The Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Pa
Sunday March 16, 2015
Sermon: The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa
John 3:14-21
Perhaps
you remember the man with the wild frizzy rainbow wig spotted at football games throughout the
late 1970’s and early 1980’s brandishing his sign?
Perhaps
you have followed more than one car with a bumper sticker brandishing these
number?
Perhaps
you remember in the liturgy of the Eucharist Rite I, the celebrant quoting in
short summary arguably the most widely known verse in scripture?
Perhaps
you even know this short bit of somewhat obtuse trivia, that what I am
referring to right now is a piece of scripture that is the one single segment
of scripture that is translated into the most languages in the world.
John
3:16 that is. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to the
end that all that believe him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
There
have been times that I myself that when preaching on this segment of scripture
in totality, that is the story of Nicodemus, the highly trained theologian of
Israel, coming to “see” and make sense of this Jesus in the cover of darkness,
have chosen to focus on Nicodemus, instead of on this actual piece of best
known and probably most used segment of scripture- John 3:16. Maybe this is
true because it has been a “soundbyte” if you will for an individualistic
conservative evangelical interpretation of conversion theology that leaves some
“in” and many “out”. I am not sure.
However,
minds and hearts “believe”. Like Nicodemus let us perhaps emerge from darkness
and look to a light of understanding as to why Martin Luther would describe
these all too familiar verses of John 3:16 and following as “the Gospel in a
nutshell”.
Some
years ago, I remember reading in some Christian journal publication that I
honestly can’t remember, the true story of a parents biggest struggle. Two
young boys in their single digits, sharing a life and a room under the love and
protection of loving parents. One young boy had a rare blood disease and
through a series of failed treatments the eventual course of treatment was that
if he was to have a chance his younger brother would need to be a blood and
platelet donor. This procedure would take awhile, would be painful and scary
for the young boys.
The boys
parents approached the younger brother with some fear and worry and of course
anxiety. They explained to the young boy what the doctors had said and that
their brothers life and health depended on the boys giving his blood and
platelets. The boy took it in and the parents gave him some time to think. The
boy agreed to the inevitable procedure.
The day
of the procedure arrived and the two boys with their parents went to the
hospital and lay side by side. The necessary insertions were made and a
transfer of blood and platelets began through the machinery. It was then, about
5 minutes into the procedure that these loving parents world was rocked into an
explosion of blinding love light. The young boy laying next to his older
brother receiving life-giving blood looked up and said to his mother, “Is it
working”? Mom said, yes, all is working
fine. The boy said to his mom, “Mom,
good. When will I start to die?”
God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten son to the end that all that believe
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!
Can you
imagine someone loving you so much, believing in that love so much, putting
their heart so much in that relationship (which is John’s point) that they
would be willing to die in order to save your life?
The
Gospel in a nutshell for John.(As Martin Luther described this passage from
John’s Gospel). God is gonna love this
God-forsaking World (not God-forsaken), the “World” for John is the world that
by default seeks to “reject” God’s love and mercy” (Condemns) . God is gonna
love this God-forsaking World so much that he is willing to die for it.
The
scripture tells us, that for all who “believe” in this love, will inherit
eternal life- that is God’s life-giving presence for ever and ever, come what
may. In John’s Gospel “believe” is always a verb, not a noun. It is an action
of heart like “Giving your life and love to a relationship you believe in, you
have faith in. Like loving something or someone so much that you would make
every possible sacrifice –even potentially your life for them or it. You know
those relationships or “causes” YOU believe in- Give your heart, soul, mind,
strength to?
Can you
imagine being loved SO much that someone would be willing to die so that you
might Live?
This
fourth Sunday of Lent our journey’s momentum pushes us toward the rituals of
our holiest of weeks. This very day the proper preface, that is, the prayer we
seasonably change in the Eucharistic prayer, shifts from standing with Jesus in
the wilderness to cleansing and preparing our hearts for the joys that come in
meeting our loving and living God.
Your
Lenten task as we sneak out of the shadows of lent toward the light of Easter
is this. Imagine it. Go ahead and Imagine a creator so determined to be in your
God forsaking world that this God is willing to do whatever it takes for you to
live.
Imagine
it. Ponder it. “Believe in it”.
Amen.
