All My Love

In a recent viral moment, two persons were mistakenly caught in an act of alleged infidelity at a Coldplay concert.  This has already received much publicity and traction, and I’ve no wish to amplify that hurt here.

But I want to highlight for you a less viral Coldplay moment, instead full of hope.  Several months prior to that concert, Coldplay released a music video for “All My Love.” In it Dick Van Dyke, the famous actor from Merry Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is ushered onto the stage to dance as Chris Martin from Coldplay plays the piano, highlighting the power of unbroken love.

Midway through, Van Dyke is asked “What is love?” And echoing Jesus, in a delightful moment Van Dyke answers: “What is love? It certainly is a feeling of caring about the welfare and the life of the other person, as much as you care for yourself.”  Brimming with pride at an old photo of his children, he shares about his daughter Stacy: “I’ve had dreams where I am, I don’t know, depressed or lonely or hurt or something, and she comes to comfort me.  Actually comes to comfort me.” Readers, my daughter comes to me in similar dark moments, I can feel her arms embracing me now.  And then the song ends with Van Dyke’s children, his grandchildren, his great grandchildren, embracing him, dancing together barefoot, and singing to one another: “You’ve got all my love!” What is the good life, if not this? 

It echoes the profound truth in Romans 9:26, where God promises: “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called children of the living God.” And what does God do as our Father but dance?  Like a proud, joyful father, God sings all His love over His people, His church, His children: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves you.  He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).   Friends, God rejoices over you, singing: “You’ve got all my love, whether it rains or pours, I’m all yours.”