“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.”
In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness to heal the people, this year’s fourth Sunday in Lent has us looking to Jesus lifted on the cross as the source of our healing and salvation. We are reminded of God’s great love and grace in this action as we read that God came into the world not to condemn it but that the world might be saved through him. In the letter to Ephesians, Paul reminds us that this salvation comes to us, not through our good works, but through grace by faith, a true gift of God.
Readings
Numbers 21:4-9
The lifting up of the serpent
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
You deliver your people from their distress
Ephesians 2:1-10
Saved by grace through faith for good works
John 3:14-21
The lifting up of the Son of Man
Worship Music
This week we’ll highlight the cross and the amazing grace we have received through the gift of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. We’ll sing of the amazing love of God in What Wondrous Love Is This, pray that we would be kept close to the cross in Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross, and we’ll celebrate the importance of the cross in our faith lives as we sing Lift High the Cross.
Reflection Question
We receive grace as a free gift from God. How can we extend grace as a free gift to those around us?
