“Accepted”
SCRIPTURE
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. —1 John 3:1
DEVOTIONAL
One of the most influential theologians of the 20th Century, Paul Tillich writes,
“Sometimes…a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying to us: “You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now; perhaps later you will do much later. Do not seek for anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted!
If that happens to us, we experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better than before, and we may not believe more than before. But everything is transformed. In that moment, grace conquers sin, and reconciliation bridges the gulf of estrangement. And nothing is demanded of this experience, no religious or moral or intellectual presupposition. Nothing but acceptance.”
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- This acceptance is unconditional. There is nothing that you can do to earn or lose this love. What would following Jesus look like if you believed this were true?
- Nouwen argues that it is from our wounds that we feel less worthy, unacceptable and, thus, needy.1 Who or what has told you (in one way or another) that you are not worthy of acceptance? Where (in turn) do you experience this kind of grace?
- Read Tillich’s words again as if the “voice” was God speaking directly to you. What does it mean to you to be accepted in such a way by Jesus? How would this impact your sense of self and inform your discipleship?
“The original love is the original blessing. The original love is the original acceptance.”1 —Henri Nouwen
PRAYER
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.
1 Nouwen, Henri. Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety. (New York: Image, 2024), 57.
The daily devotionals for the season of Lent are written by Rev. Dr. Kirk Hall, Associate Pastor of Formation at First Presbyterian Church from 2010-2013. He is currently a founding partner at The Metis Project, LLC. and lives with his wife and two girls in Salisbury, Connecticut.