The Love of God - You Matter

John 3:16 (NRSV)

For God so loves the world, God gave God’s one and only, unique, begotten Son that anyone who believes in him might stop dying and live an abundant never ending life.

We continue this week to study the most well-known passage of scripture: John 3:16. We have thus far explored the general implications of this passage, and we have talked as well about the idea that we are loved just as we are - we are enough. God will never love us more because of something we do, nor will God love us less because of something we do. God loves us and bestows grace on us because we are. Thus we are enough.

Today we are going to explore the idea that we matter. You matter. I matter. We all matter to God. Mattering has been transformed into a political stance, but let’s talk about what it really means for a minute: it means we are seen. It means we are known. It means we make a difference in the lives of those around us. It means we are important enough to change someone else’s actions and movements in order for them to accommodate our needs and desires.

When in the context of this verse, there is an implied “God” phrase at the end of each of our statements:

You are enough - to God.

You matter - to God

You are loved - by God.

Because although each of these are or should be true for each of us to each other, the idea that these could be specifically true of the creator of the universe seems impossible, absurd, and a little bit weird.

Think about the gods and goddesses human beings have created or written about in other contexts: even comic book ones. They do not recognize human beings individually as important, but they want to ‘save’ all of us in order to rescue each of us.

Meanwhile our God, the God reveals in scripture that individuals matter. Individuals AND nations AND the world. God is big enough to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve, to meet with Abram and hear Sarai laugh, to meet with Hagar when she is alone and desperate, to even be named by her: The God who SEES.

The stories in scripture are about a God for whom each of us matter, individually and corporately. God approaches and reaches out to both individuals and the nation of Israel, with the intention of reaching every single person, to tell them they are loved and they matter and they are enough. And we know this because of the ways in which we hear psalmists and prophets tell us in the Old Testament: God holds us close, God seeks us out, God knows our names, God sings over us - poetically and prophetically, we hear it over and over in the text handed down through the centuries.

It’s important that we know this - that we hold it close and breathe it in and savor this information:

We matter to God. A lot.

And we can refer just to this verse: John 3:16 to know that. You don’t send someone as important as your SON to demonstrate your love if the persons to whom you are sending him don’t matter. God sent God’s unique, one and only, begotten son to US. to each of us individually - to you and to me, and to all of us corporately - to the WORLD because we matter.

It’s funny, meaning ironic, not haha - that there is such a huge fight over the word matter, in terms of whose lives matter, as though calling out a specific group as mattering somehow negated the idea of other groups mattering. If we say Black Lives Matter (and we do!) that doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter; it just means we need to see black people more clearly as the individuals and beautiful people they are. This is a biblical perspective too: if we don’t believe that, then when we read the stories of how Jesus interacted with people we have to believe that people without leprosy no longer mattered while he was healing the ones with it and touching them. That the rest of the crowd no longer mattered when the woman with the issue of blood touched him, or at least specifically the little girl he was on his way to heal - all of which we know isn’t true. Yes, he was specifically calling out that the individuals mattered in those moments, but everyone else still mattered to him, too. He just knew the difference between making someone a priority for a moment and focusing exclusively on the overall mission for his lifetime.

That’s why Christians should be the first to see the other, to notice the ignored, to recognize the heartache of the marginalized. Poverty, racism, illness, hunger - these should be the things that Christ followers, of all people, should be trying to eradicate.

We should be telling others they matter. Their lives matter. Their pain matters. Their hurts matter. Their stories matter. Black Lives Matter, Brown Lives Matter, Immigrant Lives Matter, Indigenous Peoples LIves Matter, Poor Lives Matter, Hungry Lives Matter, and if we say those things and work for those things it doesn’t mean we don’t care about the people who aren’t those things: it means we are taking a moment to care about the most pressing needs around us first.

Just like Jesus did.

My illustration of this for more current situation is very personal but also, hopefully, a picture of how amazing our God is:

I’ve shared before that I was raised in the Church of the Nazarene. I grew up, much like Pastor Robbie, singing songs and hymns in church. But when I was 18, I decided I was done with all things church and I walked away from God and church and all things religion related. I came to believe I was smarter than that and certainly didn’t need to be shamed by someone else’s rules. For twenty years, I attended church only when it suited me, only when it looked good to someone else, or to spend time with my family.

