Immutable in Love

Immutable. That’s not a word we hear much in everyday conversation. However, it is a word that gets a lot of play in the study of the doctrine of God. Immutability—that is, unchangingness—is one of the (generally) agreed-upon attributes of the Triune God throughout the history of Christian theology. Naming God’s immutability is, in part, a way of distinguishing God from humans, who are always changing and, at times, quite fickle. Now, you might be thinking, “But what about those times God changes God’s mind? What are you gonna do with that?” This is no place to enter into a centuries-long debate about whether an immutable God can change God’s mind. However, it does raise an interesting point for reflection concerning Psalm 138, our text for today, because the psalmist affirms that one attribute of God is absolutely steadfast and, to use our fancy theology term, immutable: God’s love.

Due to its concise yet robust articulation of God’s love, I invite you to consider using the psalm as a model to structure worship. Follow the psalmists’ example by opening with a time of giving thanks for God’s love, be it through the call to worship, a hymn, or a testimony of thanksgiving. Then, tell the truth of God’s love. Lift up how God has been at work in the community through proclamation. Call on God’s steadfast love to continue working in your midst during intercessory prayer. And finally, send one another out from worship with both the blessing and assurance that God’s love truly never fails.

Throughout worship, offer multiple opportunities for those gathered to encounter new and/or deeper facets of God’s love. If you pray a prayer of confession, invite everyone to recognize that God’s love convicts us and redeems us and guides us on the path of sanctification. Sing a familiar hymn such as “The Gift of Love” (United Methodist Hymnal, 408) or “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” (United Methodist Hymnal, 384), but take time to unpack how the hymn opens us to explore God’s immutable love. Or introduce a hymn the congregation may not have sung before that speaks to the love of God in new ways, such as “Now Praise the Hidden God of Love” (The Faith We Sing, 2027) or “O God Beyond All Praising” (The Faith We Sing, 2009). Let this be a service of delving deep into what it means not just that God loves us but that God’s love—a central aspect of who God is—is unchanging and steadfast.