MINISTER'S BLOG   September 2026

Love. It's a strange thing isn't it? We all crave love. Some of us grew up knowing what it is to be loved by family and friends, some of us didn't. Some of us strive each day to try to earn the attention and affection of others. A toddler may offer a picture of a brightly-coloured squiggle in thick wax crayon to a parent, knowing that the reward will be the hug that they crave. It's hard-wired into them that what they need is love and they do what they can to earn it. As we grow older we offer acts of kindness in the hope that we receive love in return. But love is not a commodity. We were not created to barter with love.

   Right back at the beginning of time - soon after the creation of the world in the Garden of Eden - God loved Adam and Eve. Genesis 1:27-30 tells us how He created Adam and Eve and blessed them with all that they needed. Not because they had earned it, but simply because God loved them. From the beginning of time God's heart has been open and generous.

  When Jesus came to earth he came with a heart full of love. He loved the
unloved, the outcasts, those with tainted pasts, those who mocked him.
Jesus didn't treat those people as projects to be worked on, to be loved
only when they had changed their ways. He loved them first, and waited patiently for that love to bring about change in human hearts. Jesus still waits to see that change. 

  You will know the Christian chorus “Jesus take me as I am, I can come no
other way”, and there is much to commend these words. We do not need to
worry over the question of “What do I need to do for God to love me?”. Instead we need to ask the question “What is God inviting me to receive?” Nothing we can ever do would be enough to earn the love of God. And yet He loves. Freely and unconditionally.

1 John 4:7-21 describes God's love and how, through His love, we learn
to love others.

We love because He first loved us - 1 John 4:19

   Maybe someone reading this needs to hear today that God loves you. If
you have never understood the depth of God's love for you until this moment, or you need reminding, come and have a chat with me because I'd
love to tell you more. And my challenge to those of you who do know
God's love is to be bold and share His love with others. There is not much in life that is totally free, unlimited and long-lasting, but God's love is
exactly that. Everyone deserves to know that truth.
 
Nigel