Fourth Sunday of Lent

2 Chronicles 36:14-23; Psalms 137:1-6; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

"Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!" But we do forget. Babylon enchants us, even those who see it for what it is. We adopt its ways, even as we try to transform it. We are lost. Which is why we so desperately need these forty days. They are a time for silence and tears, that the fog might be cleared from our hearts and minds. And when it has, we might remember that Zion is not a place, but rather a promise, an oath of love from Parent to child that can never be taken from us.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

John 3:14-21

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." The most important line in Scripture, or so we are told by the legions of athletes and sports fans who use it. For too many Christians, it represents a stark choice: believe in Jesus or suffer in Hell. I say to you that eternal life is a gift for all of us, not just some. Perhaps it is natural for us to divide the world into those who live in light and those who live in darkness; one should be saved and one should be condemned. After all, we are right and they are wrong. We see the truth and they do not. We accept the messiah and they reject him. Surely we will be rewarded and they will be punished? These are the fantasies of a child. I say again that our Creator desires blessings for all of their children, not just a few.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

2 Chronicles 36: 14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2: 4-10; John 3: 14-21

Admission to the Kingdom cannot be bought or earned. The Father's love is her gift to us, completely free and unconditional. But like any gift, it is ours to accept or reject. What will your answer be?