For God So Loved the World

For God So Loved the World

September 14, 2012

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

By Melanie Rigney

Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:7-9)

… (T)hey flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant. But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused. (Psalms 78:36-38)

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

Piety

God, how could You love us that much? You ease our complaints and our fears. You sent Your Son to die for us. Help us to be worthy, or at least as worthy as we can be.

Study

It’s pro football season, and you know what that means. No, I’m not talking about the joys of fantasy football leagues, or the perennial trash talking between Redskins and Cowboys fans, or even just how good RG3 is.

It’s the time of year we see all those signs. Even if you don’t closely follow sports, you see them in passing in the newspaper photos and the video from the winning touchdowns. You know the signs. It doesn’t matter what stadium or what team.

John 3:16.

It’s part of today’s Gospel reading too: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

Sweet.

You probably see the signs so often you don’t even think much about it. But you should. Because it’s true. And we can all use as many reminders as we can get to take even a few seconds to stop and meditate on the hugeness of John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

What a gift. What love. What a God.

Action

Spend some time with John 3:16 today. Don’t forget to say thank you.