No Scripture is more loved and more often quoted than the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. If you want to put: the good news in miniature, there it is. One sentence encompassing the heart of the good news.
So as we cane to the Advent season, during which we shall remember the Lord’s caning. it is good to pay attention again to why He came, to what His coming means. This season is a joyous and yet serious one; without deepening knowledge of its central significance, however, it will just be another spending binge, another frantic month of activity, another occasion for frustration and disappointment.
From whence came our Christ? God so loved that He gave. Why did He come? So that everyone who believes might have eternal life. What is the effect of His coming? That the world might be saved through Him. All through the Advent season I am going to push us up against these verses and am going to ask you to see John’s vision of the Savior’s life and work.
I’m especially going to push the phrase "that the world might be saved." I’m going to push it because I suspect that a good many of us do not really think that the world can be saved. We are so caught up in its mess, so mesmerized by its terrors, that we think the world is beyond redemption. We concede, maybe a few individuals can be saved. Maybe some nice middle-class folk can be saved. Maybe even here and there a wayward soul can be corrected. But this word of Scripture is a radical word. That the world might be saved. I ’m not sure we believe that. And so I intend so to work with John’s vision of the Savior that you and I might be fully convinced that in this tiny babe there is one yet destined to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The world saved through Him.
Let’s begin by reading these verses together. I’d like us to get familiar with this, to soak in it. John 3:16 and 17. You’ll find it on page 864 in the pew Bibles. Before Advent blends into Christmas, I’ll hope that everyone can repeat these verses from memory. Many already can: John 3:16-17
Eight-year-old Kristen sensed, as she entered the roam, that she had come at the wrong time. It was not only that she was the only child there, having left her playmates in the basement. And it was not only that no one told her what to do, as they usually did. It was that they didn’t even speak to her. They all sat looking into the fire, talking quietly, in sober tones, appearing not even to notice her small frame.
Something caught at Kristen’ s heart at that moment. Something told her just to be quiet and listen. Had Mom snapped at her, as she so often did, to insist that she hush, Kristen would have protested loudly. But it was different and felt right to be quiet when no one told you to be quiet. It was only when they tell you to be quiet that you just can’t hold in your voice!
Kristen strained to hear and understand their words. "Too bad" "Should have known better" "No good, never has been" What is happening? Did somebody do something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Kristen had been told enough times in her eight years that she was a bad girl, a stupid girl, so that whenever anything went wrong she almost automatically thought she had done it. She remembered the time the cat knocked down one of Mom’s fancy bowls and broke it; everybody thought she did it, and by the time it was all over, Kristen wasn’t so sure ... maybe she did do it. After all, she was a bad girl, a stupid girl.
But no, they were talking about somebody else. Kristen pushed a little deeper into the shadows and listened hard.
"I knew all along this would happen" "Yeah, and I told Ellen when she first got together with Jack that he wasn’t our kind." "Hmph, who does he think he is?" "Oh well, I say, she had her fun, let him go. There’s better fish in the pond"
At the sound of her parents’ names Kristen sat up. Ellen and Jack. It was only two weeks ago that she had figured out moms and dads have names like everybody else, and that Moms name wasn’t mom, it was Ellen. And Dad’s name wasn’t dad, sometimes it was Jack and sometimes it was ’’What’s- wrong-with-you-you-idiot".
Kristen had bounced into the kitchen for dinner and had tried out her new knowledge. Hi, Ellen; hi, Jack. What’ s-wrong-with-you-you-idiot? Mom and Dad had just looked at each other and then Mom had said, "Hey, Miss grownup, it’s still Mom and Dad to you."
So now in this room it was back to Ellen and Jack and something was wrong with somebody. Kris ten listened very carefully.
’’Where do you think he’s gone?" "Probably just out on the street; plenty of dealers out there today, even if it is a holiday weekend." "I don’t think so ... been gone since midnight, I bet the cops have him." "No, Ellen’s called three times, they say they don’t have him, unless the computer is messed up again. Remember last time, they called four hours later and said they’d found him?"
"Well, I’11 bet he’s gone over to Arlington. " "Ar1ington?! " "Oh come on, you know why" ’’Why?’’ "Oh come on, don’t be so naive." "No, I don’t know. I’ve heard what you all have said, but I don’t know if it’s true." "Come on, her name is Marsha and she works in his office. We all know what’s been going on, and so does Ellen."
"Well, you could just call over there and see." "Not me, I don’t have the number. And besides, I don’t care if he never comes back. Don’t care if we never see him again."
Kristen was trying to make sense of all this when the phone rang twice and then stopped. Its ringing halted the conversation and everybody just sat and stared at the game that was playing on TV but with the sound turned down. Uncle Tim said, "Good play, wow". But then silence again.
Kristen was about ready to conclude that nothing more was going to happen here, when into the room came her mother. "Tim, come here a minute. " "Why, what’s going on?" "Just come here, will you?" Uncle Tim unfurled his long frame from down in the chair where he had been watching the game. "Ab, what now? The Skins are just about to score ..."
