Our offertory is a splendid work for treble voices by English composer Simon Lole. What a melodic craftsman! Although his harmony is traditional, it’s fresh and never detracts from the meaning of the words. I particularly love the middle section, “God is love, and those who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.” These words seem to spiral back on themselves, which is a great way to think of Truth – as a circle. But that still leaves me wondering about one, tiny detail.

Jesus said these words, and I wish I had been there to ask, “Sir, if God is love, who or what then, is not love?” I struggle with this because I believe in the omniscience and omnipresence of a supreme creator. If God created all things, could one argue that God created evil? Read the word evil backwards, and what do you get? A quick change in perspective changes everything. We live in a world that tries only to accentuate the positive, and brush off negative as “bad luck,” “the devil,” or “tough breaks.” But there is no place God is not, even in the seeming polarities of good and bad.

What I perceive as negative in my life has never been wasteful. It has always been useful once I turn around. Consider these words from the communion anthem, “Thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping thy presence my light.” I think the Irish poet was getting at our ability to see both sides of duality – good/bad, right/wrong, etc. That’s the presence of light, and like a switch we can traverse duality and always track what’s best. We can’t rid ourselves of the negative, but we can always circle back when we’re lost in it and can’t seem to find anything useful or meaningful. Truth can be found anywhere.

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankel (a holocaust survivor) says, “The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” I think of the word circumstance as a stance on a circle – circum- (circle) stance (stand). From that perspective, there are no opposing “ends” or edges off which to fall into despair. Omnipresence is spherical and all-encompassing. So, what you might see as bad often circles back upon itself and ends up being some kind of lesson or blessing if you turn around, open your eyes, or change your attitude.

Your “distance” from God is a mere 360º, which seems far, but 360º is the same as 0º. It’s your reference point that makes the difference. Freedom is available in a quick inward turn; but we are circumspect. Circumspect means unwilling to take risks. But the word really implies “circular seeing.” We can only do that in faith. You’re not stepping out on an edge when you take a risk. There is no edge, just another point on the circle – so step out in faith, it all leads you to your desired goal – love.

Our ability to turn inwardly sets us free, not from God, but from the misperception that God is absent, that the world is out of control, and it’s hanging on the “brink.” If you’re hanging on, you can let go. The curvature of Love would simply catch you and gently slide you into the enlightening warmth of Truth that encompasses the entire universe. As the anthem concludes, the two vocal lines resolve into a perfect unison on the words “and your joy will be complete.” This is an illustration that the circle cannot be broken, and we cannot be separated from the sphere of God’s love, even if we get edgy.  Soli Deo Gloria!