DAY OF REJOICING

A SERMON FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 11, 2018

Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-21

Today is the fourth Sunday in Lent. The ancient church gave this day a name: Laetare (lay-TAR-ee). It comes from the Latin word “rejoice.” Here we are in the middle of Lent—a church season so somber we don’t even get to sing the Alleluia verse—and yet today is Laetare, the day of rejoicing. In the early church the prayers for this day all began with the word “rejoice”. Now this may seem odd but the happiness was about the fact that we’ve passed the halfway point now so Easter is closer than Ash Wednesday! Woo hoo! The resurrection is almost here! That’s why today’s scripture lessons are filled with joy. 

Or are they? They don’t necessarily seem like it. But I assure you, they were chosen to support the rejoicing theme for Laetare. So let’s explore them to uncover what truths therein might just cause us to rejoice.

We start out with a bizarre story from Numbers. What’s your favorite Old Testament story? You could probably name quite a few and my guess is that this one isn’t among them. It certainly wouldn’t make your top ten list. Maybe not even your top thousand. But here it is. 

It happens in the midst of the Exodus. The Hebrew people have been liberated from slavery and they’re on their way to the sweet freedom of the Promised Land. But let’s be honest: after years in the dusty desert the road trip has kind of lost its fun. They’re like little kids in the back seat whining: “Are we there yet?” They get mad at Moses and cry to him: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water, and besides we hate this food.” Wait. How can the food be bad? I thought you said you didn’t have any. I guess manna doesn’t count as food because it’s so gross to them at this point. In any case, they are grouchy about the whole situation (and we can hardly blame them—I don’t think any of us would tolerate a 40-year road trip on foot). Then along comes a herd of serpents or whatever it is you call a whole bunch of snakes that bite and kill people. The text calls them seraphim snakes but could also be translated: “fiery monster snakes.” Yikes! The people assume the arrival of these horror-movie-style serpents is God’s punishment for their complaining.  

Divine wrath and savage snakes with big, pointy teeth? Um…this doesn’t sound like a rejoicing story. The people of God don’t think it does either so they beg for help and guess what? There is mercy for them. God tells Moses to make a bronze snake—just like the ones biting them—mount it high up on a pole and carry it through the camp telling people who have been bit to look up at it. Add sculptor to Moses’ job description because he follows this instructive and sure enough, when the bitten look at it, they are healed. A great grace is given to the grumblers. It offers us a glimpse of God’s mercy. Cause for rejoicing? Yes! Still, it’s a snake story so you can see why it never gained the popularity of other Old Testament narratives.

Then, in the gospel lesson from John, we come in on the middle of a midnight conversation Jesus is having with a religious leader named Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to get through to this man that God is offering a new covenant through him. He says, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” See? He is making reference to the Exodus story we just heard. In the same way that God provided miraculous healing for the people through the snake sculpture, God is now providing healing from the burden of sin through Jesus who will be soon lifted up on the cross to pour out his life for all people.

Then, comes John 3:16, the verse that everyone knows. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” It is known as the “gospel in a nutshell”. Millions have memorized it, most misunderstand it. Have you noticed how often it is used to exclude or condemn people for not properly believing in Jesus? Once I saw the Rolling Stones in concert and one of the protesters outside the stadium was holding a sign that had John 3:16 on it. Seriously? I’m going to perish because I came to see the Stones?

But this verse is not about condemnation. It’s quite the opposite. Listen to what Jesus says next: “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” 

John wants us to contemplate the power of what Jesus did on the cross. In this self-sacrificial act he offers God’s redemptive love to the whole world.  This is grace in its most obvious form. And when we lift this message up, it is so incredible that it draws people in—not because of guilt but because of genuine love. 

Love is the theme that dominates John’s entire gospel. We hear that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8), that the relationship between Jesus and his Father is love (Jn. 15:9-10; 17:23), and that the nature of discipleship is love (Jn. 13:34-35; 15:12-14). 

Like the serpent lifted up by Moses, the love of God in Christ is healing. Even more that that: it saves. That is why they call John 3:16 the gospel in a nutshell: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Saving love. Offered to everyone. Okay, maybe that is cause for rejoicing.

