The following piece was written for the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church 2017 Advent Devotional. Devotional booklets are published twice a year, during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Church members are given a Bible verse and find inspiration in relating it to the broader theme for the season. The theme for Advent 2017 was “Justice”. I was asked by my pastor to read this devotional to the congregation during the service on the second Sunday of Advent.
December 25, 2017
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
In considering this most famous and beloved Christmas verse it strikes me that I cannot easily relate it to justice, the theme of this year’s advent devotional. Where is the justice in God having to sacrifice his only child to suffer unimaginably on the cross? No, this beautifully straightforward verse is arguably instead at the core of God’s abounding mercy. Why on earth were we – mankind — worthy of such a momentous life-changing gift with such colossal implications?
And as Alida and David preached last Christmas Eve, what if it’s true? What if we chose to live life with the utter conviction that each of us is a most precious child of God and that by his grace, his free gift, we are never alone and we are always loved?
The way I see it, there’s really no other choice. We must try our hardest, even when it feels like feeble grasping, even if it feels tenuous… to believe in and treasure this precious knowledge of God’s abiding love. John 3:16 is at the core of our faith.
Where else can the hope come from, in such a time as this? These are dark and troubled times indeed. When I send my children off to school only to find that all three are in lockdown in their respective schools, to whom do I turn? When this terror-filled world seems to be unraveling before my very eyes and the reality feels too stark to bear… I remember I have a choice; a way out of despair: I turn to the one whose peace surpasses understanding, a Lord of such mercy that he sent his one and only son. Call it “blind faith” if you like. It is a life line. It brings hope, if even a glimmer. And that’s miraculous.
Dear God: Help us to remember that we can always reach out to you and seek strength from you when we are overwhelmed by the world, because you are a God of infinite goodness and mercy. And help us remember to thank you for the gift of your son not just at Christmas time but every day.
“That cold winter’s night, beneath the star’s light…a Little One came for the world.”
(From Room for a Little One, by Martin Waddell)
Jennifer Richard