The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 

These words are the first sentence of one of my favourite hymns. When spoken in the midst of suffering and loss, they have the power to anchor the believer in hope. As a school which is a community of Christians seeking to serve and love each other and our neighbours, this verse offers more than comfort - it offers a vision. God’s steadfast love, unrelenting and faithful, becomes the model and motive for our own acts of mercy, service, care and outreach.

In the fractured and often exhausting world we find ourselves navigating every day, it is not difficult to be in contact with family, friends and strangers alike who feel forgotten - by organisations, by neighbours, even by God. 

As a Christian community, grounded in the truth that God’s love never ceases, we can, individually and collectively, be a tangible signpost pointing people back to God’s faithfulness. We do not make this faithfulness known because we are consistently strong or because our plans are being executed perfectly perfect; we reach out because the Lord’s love is always strong and perfect. As recipients of God’s steadfast love, we become its stewards in our community.

This kind of love is not impulsive or occasional. “Steadfast” means faithful, unchanging, covenantal. It endures when feelings fade, when the work is hard, and when results are slow or apparently absent. It means we need to make a commitment to love our Christian school “neighbours” not just when it is convenient or rewarding, but also when it is messy, complex, for the long-term. It means showing up again and again with prayer, listening ears, and practical help - not because we are sufficient, but because - in our insufficiency, God’s mercy is seen in its greatness, as it renews each day.

The love of God is also marked by compassion. The Hebrew word translated “steadfast love” is hesed - a rich word that implies loyal kindness, mercy in action, and relational faithfulness. Hesed is sometimes used as a descriptor for the character of God – His very “essence”. When a community of believers embodies hesed, their care and outreach become a way of life. It moves from “us helping them” to “us belonging together.”

It requires attentiveness. If we are to mirror God’s love – His very character – we must be willing to see people as God sees them. We need to adopt a Christ-like humility if we are to genuinely serve them in the deepest of love. And sometimes it means being open to receiving as well as giving - recognising that they also have much to teach and give to us.

Our ability to keep loving, serving, and showing up flows from God’s faithfulness, not our own. We become a community of hope not because we never grow tired, but because we know where to return to when we do. Every act of service, every prayer offered, every meal shared is sustained by the unending mercies of God.

If we mirror God’s faithfulness in our interactions with each other, and those beyond our gates, we become a living witness. Given that the unwavering love of God is profoundly countercultural, if our community is shaped by steadfast love, it will speak volumes, as those we serve begin to see glimpses of God is like, “glimpses of heaven” – God’s shalom in all its fullness.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”. 

It is the invitation to persevere in love, to deeply commit in relationships, and to embody God’s mercy with all we encounter, day after day, trusting that his love will never run out.

Shalom.

If you haven’t had a chance to read it first hand, here it is, the College’s new Strategic Plan one-pager, launched at the 2025 DCC Association AGM last week (18 May).

In all its outworking, it promises to be an opportunity for our DCC community to embody, in so many practical ways, the promises we know as a result of the “steadfast love of the Lord never ceasing”.

Exciting times ahead, for sure!