Bishop Laurie Skow-Anderson
Over my lifetime I have memorized many things. The multiplication tables, names of the 12 cranial nerves, irregular German verbs, the small catechism and many Bible verses including that John 3:16-17. Back in the day, 13 year old 8th grade confirmation students were expected to memorize. When we memorize something we learn it by heart. We can recite it without thinking about it. Rote memorization is an old fashioned way of teaching because we all know that we might be able to memorize the words on the page and recite them but not understand them or be able to apply them to our lives. During this season of Lent reflect on what it means to know John 3:16 by heart.
In John 3 Jesus tells Nicodemus that God loves the world and God didn’t send God’s son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. This is God’s work. The work God does in love for the whole world. This chapter in John is about God’s heart.
John 3:16 is a gift of God’s amazing grace to be learned by heart. We learn it by heart to be able to respond to it, to thrive and grow in it, to share it freely as it has been freely given to us. It has been given to us from the heart of God.
In God’s heart there is room for the whole cosmos. John 3 tells us that the world is loved. The whole world, even the people you don’t particularly like or agree with. They are loved too. Friends, YOU are loved. This is a miracle because sometimes you aren’t very loveable. Sometimes YOU are horrible; me too. God loves YOU and ME. God loves the world, the cosmos. When we learn John 3:16 by heart we realize that “For God so loved the world” means that God loves:
· Jew and Gentile, Israeli and Palestinian, Russian and Ukrainian
· Catholic and Protestant, Lutheran and Baptist, those of any other or no faith at all
· Black, Indigenous, People of Color
· Straight and Queer
· Those belonging to opposing political parties
God’s heart is rich in mercy and great love. God’s heart breaks at the cruelty and inhuman ways we treat each other. God’s heart loves us even when we are unlovable by human standards.
Friends, we are here now, today, March 2024 in a hurting world. We are loved by God, forgiven by God and in Christ have eternal life. We are here now to do some good now, to make the world a better place, to put our faith in action and bring the world the Word about a God who loves so much.
God of amazing love, we give thanks for your love made known in Jesus. You know us and love us anyway. Help us to respond to your grace by loving the world and all the people you created. Help us to live out your John 3:16 love in our daily lives. AMEN
