Fourth week in Lent 14th March 2021
Numbers 21: 4–9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Ephesians 2: 1–10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
John 3: 14–21
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’
Reflection:
Today as we continue our journey through Lent, we are encouraged to think deeply about light and dark, life and death. We are reminded that it by grace we are saved- this is due to God’s goodness not our own doing.
We also are reminded that the reality is that the world we live in is very imperfect. People are becoming more and more self-centred and self-sufficient- including in a spiritual way. Speaking generally, I sometimes worry that people in the world are becoming less aware of their need of God. Whereas once upon a time, children grew up with a knowledge of God and his precepts, now for many this is not so. Yet these readings today assure us that Jesus did not come to condemn but to save- for everyone who looks to him, who believes in him and who has faith in him will be saved by the mercy of God.
When I was younger, I used to be bemused, as my father would get his daily newspaper and immediately turn to the obituaries. Peter and I get the local paper each week. Now as I get older but also because of my work, just like my dad, I tend to turn first to the page advertising death notices and funerals. It saddens me that the majority of funerals now days are held in the crematorium (that’s if they even have a funeral) and mostly the presider is a celebrant who goes on and on about how good and how nice this person was throwing in the Lord’s Prayer almost as a small adjunct to ‘tick the box’ as it were. Too often, God is not seen as a necessary part of life or death.
(Ephesians 2:3b-5) ….and we were by nature children of wrath. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved— …
Today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent and our Gospel reading comes just after the well know story from John Chapter 3. Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night and finds out that there is more to life than what he first anticipated. He comes under the cover of darkness. But it seems that he begins to see the light. He learns that heaven is attained not by his own merit, but only by the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. He must be born again, born not of the flesh but of the Spirit. He must be transformed by the power of God working in his life.
One of the great blessings of sharing our faith with others is that we may just have the opportunity to see God’s amazing transforming power affecting another person’s life. I have seen it for myself and you probably have had experience of this as well. The power of this amazing grace can work amazing transformation in people’s lives.
Unfortunately, Christ’s transforming power is far more effective in times of need. When the chips are down its common for people to turn to God. (They either turn to him or blame him for their circumstances- either way he is somehow included in the journey).
About 12 months ago, I was called into a hospital room to visit a lady in the ICU ward. I introduced myself and she asked which church I came from. After this I asked if there was something that she wanted to talk about. Lying flat on her back in a hospital bed, being sustained by oxygen and iv fluids, the ladies face crumpled. I thought she was about to tell me about her physical illness. But, instead, she spoke of a lifetime of regret, of deep grief, and of her resulting despair. With her health failing this woman had lots of time to reflect on her life, her relationships, her deeds and achievements.
I do not know all the details of her anguish, but I spoke to her of God never letting go or giving up on us. I spoke the truth that there is nothing God cannot or will not forgive. I offered her absolution. I offered prayer. And although she seemed to accept this grace from God, I went home with a heavy heart. Not only for the physical suffering I had seen but more so for the emotional and spiritual distress that this lady was bearing.
I visited her several times and after a couple of weeks, this patient was finally sitting up in a chair, off the oxygen and the iv’s were taken away. And she was smiling.
I assumed that she was smiling because she was feeling better. The antibiotics had finally done their work and the oxygen was no longer necessary. I soon realised that it was more than that though. For she spoke of a burden having been lifted and she spoke with energy and hope as to what now lay before her. Her face seemed light and there was a sense of joy within. I don’t doubt there was a long way for this woman to go, either way? It was a great joy to see this transformation.
Did words of grace and forgiveness heal her? I don’t know for sure; I pray they did. For we know that healing comes to mind, body, and spirit.
Unfortunately, I have seen the opposite where anger and bitterness just eat people up from the inside out. But I have also seen God’s grace working in families when there has been hurts, disappointments and conflicts. I’ve seen it in the news reports when despite an accident or a violent act, when someone has died and yet the families offer forgiveness and a word of peace into a world that is seeking retribution and justice.
I wonder if you have seen this powerful grace in similar ways, perhaps you have experienced it for yourself, or in your ministry. Take a moment and think…. what stories of ‘powerful grace’ have you seen or experienced? We need to hear of them more often.
In this broken world, we need more good news stories, stories of hope and light. By accepting God’s grace for ourselves or offering this grace to those we meet in our everyday, we can make a difference. We make a difference by offering this grace to family, friends, neighbours and even to those who serve us in the bank, in the shops, on the phone- and I’m thinking of the man who works for Telstra that I spoke to the other day- I somehow don't think he gets a lot of grace offered to him.
I wonder what it would look like if in our places of living and serving we simply told and listened to stories of ‘this powerful grace’ this week. Do you suppose that might open the way for more and more of the same? Perhaps then we might all find ourselves living with greater hope for what remains before us in this life and in the next?
As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert and the people looked to it and were saved, so, the Son of Man must be lifted up, for everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:14-17). It is not by our own doing but by the very grace of God.
Jesus was “lifted up” in the crucifixion, so that everyone who believes in Him, trusting not in themselves but trusting in him, would have eternal life. This was, and is, the supreme act of God’s indescribable amazing love and grace. And we are included in his story- how blessed are we then to be called children of God. I pray that we will never take it for granted but in our hearts be confident of his great mercy and love for us. Amen.