting the cold temperatures and wind chills. The heat, the warmth we yearn for comes from the depths of our souls. We yearn for the warmth of knowing we are loved and cared for.

I have sat at the bedside of many people where nothing is said. Yet the deepest of our desires is being met; ?I am valued and loved? expressed through the warmth of a hand caressing another?s hand. The warmth of knowing love and care may come from a gentle touch, a kind word, even a genuine smile. The kind hands of the nurse when a patient is repositioned bring relief and well-being. The soft voice and the gentle cradling of a mother?s arms bring peace and comfort to a crying baby. The broad smile of the noon meal deliverer brings joy and reassurance to the home-bound.

God has created us as heat-seeking people ? people who are called together in community to spread the love of Jesus. The baptized people of God are cleaved to Jesus and we reflect him. Through our actions of kindness and justice we exude the warmth of God. We bring God?s loving warmth into a world that knows the frigid cold of hunger, sickness, loneliness, hatred, abuse, and poverty.

The temperatures outside will drop again and we will be once again seeking the warmth of extra layers. No matter what the temperatures are outside, the church is a community of people sent to bring God?s warmth of love and care into the world. If you are frozen from the cold of the world, then I invite you to enter the warmth of the community of people known as Immanuel Lutheran (1226 E. Washington, Washington). Our Sunday worship is at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. with Sunday School for all ages at 9:15 a.m. Come, worship, and be warmed by the love of Jesus. There in that warmth of Jesus? love we thrive.