Devotional 3-19-09

*FOR THE LOVE OF IT ALL*

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, who visited Jesus at night to engage Him in a conversation concerning His teaching. Imagine the confusion and bewilderment as Jesus tells him,

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but 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 save through him...And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world...” (John 3:14-17, 19a)

No doubt Nicodemus has lived his life adhering to Jewish laws, believing strict obedience to Jewish tradition would be the way to please God. Perhaps he has been harsh in his relationships with those who don’t follow a similar life of rigorous self-discipline. He has put his faith in his own ability to follow the rules, to tithe, to fast, to pray, to settle disputes and render judgments.
Now this man Nicodemus believes to be a “teacher Who has come from God” is in essence telling him he just doesn’t “get it.” Where is God, the Source of Love, in the living of his life? Perhaps Nicodemus begins to realize he has somehow lost the light of love God wants His Creation to know, to embrace and to offer to one another.

God’s purpose, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is to demonstrate to everyone His redeeming love for us all. He understands our confusion, our questions, our doubts, our failures, and still offers us the promise of eternal life with Him if we will simply believe. Isn’t that the best news – the best reassurance – the best gift we could ever hope for?

*For the Love of It All
by Noel Paul Stookey

In the beginning, as life became form,
The oceans heaved, the mountains were cleaved,
The firmament stormed.
At the center of being, immensely small
Was the master of now, don't ask me how
The Love of it all

And the seasons were many.
Creation was new.
And there on a tree (deceptively free)
A forbidden fruit
Upon leaving the garden, after the fall,
One thing was clear; we chose not to hear
The Love of it all

But for the Love of it all
I would go anywhere.
To the ends of the earth,
What is it worth if Love would be there?
Walking the thin line between fear and the call
One learns to bend and finally depend
On the Love of it all

"Irresistible targets"
I heard someone say.
They were speaking of angels
Who are so courageous day after day
Gunned down on a highway (as we often recall)
I hear a scream; I have a dream
The Love of it all

Still the world is in labor,
She groans in travail.
She cries with the eagle, the dolphin,
She sighs in the song of the whale.
While the heart of her people
Prays at the wall.
A spirit inside is preparing a bride
For the Love of it all

For the Love of it all,
Like the stars and the sun,
We are hearts on the rise,
Separate eyes with the vision of one.
No valley too deep, no mountain too tall,
We can turn back the night with merely the light
From the Love of it all.

And so we are marching 'to give peace a chance'
Brother and sister as one in this mystery dance.
ong ago on a hilltop where now the curious crawl
A man on a cross paid the ultimate cost
For the Love of it all

For the Love of it all
We are gathered by grace
We have followed our hearts
To take up our partsIn this time and place.
Hands for the harvest,
Hear the centuries call:
It is still not too late to come celebrate
The Love of it all

"Eli, eli, lemana shabakthani"
The Love of it all

Linda Summers

Mission Prayer and Response Focus:
March 19: HHH Enjoy being outside in the summer? Give a nickel for every vegetable garden you have.