Blessings Beyond Borders

Blessings Beyond Borders
A Lenten Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
February 17, 2008
Abington Presbyterian Church

John 3: 1-17
    Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
    ‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 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.
    ‘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.
    ‘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.*

There are 362 days until Valentine’s Day. On Thursday we celebrated Valentine’s Day. The Greeting Card Association estimates that one billion valentines were sent, 85% of them by women. School children still routinely exchange these cards, with kind and affectionate messages printed on them. The holiday takes its name from one of two Christian martyrs named Valentinius from the 3^rd century. But their martyrdom has little to do with romantic love. It was not until Chaucer penned a poem about romantic love occurring on the day of St. Valentine, that it became a day associated with romance and affection. Though the British probably gave hand produced valentines going back to the 18^th century, in 1840, an American, Esther Howland, began selling mass produced valentines in her parent’s card shop. On Valentines Day, we express our love or affection for another person. The valentine is given freely with the hope that it will elicit a mutual response of love and affection. What does this have to do with Christian faith? I believe that it can provide us with a metaphor for understanding today’s well known passage from the gospel of John.

“God so loved the world, that gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish.” This verse been called the “gospel in miniature,” and indeed, it is summation of God’s work of salvation. I do not want to trivialize God’s love, but the printed valentine may help us understand the significance and the power of this verse. Like a valentine, it is motivated by love. “God loved.” Just as a valentine is initiated by one person, so God’s work of salvation is initiated by God. Valentines are freely given. God’s son is freely given to the world. Like a valentine, this gift is given in hope of beginning or continuing a relationship of love. What I intend to do this morning is to look at three words in this well known verse. First, the object of God’s love, the world, second, the action motivated by God’s love, he gave, and third, the response anticipated by God, believe.

God loved the world. This statement is a bold departure from the traditional Hebrew understanding of God during Jesus’ day. Nicodemus, the Pharisee, to whom Jesus was speaking, would know about the love of God, but that love was particular. Nicodemus’ view of God was nationalistic. God loved the Hebrew people. They, alone, were God’s chosen people. In this statement, the scope of God’s love breaks beyond the borders of parochialism and nationality. God’s declares his love, not merely for the Hebrew people, but for the entire world!

One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ life was that he reached beyond the boundaries and borders that human beings erect. There were no “outsiders” in Jesus ministry. Those who were alienated, ridiculed, regarded as unclean, unholy, immoral, inferior, were precisely the ones who Jesus went out of his way to include. The circle of Christ’s love was drawn wide and large and included the world.

The Greek word that John used was kosmos. God’s love for the world extends beyond its human inhabitants... God loves the entire created world. This Greek word, ksomos, implies that the created world is moving toward order and fulfillment. It envisions a world that is ultimately redeemed and saved.

The Black Spiritual proclaims, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” God’s love is not for part of the world. God loves the entire cosmos! God does not love just one type of disciple. God loves Peter, James and John. God also loves Thomas and Andrew. God’s love is not only for the smart people, the beautiful people, the rich people, and the poor people. God’s love is not limited to one type of Christian or one type of worship. God’s love for the world is not limited to Presbyterians, Methodists, Evangelicals, Liberals, Progressive Christians, Conservative Christians, Catholics or Orthodox. It is indeed a blessing beyond all the borders we humans create…. The whole world in his hands… but also you and me… in God’s loving hands.

God gave. God’s son, Jesus, is a gift. God gave. A gift is a voluntary act which does not expect nor require anything in return. A gift is meant to be free. Gifting is an important part of our life. We give gifts to people at different times. We give gifts to celebrate occasions like birthdays, weddings, and holidays. We give gifts as tokens or symbols of affection and love. Sadly, gfits have taken on a sense of obligation, but that is not a gift. It is a contract! Giving something never has an expectation, and a true gift, never has strings or conditions attached. The greatest gift is sacrificial, because it ultimately comes from the heart.

O’Henry’s famous short story, “The Gift of the Magi” is the story of sacrificial giving. It is about a poor couple living in a flat in a city. The husband sells his watch to buy his wife combs for her hair. The wife sells her hair to buy a chain for her husband’s watch. On one level a bitter irony, but the author adds this comment at the end: “Here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.” The greatest gifts are sacrificial gifts.

God gave his son. The words here reveal a lot about God. We can say that God ‘sent’ his son, as on a mission. We can say that God “commissioned” his son. That God “directed his son”… but here the words are, “God gave his son.” This is love at its most intimate level; love that that gives that which is most precious… love that transforms, heals and makes new. God gave…. And gave.

Jesus is a gift for the world from God. Given, because God loves the world and because God loves us. There are no strings or conditions attached. Christ was not a gift merely for the Hebrew people… nor merely for the Roman church, nor merely for those with white skin, brown skin, or any other type of skin. Christ was God’s gift to the world… all of the world. It was a gift of the most precious thing that God could give. God gave.

III

The last word is believe. All of us believe. We have faith in something. We order our lives around what we believe. This ranges from the mundane: we believe it will rain today, so we take an umbrella; to the profound, we believe that God is the creator of the world, so we treat God’s creation with respect rather than exploit it. All of us believe.

The Theology Book Club is reading a book by Paul Tillich entitled The Dynamics of Faith. The first statement in that classic book is that “faith is the state of being ultimately concerned.” Faith can be religious or it can be secular. One can have ultimate faith in the redemptive work of Christ, or be ultimately concerned about money, personal appearance, football, music, or NASCAR. Faith or belief is what orients our entire personality and being. Belief occurs in the center of one’s being and includes the entire person. Faith involves the emotions and it involves the intellect. Faith in Christ is a response that includes both heart and mind.

How do we respond to the love of God for all creation? How do we respond to love that gives sacrificially that which is most precious? There are any number of responses that we might have. We can respond casually: “That is nice, I will show appreciation when I have time.” We can reject Christ: “No thank you… I can’t accept this gift.” Or we can respond with belief.. “Thank you.. I believe, help my unbelief.” For those who respond with faith, this gift of love in Jesus Christ, multiplies eternally.

I worry that my analogy of Valentines Day trivializes the importance of this verse from the gospel of John. God’s gift of love, given in Jesus Christ, is neither a card nor a obligation. It is a gift to the world, for the world. It is a gift that touches and transforms. It is a gift that is at once as large as the cosmos and as personal as calling us by name. It is a gift that blesses beyond the borders and boundaries that we build to exclude others and to protect ourselves. God loved the world so much, that he gave his only child, his son. To those who believe, it is the gift of eternal life. This is the good news. Amen.

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania, www.apcusa.org