Day 12 - Thirty Six Days

Romans 5:8 (NRSV) But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

We are seeing a theme in these Thirty Six Days. Of course it is the love of God for people.
I would bet that you have some people in your life that you find annoying. There may be people that you do not like. You may know some dangerous people. I hope you don’t have people in your life that hurt you on purpose. I would guess that you have been hurt. You probably have hurt some people, too. These are the situations where love is put to the test.

Those who are Christians are commanded to love just as God loves (Eph 5:1). We are to love our neighbors. We are to love one another. We are to love our enemies. Does that leave anyone out? Oh! And yourself! “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39).

In the next sermon (Post Easter – 2008) series I want to explore the idea of the sacrifice of God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten.” What did he give? How was it love? I suggest that the sacrifice that God made was eternal.

• John 1:1 (NRSV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  
• John 1:14 (NRSV) And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
  

The Word had been with God from the beginning, whenever that was! The community of God, the Elohim, had always existed in close fellowship. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were intertwined from eternity. Was it like inseparable eternal triplets? The word I learned to describe this is perichoresis. The sacrifice of God began with the incarnation. There was no turning back from this point. The eternal proximity, the close fellowship, was broken...forever. The Word became Jesus. Jesus does not appear to ever return to be Word again. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Eph 1:20). When Jesus ascended angels told his disciples...
Acts 1:11 (NRSV) They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Is it strange to say that Jesus will be Jesus forever. The cross was a powerful example for us, but it is not the sum of the sacrificial love of God for us. The death of the innocent Jesus is a powerful moment, but thousands of people have been crucified. I also think innocent people have died unfairly. The sacrifice of God was not a three day stay in the realm of the dead (I think Lazarus had four!).
God loves you enough to make a forever sacrifice. That is big love.