"The Lenten Pilgrimage" - Day 17

Monday, March 8th 

   “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.”

                                                                             

                                                                                                                            John 3:16-17

     This is the blessed Christian hope, that eternal life is God’s gift to the world, a gift that is realized through faith in his Son, Jesus.  And in John's Gospel, there is a present-tense quality to eternal life.  It is not merely reserved for the life yet-to-come.  It is a present reality, a here-and-now gift of a deeper, higher, fuller and more authentic life.  

      It is, both a qualitative and quantitative measure of a life that has been restored to right relationship with the Father through faith in the Son. 

      As we make pilgrimage to the cross today, let us remember why we have embarked our journey.  We travel because we desire to more fully dispel the remnant of sin that impedes our following as we search for a deeper communion with the One who came not to condemn, but to save.

Prayer

     Dear Christ of the cross, in you we find our salvation.  Through you, God's love is revealed.     

     In you, we best understand the depths of God's love for the world that God spoke into being 

     and called good.  We rejoice in the good news that you came to save us from sin.  We give 

     you thanks that you came not to condemn, but to save, a fallen world.  We seek your wisdom 

     and grace to live into the fullness of the new life you offer us through faith.  In your holy name 

     we pray.  Amen.