“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. For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn it, but in order to save the world through him” John 3:16-17

“Have we ever sinned? Of course. Will we sin again, despite our best intentions? No doubt about it. If sin were “fixed” by jumping through hoops, obeying all the rules, or going on a self-help binge and finding the ultimate diet and exercise program, we would always fall short. But wait! Sin and fear don’t have the last word here. God loves the world. God loves us. God loves you. We fall short, but God’s Son came into the world. And because Jesus died and rose again, we become part of an unending circle of love.” Laurie Hanson. The Funny Shape of Faith: Devotions for the Rest of Us (Kindle Edition.)

Sinners Become Winners

No one is without sin. Period. No matter what you think of your pastor or your parents or your best friend, no one is without sin. We all sin and fall short of the glory of G-d. We look at pictures on Facebook and images from TikTok and we think “those people have the life.” What we do not realize is the mess that so many of those people are facing in their lives. We are so quick to put up good fronts – while in the back we are barely making sense of life, of finances, and of faith.

John 3:16-17 may be just a little overused, quoted way too much, but Martin Luther called it the Gospel “in miniature.” Those verses encapsulate the entire message of G-d’s love for G-d’s people. It is the Gospel in its simplest form. It reminds us that everyone sins, but everyone is also captured within the net of G-d’s love, mercy and grace found in the cross of G-d’s only Son, Jesus Christ. That is why we need to hear that message over and over again.

Let us pray,

God of love, mercy and all-encompassing love and acceptance, I am in awe of what you have done for me. Thank you for bringing me into your circle of love. Amen.

Pastor Dave