For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…
John 3:16 is one of the most well known Bible passages in the world. During Holy Week we remember Jesus’ love for the world, a love that took him to the cross. On Easter we celebrate his resurrection and ours. Through our baptism we die with Jesus and are born again to new life, to an eternal life with Jesus.
For God so loved the world… The Greek word used for world is kosmos from which our English word cosmos comes. For God so loved the cosmos…
For the most part, the church talks about redemption and salvation only with respect to human beings. Yet there is a strong Biblical tradition that relates Christ’s work of redemption to all of creation.
The prophet Isaiah described a new heaven and a new earth, where “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together.”
In Roman’s chapter 8, Paul asserts that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
And at the very end of the Bible, John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, has a vision that echoes Isaiah’s description of a new heaven and a new earth. John sees this new heaven and earth and then he hears a voice declaring:
See the home of God is among mortals
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples
and God himself will be with them…
For God so loved the world… For God so loved the cosmos
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Easter season I hope your appreciation of God’s love and mercy is enriched and deepened by the promise that Jesus came to redeem, not just humanity, but all of creation.
For God so loved the cosmos that he gave his only son…
Pastor Margrethe