March 10, 2024 —
Throughout Lent, Scripture has shown us that being a sinner in a sinful world has its challenges: temptations, the cross, distraction from the heart of worship.
Today we see the solution for our failures. While we are tempted to focus on the difficulty of the struggle, God lifts up our eyes to see His love shown in His gift of His Son.
Our Old Testament reading gives us the lesson of the bronze snake, that those who look up in faith have the benefit of the promise—the cure for unbelief and its consequences. Our Epistle Lesson explains so beautifully what faith is: simply the hand that receives the grace of God. And in our Gospel, Jesus ties all three together, teaching us to look up and live, “for God so loved the world….”
The concept of faith ties this Sunday’s readings together. When we look to Jesus in faith, He gives us His victory in this battle we’re watching in Lent.
Sermon theme this Sunday: God’s Cure for Satan’s Venom