Close to the end of that time, my husband was hospitalized with sepsis, went into septic shock and was, essentially, dying. I was alone. I had no church family, my bowling friends were great but also weren’t sure how to help, and honestly it was overwhelming and scary. During that time, I refused to pray. I asked others to do so if they though it might help, but I refused. HOwever, I had just a few weeks prior, printed out some songs from the internet - I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to sing or read some of the songs from my childhood. These were folded up and in my coat pocket. In the parking lot of the hospital while smoking a cigarette, I was belting out “To God be the Glory” by Fanny Crosby, just because I could.

It was another year before I finally began following Jesus, but I still look back on that moment and I am awed. Because I hadn’t been connected to those songs in a long time and just happened to print out several I loved; because once, nearly a hundred years prior, Fanny Crosby mattered to God, and in that moment wrote a song that gave me strength and hope when I couldn’t reach out to God in a conventional way because of my own pride.

Fanny Crosby was born with sight, however she developed an eye infection and a traveling “doctor” told her parents to put a warm poultice over her eyes. This scalded her corneas, and rendered her blind.

Her family raised her with a strong faith and she memorized large portions of scripture as well as poetry and songs. Her favorite hymns were by Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. She wound up writing more than nine thousand hymns. The most of anyone.

Her hymns are hopeful and reference often the themes of eternal life and heaven and praise. Songs like “It Will Be Worth It All” and “Redeemed” and “Tell Me The Story of Jesus” refer to her love of Jesus and her desire to be united with him.

my own experience with her hymns is echoed often in other’s stories too: this excerpt from a biography is an example [read pages 6-8 of Fannie Crosby biography]

This interaction reminds us of another fact about mattering: when you know you matter, it is far easier to listen to others and show them they matter, too.

That, after all, is the primary purpose of our own belief in Christ- to demonstrate the wonder and freedom of knowing Christ and being known by Christ.

You matter to God.

I matter to God.

---

Let us pray:

Holy and gracious Father:In your infinite love you made us

for yourself, and, when wehad fallen into sin and become

subject to evil and death,you, in your mercy, sent Jesus

Christ, your only andeternal Son, to share our human

nature, to live and die asone of us, to reconcile us to you, the

God and Father of all.

He stretched out his armsupon the cross, and offered himself,

in obedience to your will,a perfect sacrifice for the whole

world.

On the night he was handedover to suffering and death, our

Lord Jesus Christ tookbread; and when he had given thanks

to you, he broke it (breakbread), and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take,

eat: This is my Body, whichis given for you. Do this for the

remembrance of me."

After supper he took thecup of wine (raise cup); and when he had given

thanks, he gave it to them,and said, "Drink this, all of you:

This is my Blood of the newCovenant, which is shed for you

and for many for theforgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink

it, do this for theremembrance of me."

Therefore we proclaim themystery of faith together:

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

We celebrate the memorialof our redemption, O Father, in

this sacrifice of praiseand thanksgiving. Recalling his death,

resurrection, and ascension,we offer you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your HolySpirit to be for your people the

Body and Blood of your Son,the holy food and drink of new

and unending life in him.Sanctify us also that we may faithfully

receive this holySacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy,

and peace; and at the lastday bring us with all your saints

into the joy of youreternal kingdom.

All this we ask throughyour Son Jesus Christ: By him, and

with him, and in him, inthe unity of the Holy Spirit all honor

and glory is yours,Almighty Father, now and forever. AMEN.

And now, as our Savior

Christ has taught us,

we are bold to saytogether,

Our Father, who art inheaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our dailybread.

And forgive us ourtrespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not intotemptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

(Facing the people, theCelebrant says the following Invitation)

The Gifts of God for thePeople of God.

(Everyone comes up to receive)

Let us pray.

Celebrant and People

Eternal God, heavenlyFather,

you have graciouslyaccepted us as living members

of your Son our SaviorJesus Christ,

and you have fed us withspiritual food

in the Sacrament of hisBody and Blood.

Send us now into the worldin peace,

and grant us strength andcourage

to love and serve you

with gladness andsingleness of heart;

through Christ our Lord.Amen.

Benediction: Remember this: Grace to you! there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and nothing you can do to make him love you less. It is not transactional. It is being treated better than you deserve on the basis that God. Loves. You. Go with the knowledge that you are loved, you matter, you are enough. You are dismissed.