One of St. Hilda’s parishioners wrote a children’s song over 80 years ago. In 2010 he asked me to set it to music. Two of my grandchildren introduced it to the congregation then and, since they are visiting from Australia, they joined me to sing it again today.
Here is the song’s author, his wife and a few others::
Here are the words:
The love of God fits everyone,
it comes in every size.
it comes in every colour
And lights a billion eyes.His miracles are everywhere –
the earth, the air, the sea,
and everything that’s in them,
including you and me.The time of God is evermore,
a never ending line,
and his hand is everywhere
and here in yours and mine.The love of God fits everyone,
it comes in every size.
it comes in every colour
and lights a billion eyes.
Nice song. So the love of God fits gays, bishops, Jews, Mormons, Atheists, and all the rest, too. Right? At least it does in my understanding of the Gospels.
Of course: God loves all sinners, even bishops.
By saying the love of God fits everyone, like some article of clothing, it says that a person has to actually put it on. A raincoat won’t keep you dry if it is left hanging on a rack. Likewise if you put it on inside-out or upside-down.
A properly Protestant view would be that God loves everybody in the sense of a general loving-kindness and patience – thus he sends the rain and the sun upon all – but that God reserves a particular love for he has “chosen from before the foundation of the world” and called into Christ. This is redeeming love.
The failure to make this distinction has led, partially, to the enormous confusion about how to interact with those in the list Dan has provided.
I forgot to say: a nice song, a lovely performance, and gorgeous grandchildren. Thanks for sharing!
The best part of the song was not caught on video.
J\It was just before the song began when David glanced down at his beautiful grandchildren with a smile of love and joy that lit up our sanctuary and our hearts.
A little later on, the same smile of joy and happiness shone from Sharon’s face, when she and children hugged each other singing as one.
A moment and a time to remember for ever.
Is this the first visit since they emigrated?
Yes, it is.