Here’s something you’re going to wish you didn’t know about me: I am a huge fan of the hit reality TV show The Bachelor. I don’t just mean I watch the show, as if that wasn’t bad enough. My family and I have games and leagues and drafts about this show. I watch every episode. I talk about it weekly. It’s sad.
But one of the things that truly fascinates me about this show is the way the show is able to define people. Contestants that go on the show are given an identity by the way the producers and editors shape the show’s narrative. Each year of the show there are certain character types. There’s the girl next door, the girl seeking redemption, the bad boy with a good heart, etc. etc. etc. And every year someone plays the role of the villain. And whereas with the other sweet and charming character types where people will love them for 10 minutes and forget them in a week, with the villain the hatred remains. Ask anyone who watches the Bachelor what they think of Vienna or Bentley or Courtney and you will get visceral reactions.
The thing about this that fascinates me is that we know nothing about these people. We’ve never met them, we’ve never seen them, we’ve never had any interactions with them. But yet we have clear opinions about these people based solely on what we see on television. And while it is dubbed reality tv, it is producers and editors mediating what we as viewers see. These editors and producers have determined these person’s narratives, their stories, and we buy it. We hate people based on the story someone else tells us about them.
Now all of you that tuned out at the first mention of the Bachelor can come back. I’m about to talk about Jesus, now.
John 3:16. Probably the most famous verse in all of the Bible. Words of comfort. Words of hope. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believed in him would not perish but have eternal life. I remember memorizing this as a child. I remember not knowing what it meant, but knowing it was important.
There’s another image from my childhood I have of this verse. One day the preacher preached on this passage of John. As I walked into Big Church that day to acolyte, I saw two huge banners hung on either side of the cross. One read John 3:16, like what’s popular at sporting events. The other was done in a similar style and read John 3:19. The preacher talked about how we see signs for John 3:16 all the time at sporting events. And why wouldn’t we? It’s a profound verse of hope and love. But we don’t often see signs for John 3:19. That’s not a verse we memorize. That’s not a verse we like to bring up. Because it’s kind of a downer.
And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and the people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:16. John 3:19. For God so loved the world. And this is the judgment. That he gave his only son. That the light has come into the world. That whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. The people loved darkness rather than life because their deeds are evil.
What we have here are competing notions, competing worldviews, competing stories. And which one is it? What’s the story? Is the world beloved by God? Is the world saved by the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son? Or is the world judged? Is the world dark? Are we ultimately evil people who will destroy ourselves? What is it? What’s the story?
That’s the big question isn’t it. And there’s plenty of evidence for each. We live in a world where we see love. We live in a world where we see hope. We live in a world where we see joy. And from time to time we can look at the world and see that it is beloved by God, we can see that the love of Christ has come into the world, and that the world is being saved. It’s like the opening lines of Love, Actually, “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there.” Each of us can think of a place where we see love, where we see evidence of Christ’s love being in the world and being reflected all around. Maybe its in the selfless teachers or social workers. Maybe its in your friends or neighbors. Maybe its in your family. Maybe its in news stories of sacrifice and altruism. Maybe its in all of these things and more. But we all know there is goodness, there is hope, there is love in this world. We all know that God does love this world and God is in this world making it better for us all.
But we also see the darkness. We also see the hatred. We also see places where it seems as if hope is a foolish thing. We watch CEOs and big businessmen steal pension money and take on bad risk that bankrupts companies and our economy. We watch politicians become corrupt as power and greed gain more control over them. We watch women and children die in genocide and war. We see homeless people beg for basic necessity. We see good people conned and swindled. Even as we cry out for justice, even as we cry out for these evils to cease, we confront this same evil, hatred, and greed in ourselves. We lie, we cheat, we steal. And this is the judgment: that the light has come into the world, and the people love darkness rather than light because our deeds are evil.
So which is it? What’s the story? We look around and see hope. We look around and see evil. But my brothers and sisters we gather here this morning on this day and in this place to hear this good news: God loves the world. That is it. That is the story. God loves the world.
And because God loves the world, there is hope. Because God loves the world we have a future. Because God loves the world we have been reached out to, claimed, and loved by God in Jesus Christ. Because God loves the world we can talk about and hope for a time when death, sin, hatred, evil, and darkness will be no more. Because God loves the world we can believe.
That’s the Christian story. That’s the story we come here today to hear and proclaim. That’s the Gospel.
You have a choice this morning. Unlike the contestants on the Bachelor who have no control over the story the show will tell about them, you have a choice. You can choose your story. You can choose how you view yourself, how you view the world, how you view God.
So what is your story? Has the light come into the world to judge the world? Does the world live in darkness? Do hate, evil, and sin win the day? Do we love the darkness because our deeds are evil? Is that the story?
Or is the story something else? Is the world loved by God? Is the world saved by God in Jesus Christ? Have you come to believe that the light has come into the world and the darkness cannot stand against it? Have you come to believe that God loves the world and that simple fact makes all the difference?
So what’s the story? And, even better, how are you living your story? How does the story shape you? How does the story change your life? Because it is our life and our actions that truly reveal which story we have chosen, which story we believe.
On Saturday April 14th, you’ll have a chance to live your story. On Saturday April 14th, not even a full week after Easter, you’ll have the chance to make your faith a reality. Here at the church we will have our semi-annual blood drive. You can live your story, you can love the world. You can give blood. Also on Saturday April 14th, for those of you that cannot give blood, there will be another mission opportunity. The Missions Team has voted to partner with St. Matthew’s UMC in their Family Community Service Day, the principle part of which is a potato drop. 46,000 pounds of potatoes will be delivered to St. Matthew’s parking lot and they’ll need to be bagged. These potatoes will go to food banks in our area and will give a meal to those begging for basic necessity. 46,000 pounds is a lot of potatoes. We’ll need your help. You can live your story, you can love the world. You can give your time.
God loves the world. God loves the world so much that he gave his only son. If you believe that, if that is your story, then you too must love the world. You must join in, you must love the world along with God.
Usually I end my sermons with a pointed question and let the silence hang for a moment. But this morning I want to end with a declarative statement. Because we live in a world of love and hatred, of hope and despair, of joy and sorrow. And because we live in a world of paradox and dichotomy we can become confused and cynical. We can begin to question what’s going on, we can begin to wonder what the story really is. So I don’t need to end with a question because when you leave here today the world will have plenty of questions for you. But my brothers and sisters, hear this word, this statement, and take this word, this statement, with you as you leave this place: God loves the world. And you should too.
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