For all the Tea in China

Have you ever heard the phrase, I wouldn’t trade you for all the tea in China? It is a term of endearment meant to express the love someone has for another.

Of course, like many common sayings, it is best not to think about them too much. Too late for me… I thought about this one. I wonder, what would I do with all the tea in China? Where would I store it? What would it cost to store it? So, now that I’ve thought about it, there is nothing I would trade for all the tea in China. There would be way too many problems.

All that’s meant by the “tea” saying is that one person values another more than the price of all China’s tea. Nice. Quaint.

When, at Jesus’ baptism a voice from heaven says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased," we can think, that’s nice and quaint. Or we can look a bit deeper.

When I was a child and I messed up at something, I might have been comforted with the words, “nobody’s perfect.” And then, “except Jesus,” was added. I’m okay with the notion that Jesus is perfect and better than me. What I challenge is the idea that God plays favourites. I know that there are lots of scripture verses that people can quote at me which seem to suggest otherwise. But the Bible is a collection of thoughts from fallible humans trying to express the inexpressible. The idea that God loves all of us seems more central to the overall theme.

Clearly God takes joy and is well pleased at having Jesus as a child, a beloved child. And, believe it or not, God takes the same (equal) amount of joy and pleasure with me as a child.

To have love for another so great that you wouldn’t even trade them for all the tea in China is wonderful. But what is more wonderful is knowing that God loves us so much that even when we mess up God still loves us. Oh sure, nobody’s perfect, except Jesus, but God loves us no less.

God loves us like we are God’s children, beloved; with whom God is well pleased. That’s a love I would not trade for all the...