NOTE FROM PASTOR J R FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
Sunday will be the 4th Sunday of Kingdomtide. It is also the day and date of my 23rd anniversary of becoming the Pastor of Covenant (Sunday, September 17, 2000.) So many things have changed, so many faces have come and gone, thankfully some are still here, and I am thankful and grateful for my Pastoral journey here at Covenant.
This text to be read this Sunday includes John 3:16. It was assigned for the observance of Holy Cross Day this past Thursday. Without a doubt, it is arguably, along with Psalm 23, one of the two most familiar passages of scripture. This wonderful text chosen for Holy Cross observance demonstrates the height, length, breath, and depth of God’s love for humanity. The key for us is understanding that it’s not just about God’s love for humanity in the past. NO! It speaks to God’s love for each of us still today. As such, years ago, I concluded that John 3:16 should never be read without also reading John 3:17 with it. To do otherwise, one would fail to understand the extent of the greatest of God’s love for ALL of humanity.
Read them together here as one continuous line of thought. “For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son, so that “whosoever” believes in Jesus may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Jesus.”
“God is still speaking” and the message is a simple but very clear one: “It’s Still All About Love.”
So, join us at Covenant for worship this Sunday – in person, by Zoom, Facebook Livestream or YouTube. I will be preaching on this most familiar text, “John 3:13-17,” where after 23 years as Pastor of Covenant, the great truth of scripture is telling us “It’s Still All About Love.”
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