Perfect love, it is said, drives out fear. I seem to be experienced with the opposite effect; the closer I seem to get to Divine love the more terrified I become. When I feel pursued I feel embarrassed or violated and certainly distrustful of the pursuer. As it is often put by self-deprecating cynics: I don't wish to be a part of any club that'll have me. Grace looks past such self-doubt and contempt and slobbers wet kisses anyway, but that affection and acceptance doesn't always make it past my skepticism. Make me pay instead. Nothing this good can be trusted. Occasionally grace gets through and leaves us wondering why we brought a sword to bed for all those years. But then God, in all his invisibleness, takes a vacation and we're back to swashbuckling with the hound of hell. Perfect love is just theory to us humans, and according to some philosophy anything that exists in theory is not worth the intellectual effort. So why does God promise us a perfect love? Is God an idealist? What silly questions. No matter, we'd love your input on these half-notions as we pen lyrics and prayers for Urban Hymnal #2 (sometime in March).

Oh, if you wish to join our UH member list and stay informed of future programs, we now have a Member button on our trusty little website.