From before the very beginning,
God – existing in Triune glory – is love. We believe it was the uncontainable
abundance of this love that spilled over into what we know as time, fashioning
the wonders of the cosmos, and ultimately giving rise to human life here on
earth. Our race was designed to reflect the image of God, to enjoy the abundant
love of God, and to be united to God forever.
Through the Scriptures, however,
we learn that our first parents chose to lean into the freedom of choice that
is inherent in God’s nature, and to disobey a clear commandment of God; one
that was designed for their protection and good. Thus, a relational chasm was
opened that could never be crossed by the will of the created, but only by the
love of the Creator. Thus, the Author of all things reached into their creation
in a decisive way, demonstrating pure love and selflessness through the
teaching, the dying, and the rising of Jesus Christ.
The cure for the sickness of sin
was the presence of the perfect medicine for sin. The Church is called to
likewise be incarnationally present to the people of our present day,
proclaiming in word and through sacrament the same overwhelming love that allowed
God to bridge the chasm caused by human sin through the incarnation of Jesus
Christ.