Second Sunday in Lent
February 17, 2008
Text: John 3:16
This past week was quite a sad week for our congregation. Last Sunday morning, I announced that the Liturgy of Christian Burial would be conducted for Bill Ingram on Monday morning at 11:00. As part of the announcements, I also reported that Anna Brougher had been admitted to the hospital. We knew that Reynolds Glunt had been in the hospital, but we did not consider either Anna or Reynolds to be in grave condition. Both of them have been through this battle before and they came out of it.
However, after the 10:15 liturgy last Sunday, I visited both in the hospital. First, Anna, she was much more alert than she had been the day before, but there were indications that she was not going to survive this battle. For now, she was holding her own. Next, I went to see Reynolds. The same was true for him. He was holding his own. Offering a prayer for them, I left, expecting that Monday afternoon, after the funeral I would visit them again.
At 6:30, Sunday evening, the phone rang. It was Martha, Anna’ daughter-in-law; Anna Brougher had passed away. At 7:00, the phone rang again; it was Sam, Reynolds’ son. He asked if I would come to the hospital, “dad was dying?” I went, and at 9:00, with his whole family at his bedside, Reynolds Glunt died.
The next morning, I got to the church early. The phone rang about 7:20. It was Ann Jordan. She said, “Aunt Gladys died,” who is Gladys Barner. I asked when Gladys died. She said at 2:30 Monday morning. I was shocked by these three unexpected deaths. Within eight hours, from 6:30 Sunday evening to 2:30 Monday morning, three of our members died. Gladys Barner’s funeral will be sometime this week, giving us four funerals in the span of about twelve days.
The events of life, including death, can be much unexpected at times. We do not make a reservation to die nor can we call ahead. Death comes when it wills. It leaves us shocked with sadness. In the midst of the death, where do we find our strength, our hope and our peace? As Christians we find them in God, who gave us Jesus Christ.
Our Gospel reading this morning from the third chapter of St. John could not be more appropriate for us, having gone through such a week. Martin Luther called John 3:16, the Gospel in miniature. This one verse of Scripture is the whole of what we cling to for our hope and promise of new life to come.
Listen to these words of Luther in which he preaches on John 3:16. Luther says,
“These are astounding words. God has every reason to be angry and to wipe out the world as a frightful enemy, and yet there is no greater lover than God and no more desperate scoundrel than the world. To love the world and wish it well is beyond me. If I were God, I would give it hellfire. But instead of consuming the world in anger, God loves the world with such unspeakable and overflowing love that He gave His Son. My powers are not adequate to reach to the bottom of this tremendous affirmation. This love is greater than the fire seen by Moses in the burning bush, greater even than the fire of hell. Who will despair if God so loves the world?
That he gave His only-begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The words read so simply but are so mighty. They are greater than the heavens and the sun. God will give us eternal life. If He offered us a dukedom or a kingdom, we should dispute and say: “It cannot be. He would not give me a kingdom.” We think we are not worth more than twenty gulden, for what is man compared to God? But see now what God has in mind, that He should not strangle, terrify, and harass humankind, but rather should give life, even eternal life. Compare life with every other gift on earth. Would one give his life for the whole world? But now God is going to give life which is better than all the treasures of the world, and not only life but eternal life. What is the reason? It is that God so loved the world. These are overwhelming words.
God’s gifts are inexpressible. What does he give? His only begotten Son. This is not the gift of an eye, a horse, a cow, or a kingdom. nor of heaven, with the sun and stars, nor of the whole creation. It is the gift of His Son, who is as great as Himself. This should kindle sheer light, yes, fire, in our hearts, that we should ever dance for joy. If God gives His Son, he withholds nothing, for He gives Himself.
This treasure is not given as a reward. It is a gift. It is your own. You have only to accept it. It is not a castle, but God’s Son who is given. Hold out your hand and take it. Resist the world that is so possessed of the devil as to be unwilling to be simply a receiver. God certainly has to be a great forgiver in order to forgive the world, which so reviles Him. If then, God gives so much to the world, gives indeed His very self, how can the world hate Him?
O Lord God, ought we not to rejoice and not only serve gladly but suffer and laugh at death for the sake of Him who has given us such a treasure?”
Indeed it has been a sad week. And yet we have an astonishing hope and promise to sustain and strengthen us – that God being the lover of us, our future is one of forgiveness and new life through God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Trust in God; accept His gift of eternal life, for indeed God does love the world.