“Overflow” | Reflection by Rev. Christy Stang, Outreach Coordinator

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” – Psalm 23:5

God is abundant. God is abundant, but the world can seem frighteningly scarce. Situations of war, abuse, disease, and discrimination plague the planet. People around the world go through life-threatening challenges every day, and somehow God is abundant? Sometimes I wonder how the two can coexist. How can God “so love the world” in the midst of so many shadows? However, even with all the trauma the world has to offer, no one can strip away or minimize the love of God. The love of God cannot be compartmentalized, explained away, or brushed aside. It is persistent. No matter what people are going through, God always loves them. Everyone is always a beloved child of God. The cruelty that people direct at each other does not mean that God does not love humanity. God, too, experienced the pain of the world, and God holds that pain with us. Light and shadow exist together. A small shadow cannot cut through light, but light can cut through darkness. It only takes a small crack under a door, for example, for the lighting in an entire dark room to change. Yes, there are shadows. But there is light. There is always hope. God’s light and love cannot be minimized and cannot be taken away from anyone. God’s light and love could resurrect Jesus, and that resurrecting power dwells within us today. God is abundant, and God’s abundance is more powerful than anything the world will face.