Written in Permanent Ink

Blog post by Pastor Bob Jacobs

There are so many wonderful movies that show us profound things about life, and particularly about what it means to live life in relationship to God. For me, the very finest one is Toy Story 3. (Surprised? Usually, as sequels pile up the quality goes down, like trying to make more tea from a used teabag. But with Toy Story, it just gets better and better!)

There’s a scene at the end of Toy Story 3 where Woody the cowboy needs to remember who he is. He looks at the sole of his boot, where he sees the name “Andy,” written in permanent ink. (There’s a bit more to the story.) That’s who Woody is: he belongs to Andy. He is loved and cherished, and will never be forgotten or cast aside.

It’s such a powerful scene because that’s true of us, too. We belong to God, who made us and who claims us as his own. God demonstrates this love for us: while we were still sinners separated from him, he died for us to bring us back to him. In Jesus, we see that we are loved and cherished by God, and will never be forgotten or cast aside. His name is written on us – in permanent ink!

There’s a beautiful document from 16th century Germany called the Heidelberg Catechism. It begins this way:

Q: What is our only comfort in life and in death?

A: That I am not my own, but I belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

There’s more! It’s not only that we belong to God, but he is our too. We aren’t simply God’s possession; we are made to enjoy loving union with him. He says, “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Jeremiah 32:38 and many other places)

There’s even more! Because we belong to this loving God, belonging is the way are to relate to each other. There are no longer outsiders and insiders. We belong to each other the way parts of a body belong to each other. And we are to welcome people into our lives and into our churches because they too are precious to God.

Love INC has been such a blessing to our community, showing people that they are loved and cherished, that they belong. Let’s thank God for Love INC, and let’s recommit ourselves to be people whose lives are marked by the power of belonging.