Dec 19 - For God So Loved

For God So Loved

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

by: Brian Groe

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.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  John 3:16-17

This is probably the best known and the most quoted verse in the Bible.  However sometimes I wonder if we really understand what this verse means to us today.  

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why God loved us?  Is it because we have so much to offer God?  How often have you heard someone say, "We are so lucky to have so-and-so in our church.  They contribute so much to our services and ministry."  

Paul says in Romans 5 that "at the right time, when we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly..." (verse 5).  Then a little later Paul says "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (verse 8) Then Paul concludes by saying "while we were God's enemies we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son" (verse 10).

I was lost, still living in my sin and an enemy of God.  Yet God so loved me that He gave His only Son so that I might be reconciled to God.  I had nothing to offer, nothing to bring to the transaction, and yet God so loved .... God loves because that is who He is.  

So what does this mean for us as a church today (and more specifically for me as a child of God)?

It is easy for me to love those with whom I have something in common: family, friends, those who share common values or social standing.  But what about those who think differently than I do, the socially awkward, those that are on the fringe of our acceptable society or those who have special needs.

I am so thankful and delighted that our church has a Sunday School class that ministers to those who have special needs in our community.  The members of this class are some of our most faithful attenders of our services and activities, and they bring a unique sense of joy everywhere they go.  

Over the last year several members of this class have accepted Jesus as their Savior, and become members of our church.   

One of the key members of this class is Tina.  Our hope was that we could interview Tina for this blogpost, and share her answers with you, but illness caused some lockdowns at her facility, so we were unable to talk to Tina directly.  Hopefully next year we will be able to share Tina's remembrance of Christmas with you all.

Diana and I joined FUMC in the spring of 2007, and one of the first people we met was Tina.  All it took was introducing ourselves once, and from then on Tina called us both by name.  

I can't do that!  I am constantly asking people to tell me their name over and over again!  (Diana and I had an agreement that when we were at any kind of work function, and someone came up to talk to us; if I didn't introduce them right away, Diana would introduce herself because I had forgotten their name!)

In the summer of 2007 Diana and I moved to Boston, and we were there for seven years.  On our first Sunday back in 2014 I walked into the sanctuary, and Tina said from across the room, "Hi Brian!"  After seven years, Tina still remembered me by name.  Tina has a remarkable memory, she is a wonderfully loving person, and she is one of the fixtures of our worship services.

This year as we prepare to celebrate Christmas my prayer is that we can all learn about the love of God by sharing that love with someone who makes us a little uncomfortable.  God loved us while we were helpless, lost and actively hostile towards Him.  I pray that I can learn more about that love by sharing with someone that is helpless and lost.  

God of grace, thank You that when I was lost, you found me and when I was ashamed you forgave me, nailing the accusations against me to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). Remembering that forgiveness cost everything for you and nothing for me, I receive the priceless gift of unconditional grace now.  Amen

Lectio 365 Devotion