God Loves You. Do You Really Get It?
Rev. Erik Swanson
January 11, 2026
Today reminds me that baptism is one of the great correctives to many of the faith messages we have absorbed over time. It challenges the voices that tell us we must earn love, belong conditionally, or remain on the outside. We hear the story of Jesus’ baptism and are tempted to admire it from a distance — of course he is God’s beloved. We hear Isaiah’s promise that God will be present in chaos and assume it was meant for people long ago. One of the great spiritual challenges before us is to stop treating these messages as belonging to “them back then” and to finally welcome them as words spoken to us.
Jesus Reminds Us Of Another Way
When I look at the world around us — violence, exploitation, fear — it is clear how far we are from a society grounded in love. These realities must be named plainly because the teachings of Jesus are meant to be constant reminders of another way. I often think of the oxygen mask metaphor: Jesus first breathed in the truth of God’s love for him, and from that grounded identity invited everyone else to do the same. The problem is that so many people have never truly breathed that air. It’s hard to lead others into a reality you’ve never experienced yourself. Today is meant to be a reminder and a touchstone, a chance to let this truth take root within us.
All People Are Loved By God
One of the core values of this community is that all people are loved by God. All people. The victim and the perpetrator. Mother Teresa and Hitler. This doesn’t mean all actions are equal or without consequence. What we do with God’s love — and how we turn away from it — matters deeply. But God’s love itself does not change. Many of us were taught that we must earn God’s love or restore it after we mess up. That simply isn’t true. Accountability, repair, and transformation matter — but none of those determine whether God loves us. God already does.
It’s About Who God Is
If we could truly grasp this, we would begin to understand what the reign of God is really about. Beneath all our theology, I think many of us secretly doubt that we ourselves are included in God’s love — especially after hearing so many messages of exclusion. Today insists that we are included. All of us are. And so is everyone else. This isn’t ultimately about us at all; it’s about who God is.
At The Heart Of Jesus’ Message Is Love
Sacred community exists to remind one another of this deeper reality, not to block it. True love in community goes beyond letting people in the door — it gives them a seat at the table and full participation. Women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color know how rare this still is. At Westhope, this is the kind of love we are striving to embody.
At the heart of Jesus’ message — from his baptism to the Golden Rule — is love: love God, love self, love others. Imagine how the world would change if we truly lived this way. The fear, the resources spent protecting ourselves from one another, the wasted energy — what if it were all redirected toward care, creativity, and healing? It may sound unrealistic, but in the reign of God, I believe it is not only possible — it is the goal.
May today send us deeper into the truth of who God is. May we live as people shaped by the words, “You are my beloved.” And may we embody that love in the world. Amen.