John 3:14-21 (NRSV)
Read John 3:14-21 on biblegateway.com
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. Verse 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Verse 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Verse 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. Verse 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Devotion
There it is again: the bronze serpent. While for Moses and the Israelites the serpent represented a temporary act of mercy and healing by God, for us Christ crucified represents an enduring and relentless witness of love that has the power to stir faith and transform hearts.
We never seem to be able to completely forget or shake our old ways, but because of Christ we are able to move forward. Death is not the end. Christ’s death and resurrection is just the beginning.
Prayer
Lord, help us anticipate Easter as a hopeful beginning and not as a triumphant finale. Free us from our temporal thinking so we may fully imagine the capabilities of the everlasting love you've given us through your son. Amen.