Nicodemus doesn’t quite know how to react to this message. He’s still metaphorically in darkness. His people—the religious authorities—are concerned about Jesus and his bold reinterpretations of their teachings. That’s presumably why he’s had to sneak off and have this conversation with Jesus at night. Now Jesus tells him he must be born again and live a whole new life of love. That’s an overwhelming request. It takes Nicodemus a while to come around and embrace that challenge.

What about you and me? How do we respond to the challenge? How do we let go of our old lives, our old priorities and be born anew in Christ? How do we really live in that loving way—not just believing in Jesus but continuing his work?

As I contemplated this question, I was offered a burst of inspiration. On Thursday, Luther College hosted a distinguished lecturer named Daryl Davis. A musician and author, Daryl has formed lasting friendships with a large number of people in the Ku Klux Klan. This might not sound so amazing if you didn’t know that Daryl is black. That’s right: a black man had the courage to talk with people who wanted to kill him. Not only that, he formed such transformative relationships with them that over 200 of them have renounced their old lives in the hate group and literally handed over their Klan robes to Daryl. His collection of them continues to grow and he’s proud of them because each one symbolizes a life changed. 

William Gentry, Daryl Davis, Laura Gentry

William and I went to Daryl’s lecture and were riveted by his simple message. He explained to the crowd that he’s no psychologist or anyone with special training in human nature. He’s just a musician with a curiosity. He wanted to understand these Klans-people even though they were dangerous and hated him. And by engaging in dialogue with his enemies without defensiveness or judgement, he's been able to change them. You could say that they have been born again.

It seems to me that’s exactly what Jesus is calling us to do here. What should we to do with the grace given to us? Like John the Baptist, we are to bear witness to the light. With our very presence we are to be Good News for all people.

Today is Laetare—a day of rejoicing. How will you respond to this message of joy? Maybe you don’t want to do anything. You just want to head straight to brunch and forget all about this difficult challenge you’ve been offered. And that’s understandable. Brunch is good. 

On the other hand, you might want to consider what it would be like to take the call seriously. You. Out there sharing God’s love with people. You. Crossing bridges to connect with people you might even consider enemies because you are different races or you have different ideologies or political views. You. Being the vehicle of God’s healing grace. Wouldn’t that be the makings of “eternal life” here on earth?

I think it’d be pretty cool. It’s not impossible. Daryl Davis says if he can build bridges with the Klan then all human connections are possible. With simple acts of kindness and deep listening, friendships can develop that transform people and transform the world. Just contemplating this opportunity should cause our hearts to rejoice.

You want to really celebrate Laetare? Then I’ll give you a special challenge. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is this: Sometime this week, forge a new connection with someone who is different than you are. If you want to go for the top level challenge to get extra credit points find a person who hates you and talk with them. Seek to understand them. Inch your way into an actual friendship. That’s what discipleship is all about and you’ve got the grace to do it. Go shine your light. Amen.

© 2018  Laura E. Gentry

REJOICE IN GOD'S LOVE

A Sermon for the 4th Sunday in Lent, Year B
by Pastor Laura Gentry

Numbers 21:4-9 • John 3:14-21

Today is already the fourth Sunday in Lent. And it actually has a name. It is called Laetare. This term comes from the Latin word “rejoice.” So we are right smack dab in the middle of the somber season of Lent and yet the word that describes this day is rejoice. Does that make any sense to you?

It seems a bit odd since this is a season of penitence and sacrifice. It is a season so serious that we don’t even get to sing our alleluia verses. Yet in the ancient church, the prayers for this day always began with the word rejoice. Why? Because we have now passed the halfway point. Lent is more than half done and we are well on our way to the great joy of Easter. And today’s scripture lessons are filled with joy as well.

It begins with the story from the Exodus where the people of God begin to get grumbly. They are on a journey to the promised land but they seem to have forgotten about the greatness of this destination. All they can see now is the present discomforts. They are in the middle of the wilderness and the food is awful. So they get mad at Moses. Never mind the fact that he led them out of slavery and he has helped them find water, manna and has even argued with God on their behalf. Still, they feel sorry for themselves and he’s the most convenient one to blame. “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” They ask Moses.

