Today’s Readings:
2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23
Psalm 137:1-6;
Ephesians 2:4-10
John 3:14-21
Whether the crime is heinous like murder and rape or not so serious like pick-pocketing, the judge’s verdict is always anticipated with a greater or lesser amount of dread. The defendant’s life and future are in the hands of those who make a judgment about the evidence. There are two parts to today’s Gospel from John chapter 3. They are separated by the line ‘On these grounds is sentence pronounced’. The first part provides the evidence: God “gave His only Son” in whom we choose to believe or not. The second part gives the judgment: those who believe in Him, live the truth and come to the light. Those who do not believe in Jesus are condemned because they prefer darkness and their ‘waka get as e be’.
God does not punish anyone. We are punished or rewarded by the consequences of our good or evil choices. Our whole life is working out of the sentence that shall be passed on to us. Jesus says clearly that believing “in the name of the only Son of God” is necessary if we are not be “be condemned” but be saved. What does it mean to believe? To believe is to come into the light by living in truth. The light is Jesus who was lifted on the Cross. Christ is our light and He enables us to see what we ought to do and this is expressed in “works done in God” (John 3:21). Good works are done in union with the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:16— “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.” Believing in God and doing good works begins with our self-surrender in Baptism/Confirmation —the beginning of a life of following Christ. This walk with Christ is a daily dying and rising with Christ. Our good works (reaching out to others, doing our daily tasks with love and care, acting justly and charitably, being faithful to God in all our relationships, and so on) are the ways we are being “lifted”. This is how we are crucified with Christ so that we might live forever.
JUDE-MARY OWOH
To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud:
Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I believe and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart, keep me from all evil, and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank You, Lord!
If you said the above short prayer, Congratulations! Prayerfully look for a living church and report to the resident reverend, pastor or priest, as the case may be.
Prayer:
May God plant my feet on the solid rock of faith, establish my good works in grace, heal my soul from sin and disgrace and drive away sorrow from my space in Jesus' name. Amen.
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