John 3:13-17 (NRSV)
Read John 3:13-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. Verse 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, Verse 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Verse 16"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. Verse 17"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.
Devotion
As his mother and grandmother watched him zip down the sidewalk in front of a neighbor's house, 7-year-old Sean's scooter took him into the path of a teen driver, who was simply pulling into the family driveway.
Sean was "gone" in that instant. His brain no longer functioning, his family was left with what he had testified with his young life. That made donating his organs a simple choice. Eerily, he had told his family he would soon go to be with Jesus and his grandpa. They recalled his aunt's invitation that he pick out any birthday gift and how he chose to go to garage sales instead. He'd found a little sculpture, which he gave to his father to place next to Dad's cherished picture of Grandpa.
Thanks be to God for the faith and spirit of giving, which God intends for us to recall and imitate, even as little children.
Prayer
Lord God, help us to depend on you alone, and to see all creation in the light of your willingness to give your only Son to suffer the cross for our sake. Amen.