The road to the cross: love
RUMC 3/22/09
I Love chocolate chip cookies. I love walking in nature. I love the feel of a good antique bench plane. I love Stephen King books.
But I don’t love them enough to send my only son to die for them.
What do you love? Do you love anything enough to give up your son or daughter? Probably not.
But Listen to this, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only son.”
Jesus loved us so much he gave his only life.
Jesus loved you so much that he was willing to suffer and be beaten and tortured and crucified for you.
On our Lenten journey to the cross we have seen temptation, the cost of discipleship, zealous judgment; and today we encounter love. And this is a perfect day to talk about love. We have a baptism today. Besides the crucifixion there is no better illustration of God’s love for us than the baptism of a baby.
Let me ask you Darren and Lindsey; how long have you known Abigail? <<<< >>>>>
Let me ask you a different question- very similar but different. How long have you loved Her? <<<< >>>>>
Isn’t that interesting? They have only known her for 7 weeks. They only met her 7 weeks ago yet they have loved her for ______ months. What did she do to deserve your love before you ever met her?
Let me ask the congregation- can you love Abigail? Even though you don’t know her- even though this is the first time you have met her? Can you love her? Of course you can what’s not to love. She’s so sweet!
This very famous passage says that God is the same way with us. There are no qualifications for God’s love. There are no tests. There are no special criteria. It doesn’t say “For God so loved those who believe.” Or “For God so loved those who are faithful.” Or “God so loved righteous people.” It says God loved the world. Young and old, rich and poor, black white and pokadotted. There is no one in the world. . . NO ONE That is outside of that love; no matter where they live or what language they speak. . . or what they believe.
Do you believe that? Let me keep going then. This one is little harder for some people to swallow. There is no one in the world outside of God’s love. No matter what they have done. If they have murdered or raped, if they are politicians or terrorists. God even loves Bernie Maadoff, and Osama Bin Laden so much that He gave His only begotten son for them. Do you believe that?
Let me go one step further then. There is no one in the world outside of God’s love. No matter what they believe. This one is almost impossible to grasp. God loves the Jews just as much as God loves you. God loves the Muslims just as much as God loves you. God loves the atheists who complain about any little sign of Christianity as much as God loves you. Without exception, God loves each and every person in the world. Period! Exclamation mark!
Let me say right here and now- I am not saying that every person is saved or is going to heaven. I am saying that every person is loved and Jesus came and died for each and every person.
But it get’s better. God loves us and them so much that He stepped out on a limb, knowing that people would cut it off. God loved them and us so much that he GAVE-- knowing that we would throw it right back in his face. That word gave- I hoped the Greek word would be filled with wonderful poetic meaning. You know what I found out- it is the past tense of “to give.” That’s all. But I noticed something kind of interesting- it happens to be translated “gave” exactly 365 times in the King James Bible. Once for every day of the year. Is that magic? NO, but it did remind me how much God gave. He gave and gave and gave and gave and gave and gave. . . . And gave and gave and gave and gave. Do I have to keep going 365 times?
Why did God give? Because we were faithful? No. Because we were good? NO Because we believed? NO. Because we deserved it? Heaven’s no. Did God give because we first loved him? NO! God gave because “He first loved us” -- “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” God gave because he loved. That’s what it says when you look carefully. God loved the world so much that he gave. He loved therefore he gave. He gave out of Love.
What did he give? His only begotten son. This reminds me of the wonderfully honest comment from a confirmation student earlier this year. We were talking about Jesus dying for us and they said, “Guys, I just want you to know. I would not do that for you.” They just wanted to let their classmates know that even though they loved them, they didn’t love them THAT much!
How about you? Is there anyone or anything you love so much that you would give up a son or daughter, a grandson or granddaughter? Not me. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything!
But God did! God loves you that much that he is willing to give his only son.
When I checked out the Greek here it was a little more interesting than the word “gave.” The Greek for “only” is the word MONOGENES. You recognize the root MONO- one. The second part is spelled “G-E-N-E-S.” What is that word in English? Genes, right? As in Genetic?
The Greek word is about DNA. It means that God gave Jesus his own personal DNA and then gave him to us. Jesus is one with the father. One being; one essence; one genetic code. Jesus is God himself and God gave himself to us. What a gift! What an opportunity! What love the father has for us!! He gave his only begotten son.
Finally, that whoever believes in him would have everlasting life. Now we have to be careful here. We can’t make the mistake of interpreting believe in the same way you might believe I have a dollar in my pocket. Or in the same way you might believe or disbelieve a politician.
A preacher named David Ewart put it this way: In Verses 16 to18, "belief" needs to be read as "trust and bond with:"
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who trusts and bonds with him may not perish but have eternal life.
17 Indeed, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might saved through him. 18 Those who trust and bond with him are not condemned; but those who do not trust and bond with him are condemned already, because they have not trusted and bonded with the only Son of God.
To be more clear. (Ewart goes on) The logic of John is NOT: If you believe, then God will love you and save you. God's salvation is not a reward for belief. Nor does God withhold God's love, forgiveness and salvation until we believe. ((First God loves.))
On the other hand, since love is not coercive, we do have to accept the invitation in order to actually be part of the party.
And what a party it will be! Everlasting life. In the everlasting presence of the one who IS the everlasting from end to end. The Alpha and the Omega. Forever and ever. In the presence of the one who loves us so much that he gave and gave and gave and gave of himself-- his own divine self for you.
Do you accept the invitation? You can’t join the everlasting party if you don’t accept the invitation. You can’t be part of the eternal celebration if you don’t accept the invitation. You won’t be part of the eternal joy, the eternal hope, the eternal salvation unless you accept the self-giving gift of the one who loves you before all time- now and forever.
How do we accept the invitation? By saying yes in baptism. The sacrament of baptism is our big yes- to God’s great love. Whether it is for the first time, or the 365th time. I pray that your response will be Yes-
YES TO GOD’S LOVE,
YES TO GOD’S GIFT,
YES TO GOD’S INVITATION.
AMEN
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