The Beloved
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God… In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”
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Two years ago today (March 9th) my mother, Anne Green, passed away after a short, 3-week struggle with heart disease. I miss her terribly. I see over and over again so many ways that my mom positively influenced my life. And I am eternally grateful.
As a young child I felt the unconditional love of both of my parents. They created a safe, warm, friendly, and wholesome homelife that nurtured my sister, brothers, and me in the best of ways. Though we lived on a very modest income (my father was a Baptist preacher paid a mere $100 a week for many years, and my mother served as a part-time kindergarten teacher), we experienced the joys of a simple, fulfilling, and happy life. We were the beloved. What more could we ask for?
For instance, my parents made sure Christmases and Birthdays were happy experiences for us. We didn’t get many gifts on these occasions, nor were they expensive. But the gifts we did receive were thoughtful and well suited to our interests. I got a flashlight on my 10th birthday, and I still remember the thrill. At age 12 I received a classical music album of Christmas carols by the Roger Wagner Chorale. I still love classical choral music to this day!
Similarly, we didn’t go on elaborate vacations to exotic locations, but when traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains; Savannah, Georgia; or the North Georgia Mountains, we always had enjoyable and memorable experiences. I still like to travel.
My mother didn’t complete her college degree until I was about 14 years old. We had recently moved to Dahlonega, where my father would serve as Pastor of Dahlonega Baptist Church (at a significantly increased salary, by the way) for the next 23 years. Mom graduated from North Georgia College with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She became a “teacher’s teacher” in her career calling.
I always marveled that her public school kindergarten classrooms were decorated to the hilt with a splash of seasonal colors and holiday themes. In October, red and gold leaves and orange jack-o-lantern pumpkins filled the walls. In December, Christmas trees, wreaths, silver bells, wrapped presents, and red/green construction paper ring-hook garlands filled the room. In springtime, pastel colors, flowers, birds, butterflies, and high-flying kites could be seen.
Mom had a phrase that she often repeated to “her children” – and they were “her” children – she loved them every one as if her own. Each morning she would say to her class, “Let’s make this a great day to learn and grow!” And she did just that. Her students excelled in their academic pursuits but also in social interactive ways. In addition to learning their colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, they learned lessons in kindness, respect, and care for others. Today we would say that “her students thrived” under her tutelage.
As my first children’s choir director, Mom volunteered to lead our meager but eager group of church kids in some wonderful early experiences in music making. We learned fun songs like “The Instruments Song” and “Creature Praise.” We sang spirituals like “Sing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “All Night, All Day, Angels Watching Over Me.” We were well-versed in hymns like “This Is My Father’s World” and “My Lord Is Near Me All the Time.” And we presented Christmas cantatas like Robert Graham’s “Lo, a Star” (my all-time favorite)! To this day I can feel my Mom’s presence with me as I lead our Decatur Avondale Children’s Choir rehearsals.
Many have said that we get much of our theology about who God is and how we are cared for by God from the love and nurture (or in some cases the lack of love and nurture) we receive from our parents. I think that is true. I can’t help but love God, for I was brought up in a spiritually rich and compassionate home. We were the beloved.
Some well-meaning evangelicals want to emphasize God’s wrath and our unworthiness as despicable sinners. Chuck Queen, in his book, Being a Progressive Christian is Not for Dummies, writes, “Faith is our acceptance of God’s unconditional acceptance. We are first the daughters and sons of God before we are sinners. Unhealthy religion turns that around. Unhealthy religion teaches that we are first unworthy, under God’s wrath, and must be saved from our sin. Healthy religion says that we are first secure in God’s love, that we are saints already, called to live as God’s beloved children…. It is only when we know we are loved by the divine lover that we find the confidence and inner strength to confront our false self.”
Henri Nouwen echoes that sentiment when he writes, “Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ‘Beloved.’ Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence.” (Nouwen, Life of the Beloved).
My sisters, brothers, and I were brought up in a home where we were the beloved. Much of my theology of God’s love and compassion, and the friendship we experience and express to others, comes from my early childhood experiences taught and demonstrated by my mom and dad. I miss them terribly, but I hope others can see and sense in me the same kind of genuine love, compassion, and acceptance I have received.
You and I are the beloved. Let’s share this love with others today.
You are loved,
Mark
R. Mark Green
Pastor to Senior Adults and Youth & Children's Music