"This love encompasses the whole world of creatures...."

On the whole path from the beginning of creation

by way of reconciliation to the eschatological future of salvation,

the march of the divine economy of salvation

is an expression of the incursion of the eternal future of God

to the salvation of creatures

and thus a manifestation of the divine love.

 

Here is the eternal basis of God's coming forth

from he immanence of the divine life as the economic Trinity

and of the incorporation of creatures, mediated thereby,

into the unity of the trinitarian life.

 

The distinction and unity of the immanent and economic Trinity

constitute the heartbeat of the divine love,

and with a single such heartbeat

this love encompasses the whole world of creatures.

 

Over the years I've come to notice the last few sentences with which an author chooses to end a book. Especially a magnum opus. These are the last sentences of volume 3 of Wolfhart Pannenberg's Systematic Theology. They have a liturgical rhythm to them once you allow for the translation from German, and arrrange them for slowed down reading. In which case I read these and can say, Amen. 

The photo was taken in the walled garden at Drumoak Castle, and seems to hint at the love that encompasses the whole world of creatures!