Earlier this week, I was reading about a church in another town that was trying to coin a great catchphrase for their church sign. Lots of people in the church had input, and the suggestions put forth were good, but the church members were afraid that only other Christians would fully understand or appreciate what they were trying to say. Everyone agreed that they wanted something with more breadth and greater reach; something that spoke directly and plainly to the heart of anyone who was happening by. That’s when they decided on this: “You are so welcome!” I love the word, “so”! That little two-letter word just cinches it, doesn’t it? It’s a tiny word that packs a mighty punch! “So” interjects a whole new vitality into the mix.
Think about the passage we heard just a few moments ago. One of the most famous Bible passages there is. John 3: 16 is everywhere, and it has been for a long time. What does it say? “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.” God doesn’t just love us. God “so” loves us! “So” declares that God loves us with vigor, with loudness, with arms flung wide open! Like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, God embraces us, God sees us from a distance no matter what kind of shape we’re in, God takes the initiative to run to us, to greet us, to welcome us, and to bring us in! Quite often, we find our journey with Christ difficult because of our own insecurities and doubts about our worthiness. So, as we seek to journey with Christ this Lenten season, this is what we need to know and hear; this is what the world needs to know and hear. We are so loved!
A famous movie-maker had a huge legal wrangle with his long-time mentor and guide. With his career declining rapidly, the younger man simply couldn’t handle all the criticism, and so he ended up rejecting the one person who had long been his greatest cheerleader, the person who had helped him the most along the way. When it was all over, a close friend of the film-maker summed up the real problem. The younger man was looking desperately for affirmation and love. He hadn’t gotten it from his parents growing up, so he couldn’t handle criticism even if it was constructive and given in love.
The sad truth is, there are a lot of people like that today. So many people grow up in our world without ever having had a parent or guardian say to them (either in words, looks, or in hugs), “You are my dear child; I love you so much! I am so happy with you!” And it seems like more often than not, we get the opposite of what we need. As people grow up with their peers in school and then enter the workforce, although they are starving for love and affirmation, what they get instead are put-downs, bullying, angry voices, and bitter rejection! All around us are people with such low self-esteem. Maybe even you are feeling a bit insecure today. And we humans try really hard to mask our uncertainties; perhaps with a big-paying job or a fancy house and car. If that’s not in the cards, there are other ways; a body embroidered with tattoos, or a bottle to fill the void, and some drugs to ease the pain. But such masks only last a short time. Eventually, the painful truth breaks through. And in the midst of it all, the people who need love the most don’t even know just how very loved they are. They don’t know how important and wonderful they really are. And the thing is, we are around such people every day.
I have a couple of friends who are volunteer chaplains for the Dallas Bay Fire Department. I was talking to one of them a few weeks ago, and he was telling me about the alarming number of suicides the department is being called to these days. He was just amazed by how many people in this relatively affluent north Hixson and Soddy Daisy area are taking their own lives. We just never know who may be thinking of ending their life or leaving their marriage, or is just feeling completely empty and broken. That might even describe you this very morning. And such doubts not only depress us, but they can keep us from connecting with the only source of love and power which can lift us out of such deep hardships.
Our scripture passage for this morning describes a world of light and darkness. To a great degree, I think the description of darkness fits our world well. All around us, evil is at work; temptation pulls us in every possible direction. We make rash decisions and then we regret our actions. We have to deal with feelings of stress and guilt. And that’s when we fall into darkness. It’s the darkness of trying to navigate this world on our own and it’s deep and enveloping. It’s a crisis. But there is another way, a light at the end of the tunnel, if we so choose to pursue it.
Lent is a time of repentance and decision. As we focus this Lent on journeying more closely with Christ, we have a choice; a choice that John lays out for us very clearly this morning in black and white. Some people love the darkness, and they chose to stay there because they don’t want their terrible ways to be illumined. But you don’t have to stay in the darkness, John says. You don’t have to drown in sin and doubt. You don’t have to feel inadequate in the face of the powers of the world. You don’t have to feel as if you are not good enough, not loved.
John reveals to us today the plan of the God who loves his people very much; so much that he sent his very own Son to be a light in the darkness. And all we have to do this Lent, or any other time, is choose to follow that light. God loves us! God has made a way for us out of the darkness. Why would anyone choose not to live in the light of God’s love?!? That’s a question we should be asking not only ourselves, but everyone!
God has illumined for us a way out of the darkness, a path forward. Why would we let anything get in the way of that? We are so loved. We are of great value. We are so important! This sometimes seems impossible to believe, especially when people have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents and peers, or when we feel like love is something that has to be earned.
As you all know, Ken and I coached Mary Ellen’s first grade Upward Basketball team this year. Over the course of the season, the team members and their families all became rather close. At the final practice of the season, Ken gathered the girls for one last huddle before they headed home. He had the girls stand in a circle, and he looked at each one of them and said, “I want you to know that you are a wonderful person. God loves you so very much. I love you very much. I am a much better person for having to come to know you.” The interesting thing about this was that it seemed to make the girls rather uncomfortable. They appeared to have a hard time listening to this.
And you know, sometimes it is hard for us to hear and believe that we are loved so very much. Or maybe we are afraid to acknowledge that we are loved because we know how very vulnerable that makes us. Or perhaps we don’t want the dark spots of our souls to be revealed. Sometimes it’s difficult to walk out of the darkness. It can be hard to believe in and to trust God’s love described in John’s words, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believe in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.” God so loves the world. God so loves everyone. God so loves you. God so loves me. Try saying that to yourself slowly, with you name at the end. Reflect quietly on God saying that to you right this very moment!
Without those words from God, all we see is darkness. All we often hear are angry voices, put-downs, bitter rejections and total despair. And all of that darkness may not be just coming from other people; it just might be coming from within our minds as well. A few years ago, when I was leading student ministry, I had a difficult conversation with a very faithful and active student. This young person was a believer of God in Christ Jesus, and yet, she was in this deep haze of depression because she felt that God was angry with her and that she didn’t measure up. She felt that she was not good enough for God’s grace. She had grown up in the church and since proclaiming her faith in Christ, she had tried so hard to be what she thought was the “perfect Christian.” But she had failed every time. She had missed the mark. By her own admission, she was a horrible sinner. And as she sat in my office, broken and torn down, she whispered, “How could God possibly love me?”
After a few moments of searching for the right words, I lifted up the tried and true. “Jen,” I said, “do you remember John 3: 16?” Of course she did, and as the words ran through her head, the tears began to dry. It was a spiritual awakening for her. It was as if God was speaking to Jen and reminding her that he loves her just as she is. You could see the self-doubt lifting, and a whole new perspective opened up; light shined into the darkness of Jen’s life. And then, trusting that God truly did love her, Jen began to be able to love herself. The darkness faded in the light of God’s love.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.” The light of God’s love is shining in the darkness of our lives. The kingdom of God has come to earth; a new reality has emerged! And a major key to the Christian journey is learning to live in this new reality, in the light of God’s love, even when the darkness threatens all around.
“God so loves you!” Do you trust God on this? If you do, then make the choice; walk out of the darkness. Take God’s words of love, acceptance, and life with you. Allow God’s love to change you. And then go out in Christ’s light and love God and others as well! Amen!
