by Kenny Soosai
Readings:
Deut 9:23-10:5 Heb 4:1-10 John 3:16-21
Gospel:
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. Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And
this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred
darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked
things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works
might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that
his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Reflection:
When
I was a member of the AOG Pentecostal Church, John 3:16 was a much beloved
piece of Scripture that everyone knew by heart. You only had to hint at the
verse and automatically you would get a reply from anyone in that congregation.
This passage
describes the love of God which is so strong that He would deny us nothing, not
even His own son. Having a son of my own now, I can appreciate the depth of
this love. God the Father gave His Son, so that we might be adopted into His
divine family and be called children of God. The cost of this adoption was
pain, suffering, rejection and ultimately, a humiliating death on a cross.
Jesus died the death of an Earthly criminal so that we may become citizens of
Heaven. What an amazing expression of love…
The
passage also deals with the theme of light and darkness. Stephen Hawking once
commented “Religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”. John Lennox,
Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and Christian Apologist replies
that “Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light”.
There
is a lot of pain and suffering in the world. Most great religions of the world
teach us how to deal with or escape from suffering. The atheistic approach is
to get rid of God and just embrace the world as it is. A world which is cold,
harsh, unjust and unforgiving. The Christian however, also recognizes that the
world can be cold, harsh, unjust and unforgiving. The difference is that we have
hope. Our hope is in the love of God and that this is not all there is to life.
One day, God will make things right. He will fill the world with His love,
mercy, compassion and forgiveness. No matter how tough things get, we know that
we matter to God and someday, somehow He will help us break through.
A
Step to Consider:
Consider
your darkest hour. Think of those who are going through suffering and may be
facing death. Perhaps the refugee who doesn’t know how long he/she will be
locked up for. Maybe the men who are about to face a firing squad for their
crimes. Perhaps the person who has lost his/her job and cannot find another
one. Can we do something to bring them hope? Perhaps we can start with prayer
and fasting.
No comments:
Post a Comment