Mom and Uncle Tim went out and shut the door. The room felt tight and tense. "Uh, oh. What’s happening?" “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out." "No, no, come back here, she doesn’t want you messing around in this thing." "Hey, but I gotta know, I gotta know".
Kristen’s eight-year-old attention span was about exhausted by now, and she too had to know. So she slipped out the door right behind Aunt Betty, who saw her and smiled but then went hurrying on into the kitchen.
"Tim, I need for you to take me to the hospital. I’m just not up to it by myself. Now come on, what’s the stupid game matter? I’ve got to get to Jack."
"Oh, let him stay there. It’s not that serious and you don’t need to put yourself to that grief. You can’t do anything for him anyway.”
"Tim, he is my husband. He needs me. I ought to be there. I need to be there. Now come on, get the car started and take me. "
"Ellen, ever since we were kids I’ve had to rescue you from one mess after another. I’m tired of it, I want to watch my game, and most of all, I don’t like Jack and I don’t like your being with him. Just let him lie in that bed. It might teach him a lesson."
"Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s not supposed to be like this. But he needs me. He needs me. Come on, please."
Kristen grasped very little of what was being said, but her instincts told her immediately that her mother was upset. And Kristen remembered what had happened the last time her mother sounded upset. About a month ago, Kristen had heard her mother screaming late one night, and had gotten out of bed to find Mom standing at the bathroom sink, throwing up and crying. But for reasons Kristen had never understood, when she tried to speak to her Mom, she had been rudely packed back off to bed with a loud warning and a little slap in a place that made an impact.
Understandably, then, Kristen approached her mother cautiously this time.
"Who let that child in here? Kristen, get to your room, just go on to your room. I don’t need you around right now. Betty, take care of her."
"Mom, what’s wrong with Daddy? Is Daddy sick or something?"
"I, yes, yes, he’s sick, and we’re going to go right now and take care of him. Just go watch TV or something. Go on, go to your room."
"Mom, I don’t want to. I want to go too. I want to be with Daddy."
"No, no, you can’t go. No kids in the hospital. Just don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine here with Aunt Betty."
"But Mom, what’s wrong with Daddy? Is Daddy hurt? Is he going to be all right?"
"Kristen, shut up and do what I say. I don’t know if he’s going to be all right and I really don’t care. Now just keep out of the way and get out of here."
"But, Mom "
"Don’t you ‘but mom’ me. Go to your room and leave me alone"
From the window near her bed Kristen watched her mother and Uncle Tim get in the car, still arguing, though Kristen could not hear what they were saying. It was all so terrible, so confusing.
Kristen woke up with a sudden startled feeling. How long had she been asleep? She heard voices downstairs. Everybody was talking at once. What a babble of words! What were they saying? Who was down there?
From the top of the stairs Kristen saw some men in blue suits. Aunt Betty and all the others were talking at the blue suits. And then she saw right between the blue suits ... it was Dad. He looked awful. His head was kind of tilted to one side and his shirt was torn. He just stood there and didn’t say anything.
Kristen wanted to run down and see her Dad, but she was afraid of the blue suits and all the loud talk. She just slipped down a couple of steps and sat down. Uncle Tim was talking the loudest of all.
"Arlington police had him. He got in a fight outside the apartment ... you know, her apartment. Who knows what it was about? And who cares? He’s cut up the side of his head, but it’s no big deal"
"What happens now?"
"They turned him over to Metro police at the emergency room, and they brought him here. Going to decide whether to keep him or not."
"Well, as far as I’m concerned you can just keep him. Don’t do anything around here. Not a thing. No good to me whatsoever."
"Yeah, make our holiday weekend a lot better. You guys can throw away the key as far as I’m concerned. Is the game over, can I at least get the last couple of plays?"
"No, I mean it. I do not want to see his ugly face around here tonight. You all can just take him and put him anywhere you please. I’ve had it. I’ve really had it. I don’t care what you do with him."
One of the blue suits made some notes on a pad of paper, and the other spoke into the little noisy box he had on his belt. They started toward the door, with Dad between them.
Kristen fairly flew down the steps. Everybody jumped. They had not seen her, they had not even thought about her. "Daddy, daddy. I love you. Don’t go, Daddy, I love you. I want to go with you. I’ll take care of you, Daddy. I love you. "
Everyone froze. Everyone. Aunt Betty about to reach out for the door. Uncle Tim, craning to see the still flickering TV, stopped in mid-glance. Mom, with her mouth wide open and almost ready to spit more contempt. The blue suits, looking
at each other for same signal as to what to do. Everyone
froze.
But Dad ... also known as Jack ... also known as What’ s-wrong-with-you-you-idiot ... reached out two shaking arms, spread the handcuffs as far as he could, and buried his sobbing face on an eight-year-old shoulder.
Christ was in the world ... yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him He gave power to become children of God.
Except you become as little children, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
For God so loved the world... so unconditionally loved the world … that He gave His only Son, His world-class child ... so that everyone who believes might have life. Indeed, God did not send His child into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
