In our worship today as we continued our Lenten journey, we were reminded that the things which sustain us in our journey to and with God are provided by God. And that our purpose is to live a life which gets closer to God and what we are created to be. Our psalmist sang a song which reminds us that God is with us, no matter what others around us do, nor only according to our proper practice. The letter to the church in Ephesus is a reminder that God’s grace is what saves us. And, most importantly, that grace comes from God, not as a response to our being “good.” The Gospel from John holds a famous passage about God’s love demonstrated through Jesus Christ. In addition, we are reminded that the gifts we are given are things which should remind us of God’s power, not our perfection. Our sermon focused reading from Hebrew scripture in Numbers where God commands Moses to make a “snake on a stick” to save the people bitten by poisonous snakes. And we receive the reminder in the corpus of scripture that the snake on the stick is a reminder of God’s power and grace, not the god that saves us. Looking to God for assistance is the way to thrive in our future. And that thriving doesn’t preclude pushing back or being befuddled by God in our own way. How can you remind yourself that we are called to authentic worship and practice of faith?
I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
