God's love is trippy. It defies logic, breaks rules, and operates outside our practical understanding of what love should be. Drawing inspiration from the Jesus People Movement of the late 1960s—when hippies turned to Christ in drastic numbers—this message explores how God's radical, pursuing love transforms our understanding of faith.
Many of us operate under a fundamental misconception: that we must earn our way to God through better behavior or by cleaning ourselves up first. Others believe they've messed up too much to ever be accepted. Both perspectives create a false image of a distant, unapproachable deity waiting to judge us. But what if the fundamental truth of Christianity is that God made the first move toward us?
Throughout the gospels, Jesus confronted the "bounded set" thinking of religious leaders who carefully determined who was in and who was out based on strict rules. Instead, Jesus demonstrated "centered set" thinking—like a well in a desert that people move toward from wherever they start. The religious elite couldn't handle how Jesus dismantled their gatekeeping system simply by sitting at tables with "notorious sinners" and tax collectors.
The parable of the lost sheep perfectly illustrates God's pursuing love. No shepherd would logically leave ninety-nine sheep unprotected to search for one stray—that's terrible shepherding! Yet Jesus describes a God who does exactly that, finding the lost one and joyfully carrying it home on his shoulders. This isn't a God who scolds or shames upon finding us, but one who celebrates our return.
Why would a perfect God pursue imperfect people? Because you are valuable to Him. Your passion is revealed in your pursuit, and God's passionate pursuit of humanity led Christ to the cross and beyond it. While we hide in our shame like Adam and Eve in the garden, God keeps calling, "Where are you?"—not to condemn, but to connect.
Before trying harder or doing more, perhaps all we need is to let ourselves be found. Maybe it's time to give Jesus your simple "yes" even while acknowledging you don't have everything figured out. His trippy, far-out love is waiting, ready to carry you home.
