“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Today, the first Sunday of Advent, marks a new year in the Church’s liturgical calendar. The season of Advent and Christmas is an annual, repetitive reminder of God’s love for this world and its inhabitants. What a gift that is to us in this difficult year, especially since the Church is supposed to be a signpost of hope to the world around us. So, as we begin the Advent season, I invite you to reflect on perhaps the most hopeful text in Scripture, John 3:16, by focusing on three words to see how they might speak to our current situation. The first word, “world.” As in, “God so loved the world.” It is significant that “world” translates a Greek word from which we get our word “cosmos.” This reminds us that the world God loves is more than just human beings. God cares for and delights in all His creation (Psalm 104:31). And so should we. Indeed, God created human beings to be stewards of the world God loves. Creation care is God’s mandate for all of us who follow Jesus. A second significant meaning, “world,” as it relates to human beings, is a comprehensive word. Our highly individualistic culture has led to an increasingly exclusive tribalism. Our world becomes defined, ever more narrowly, only by those who are part of our tribe. John 3:16 reminds us that God loves and cares about all peoples on this planet and is at work creating an inclusive new human community: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes” (Rev. 7:9a). Second, there is the word, “gave.” As in, “He gave His only Son.” In our generation, there’s considerable suspicion and cynicism about God. Even when Christians repeat, “God is good all the time; all the time God is good”, many are not entirely convinced. Human beings have always been tempted to doubt God’s generosity and goodness. That is at the root of the serpent’s argument in Genesis 3: “God is holding out on you; God really doesn’t want what’s best for you.” John 3:16 reminds us, as does the Advent season, that God gave the ultimate, most costly gift imaginable for our good. Abraham’s greatest test of faithfulness was his willingness to offer up his beloved son, Isaac. The story of Jesus reveals that God, the Father, demonstrates His own faithfulness by not only offering up but actually sacrificing “His only Son” for all our sake. No wonder the Apostle Paul writes, “f God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:31b-32). Finally, there is the word, “life.” As in, “who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The temptation in Gen. 3 reminds us that the fundamental question of human existence is whether we choose to trust in God’s goodness or not. If not, we choose a lie, we choose an illusion. God alone is the source of all good, we cannot turn from God and expect to find something better. If we turn from the source of life, we are left with death. If we turn from the source of light, we find only darkness. If we turn from the source of love, we will know only fear. We have been given the freedom to make that choice. If we do trust in God’s goodness, supremely demonstrated in Jesus Christ, life as it was intended inevitably follows. As Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). In that, Jesus echoes and fulfills what Moses said much earlier, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…” (Deut. 30:19). How can you and I be signposts of that life and hope in our generation? Comments are closed.
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