Scripture
John 3:16,17
Exodus 34:4-6, 8,9; Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18
Sermon Week/Year
Certain words are repeated so frequently that they lose their capacity to evoke expectation or meaning.
Forgiveness is one of them.
Ernest Hemingway’s short story The Capital of the World recounts a father’s journey to Madrid in search of his son, Paco, who had fled after a misunderstanding. Unable to locate him, the father places an advertisement in the local newspaper:
“Paco, meet me at noon on Tuesday at the newspaper office. All is forgiven. —Father.”
The next day, five hundred young men named Paco show up.
Five hundred.
All were waiting to see if the forgiveness was meant for them.
In today’s Gospel, we hear words just as familiar: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son… that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16–17).
This passage is well known and often repeated to the point that its significance may be overlooked. However, when considered alongside the scene in Madrid, its meaning is transformed. Five hundred young men…
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