Read Micah 2:12-13 and John 10:14-18
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:14-15a)
“Belovedness” was a theme in my life last year. It started last spring when Pastors Marc Erickson and Stuart Briscoe spoke at Eastbrook about Christian leadership. I remember Stuart asking us whether we treat the people we work with like units of production or like the beloved sons and daughters of the King? Immediately I thought of seasons in ministry where I have felt like a unit of production…and I also thought of situations where I have failed to treat others like the beloved child of the King.
Fast-forward to last fall and I found myself on two different spiritual retreats, both of which were themed around a “theology of belovedness.” I wrote in my journal that I knew God was trying to teach me something, but I didn’t even know what a “theology of belovedness” looked like. Since then, I’ve been on a journey, awakening to the sobering fact that God calls me His beloved. Beloved is who I am. I am beloved.
While the word “beloved” isn’t present in today’s readings, it is at work behind the scenes. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calls His own sheep by name; they are not units of production, they are His beloved that He knows as well as the Father knows Him (John 10:14). Stated another way: He doesn’t just know about us, He knows us in an intimate, deep way.
And this passage from John takes the prophecy in Micah a step further. The deliverance that Micah prophesied is fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly work and death on the Cross, but it is no longer only for the people of Israel. John 10 states that Jesus is building a community outside of Judaism, built upon His sacrificial death on the Cross that is for all who listen to His voice (v. 16). This new community is a diverse family of God’s beloved people, living in cruciformity and communion.
I still have a lot to learn about belovedness, but I do know that it is central to my identity and to God’s love for me. And these passages remind me that it must also be central to how I look at and treat the diverse community of God, themselves beloved sons and daughters of the King.
DIG DEEPER:
- What about your life would cause you to doubt that you are God’s beloved? Pray your doubts to God and ask Him to reveal your belovedness to you today.
- How does knowing that God calls you His “beloved” change your posture towards others?
written by Liz Carver
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