At the Table | Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

19 We love because God first loved us.

1 John 4:19 (Common English Bible)

Karl Barth was one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. He wrote volumes on complex doctrines and spent his life studying the deepest mysteries of faith. But when someone asked him the most profound truth he'd learned, his answer was beautifully simple: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Sometimes the deepest truths are the simplest ones. Sometimes the most profound theology can be summed up in a children's song. Sometimes the answer to our most complex questions about faith comes down to this: God loves you.

Not God will love you if you get your act together. Not God might love you if you try harder. Not God could love you if you were different. God loves you. Period. Right now. Just as you are.

This is why you have a place at God's table. Not because you've earned it through perfect attendance at church or flawless moral behavior. Not because you've said the right prayers or believed the right things. You have a place at God's table because God loves you and wants you there.

When we really understand this, everything changes. We stop trying to earn God's love and start enjoying it. We stop performing for God's approval and start resting in his acceptance. We stop worrying about whether we're good enough and start marveling at how good God is.

When we truly experience God's unconditional love, it overflows into how we love others. We stop being stingy with grace because we've experienced how generous God is with grace. We stop being judgmental because we remember how patient God has been with us.

The communion table reminds us of this love every time we gather around it. The bread broken for us. The cup poured out for us. All of it saying the same thing: you are loved, you belong here, you have a place at this table.

Personal Application: Do you really believe God loves you just as you are? How might your life change if you lived from this truth instead of trying to earn God's love through performance?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving us completely and unconditionally. Help us rest in your love instead of trying to earn it. When we're tempted to believe we don't belong at your table, remind us that our place is secure because of your grace, not our goodness. Fill us with such confidence in your love that it overflows to others who need to know they're loved too. Amen.