Who Will Separate Us from the Love of Christ?
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26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes[a] with groanings too deep for words. 27 And God,[b] who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit[c] intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together[d] for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.[e] 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ[f] who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Five hundred thousand. That’s the increase in preventable deaths worldwide since the dissolution of U-S-A-I-D in 2025. According to a peer reviewed study from U-C-L-A’s school of public health that included researchers from the US, Spain, Brazil, and Mozambique, that number could reach 14 million by the end of the decade, including 4 and a half million children under the age of 5.
Ninety-one million. That’s the number of lives the study also estimates have been saved by programs funded by U-S-A-I-D over the past two decades.
Sixty-four dollars. That’s the amount the average U- S taxpayer provided in funding to U-S-A-I-D each year. Sixty-four dollars. AIDS patients in remote African communities wonder who will visit them as faith-based health programs have lost their community workers. Sixty-four dollars.
Twenty-four million dollars. That’s the amount the U-M-C’s Board of Global Ministries has distributed through the This Moment Matters Campaign in an effort to offset these cuts through emergency grants focusing on five crucial fields: agriculture and food security, education, global health, migration, and peace efforts. Twenty-four million dollars. That’s about 6 dollars per United Methodist in the US, and just over one tenth of one percent of U-S-A-I-D’s 2025 budget.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Forty-six thousand. That’s the number of direct civilian deaths from the war in Afghanistan. One hundred thirty thousand. That’s the number of additional deaths due to malnutrition, disease, and infrastructure destruction. One hundred eighty thousand. That’s the smaller estimate of direct civilian deaths in the Iraq war, with the possibility that indirect deaths number in the millions. Estimates for the current wars in the middle east are difficult to obtain, but surely measure in the thousands and will increase.
Eight trillion dollars. That’s the financial cost of all U-S wars and military actions since 2001, including both direct military expenditures and the current and future costs to care for veterans. Eight trillion dollars. That’s four times the total amount of student debt in the US. Eight trillion dollars. One-fifth of the US government’s debt. Eight trillion dollars, and millions of lives.
Billions. That’s how many people across the globe are adherents of faith traditions that claim to oppose war and work for peace. Billions – ranging from Quakers, Mennonites, Jainists, and others who are strict pacifists, to Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims who abhor war. “The church deplores war and all other forms of violent conflict and urges the peaceful settlement of all disputes. We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice.” That’s what we say in our United Methodist Social Principles.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Seven hundred and seventy thousand. That’s how many Americans lacked permanent housing in a recent count. Eighteen percent. That’s the increase from the previous year. One-fifth. That’s how many of those were children. Zero. That’s the number of communities who have adequate permanent housing to support everyone who is homeless. Housing costs skyrocket, debts accumulate, housing becomes out of reach.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Five hundred million. That’s the number of civilian-owned firearms there are in the US, with more than half of those being handguns. Forty-four thousand. That’s how many Americans died from firearms in 2024. Twenty percent. That’s the share of deaths under 18 caused by firearms – making it the leading cause of death for children and teens. Ninety-one billion dollars. That’s the total revenues of the firearm industry, including manufacturing, distribution, and retail.
About 3 in 5 Americans support stronger gun laws. The gun lobby gives millions to elected officials. States with stronger gun laws have fewer gun deaths per capita. Everytown estimates that over two hundred sixty thousand lives could be saved over the next decade if every state had laws that mirrored those with the most stringent regulations. Things as simple as trigger locks and gun safes could significantly reduce the number of youth firearm deaths each year.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Four million. That’s how many United Methodist members there are in the US. One point five million. That’s how many more non-member constituents there are in United Methodist Churches. Ten million. That’s how many United Methodists there are worldwide. Over one billion dollars. That’s the historic amount given through the General Board of Global Ministries to United Methodist Committee on Relief and Advance, with recent yearly giving around forty-three million dollars.
There are about three hundred fifty United Methodist missionaries serving in over sixty countries, working in healthcare, education, nutrition, and many other fields. There are over three hundred United Methodist affiliated hospitals, over a hundred United Methodist schools, colleges, and universities – including Africa University, the first private, chartered university in Zimbabwe.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Will cuts to aid programs or endless wars or an epidemic of homelessness or gun violence? …No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. No thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.