God does not appreciate their ingratitude and so poisonous serpents show up and start biting and killing the Israelites. So where is the joy in this story? It sounds like a horror movie. In a 1999 poll, 40% of Americans listed snakes as that thing in life that they feared most. Snakes beat out speaking in public and spiders. Now we have to deal with a snake story in the bible? It seems too awful.

It certainly reflects our human nature to want to fuss about things. We often grow impatient with God and feel that our wilderness experiences are lasting too long. We grumble and complain and embrace negativity instead of hope.

But back to the Exodus. Despite the fact that the people brought the snake problem on themselves by their negativity and ingratitude, God proves to be merciful. The people acknowledge their sin and ask for help. So God instructs Moses to make a bronze sculpture of one of the very serpents that had bitten them and mount it on a pole. Then, whenever someone is bitten, they simply look up to the serpent and they are healed. This is a great grace given freely to these unworthy wanderers.

Then, in the gospel lesson from John, we come in at the middle of a conversation that Jesus is having with a religious leader named Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to get through to this man that God is offering a new covenant through him. He says, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” You see he is making reference to the story we just heard. In the same way that God provided healing for the people through the serpent sculpture, God was now providing healing for all through Jesus who would be soon be dying for all on the cross. This cross is not just for the “insiders” who already have a relationship with God, but for all.

Then, comes John 3:16, the verse that everyone knows. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” It is known as the gospel in a nutshell. You see it written on the scoreboard and baseball games, on billboards and bumper stickers. I once saw a man holding a sign with this verse as he was protesting a concert of the Rolling Stones. It made me laugh to see him using it as a condemnation of those awful people going to see a rock band. I laughed because that is exactly the opposite point this scripture passage is making.

Look at the very next verse. Jesus says, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” The message is that the cross is lifted up to liberate people, to draw them to God with the cords not of guilt and condemnation but of unconditional love.

For we are the all the ones who chose darkness over light. We are the ones, like the Israelites, who like to complain even while we are on the road to freedom. Even when we don’t want to be this way, we end up being this way. Paul understood this internal wrestling when he wrote: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Romans 7:19-21) And it is not just the sins we commit that is the problem, but the sinners that we are at our very core.

Yet Paul also understands that while our nature is sinful, God’s nature is one of love and grace. “Where sin increased,” he writes in Romans 5:20, “grace overflowed all the more.”

Out of God's unsurpassing love for us, Christ is lifted up on the cross. And this love is for the whole cosmos. The author of John’s gospel wants to make this abundantly clear. Love is the theme that dominates the whole book. We hear that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8), that the relationship between Jesus and his father is love (Jn. 15:9-10; 17:23), and that the nature of discipleship is love (Jn. 13:34-35; 15:12-14).

This love of God is all in all. That is why they call John 3:16 the gospel in a nutshell: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. This is the reason we can rejoice today, even as our Lenten journey continues.

God woos us into a relationship through love and grace. In the book Surprised by Joy, the famous theologian C.S. Lewis claims that he came into Christianity kicking and screaming. He says that as a young man he was “very angry with God for not existing.” He had no intention of embracing faith in an unseen God. But the love of God drew him in against his own will. Of the night he accepted Christ, he writes this:

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.

As God offered healing to the Isrealites, God offers healing to all in Christ. The word “healing” comes from the same root as “wholeness” and “wellness” and they all refer to being “full” or “complete.” When we look at our own lives, we know that we are broken. Like Humpty Dumpty, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put us together again because we are just the broken by our own sinfulness and the sinfulness of the world that has run us over time and time again. Yet, Jesus comes to us in our broken state and offers healing and wholeness because of God’s great love for us. We are called to faith in Christ who heals us.

The theologian Paul Tillich wrote: “Faith is being seized by a power that is greater than we are...one that transforms us and heals us...Surrender to that power is called faith.” We are not required to heal ourselves, but simply to surrender to the Savior who can.

And so today, we hear again that powerful message of grace. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are saved by grace through faith in him and set free to do the good things God has planned for our lives. That is why it is Laetare—a day of rejoicing. We rejoice in God's love. Let us surrender to this power called faith that we may have eternal life. Amen.