I was recently reading a short article about one of my favourite films. Released about 25 years ago, the movie didn’t ‘do well’ at the cinema and when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival it was mercilessly booed after the screening. The film has since been regarded as a “modern classic” by different reviewers.

Last year, I won a signed shirt from a local sports team. Once I was the proud owner of the shirt I thought I’d go and watch the team. I did, and I’ve been watching them reasonably regularly since. The team did really well and found themselves promoted and then facing tougher opposition and things have been more of a struggle since. So much so that the team parted company with the manager. Had the team not been promoted and therefore facing more difficult opponents, perhaps the manager might not have left?

In 2015 a friend and I recorded and released a post-hardcore, punk, metal, shouty CD album. With tongues firmly planted in cheeks, we sent the CD out to be reviewed. Ultimately we received one review: 6/10 and my favourite line of the review was “This is a very unusual CD”. (It could have been worse, it could have said, “I liked the bit when it ended”)

Movies, sports teams, music releases: they are reviewed, judged, discussed, dissected. Their value can so easily be defined by a simple metric, dollars made, points scored, rating out of 10.

As people we face all kinds of reviews and ratings, exam results, job interviews, etc, etc.

And yet, as people we can also take one metric into consideration - we are loved.

Loved by God, not for who we are, or what we have achieved - or not, but simply because. Because we are the creator’s creation. Made in God’s image, bearing God’s finger prints. Our forgiveness signed, sealed, delivered on the cross we remember at Easter.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it is true - YOU ARE LOVED!

Blessings

Rev Tim