Maybe you’ve heard of Tim Tebow.
He’s the young backup-to-frontline quarterback for the Denver Broncos. But he’s news even outside of the sports pages because in the last few years, he’s brought evangelical Christianity to big time football prominence, and brought genuflecting back into fashion (although that particular sort of kneeling has been rebranded as “Tebowing”).
Two weeks ago, the Monday morning buzz was all about divine messages or divine intervention when a game-winning overtime touchdown pass brought Tebow’s passing to 316 yards – a total immediately taken by some fans as a reference to the 16th verse of the 3rd chapter of the Gospel according to John – a biblical reference Tebow famously wore in his eye black during a NCAA championship game.
John 3:16.
It’s a bible verse that’s had a place, of sorts, in football and other televised sports for around 30 years. But you’ll find that cryptic little reference in other places, too. It’s on the bottom of the shopping bags of the fashion chain Forever 21 (something the youth group tipped me off to, last weekend). It’s on the drink cups of a west coast burger chain, and on the door of my dry cleaners here in Lombard. And I’ll bet you’ve seen it other places, too.
John 3:16 has become a shorthand for Christian faith in many places.
In fact, I’ll bet many of you can recite it, now, without looking it up in the Bible. Anyone?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (NRSV)
I'm sure you also know that it comes from the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus sneaking in to visit Jesus and ask about the power of God – a story that’s all about the unpredictability and uncertainty of faith.
And pulled from its context, in the last quarter century or so, John 3:16 has been recruited to do the work of the entire Bible, or at least the Christian testament. It’s been called a summary of the Gospel.
But I don’t think that’s fair.
Because the Bible is a big book. It has a lot to say about God, much about the Son of God, and more to say about how we live when we’re in relationship with God – with some politics, census, history, and love poetry mixed in.
It can’t possibly be summarized in 25 words. And you really do have to know the whole story in order to appreciate the love, the gift, the belief, and the eternal life mentioned in that one popular verse.
So it drives me crazy that there’s a culture that regards quoting John 3:16 as the essence of Christian faith.
But I do think Tim Tebow is on to something.
Because it is a big book, and there’s really too much of it to hold on to all at once. But there are certain stories, sayings, and verses that speak strongly to us. Fragments that express the essence of the gospel we’ve received and understood in our hearts and try to practice in our lives.
And today we heard mine.
Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
That’s Mark 1:15. I don’t wear eye black on national television, but you can find this gospel story on my quilt square in the parish hall.
The time is now – not someday, but now.
The reign of God is near –within reach, here.
Repent: Change, renew. Turn like a plant toward the sun.
and Believe in the good news: Give your heart and your allegiance to the joy of God’s presence. Make that the core of your life.
That’s the Gospel according to Jesus;
He’s the young backup-to-frontline quarterback for the Denver Broncos. But he’s news even outside of the sports pages because in the last few years, he’s brought evangelical Christianity to big time football prominence, and brought genuflecting back into fashion (although that particular sort of kneeling has been rebranded as “Tebowing”).
Two weeks ago, the Monday morning buzz was all about divine messages or divine intervention when a game-winning overtime touchdown pass brought Tebow’s passing to 316 yards – a total immediately taken by some fans as a reference to the 16th verse of the 3rd chapter of the Gospel according to John – a biblical reference Tebow famously wore in his eye black during a NCAA championship game.
John 3:16.
It’s a bible verse that’s had a place, of sorts, in football and other televised sports for around 30 years. But you’ll find that cryptic little reference in other places, too. It’s on the bottom of the shopping bags of the fashion chain Forever 21 (something the youth group tipped me off to, last weekend). It’s on the drink cups of a west coast burger chain, and on the door of my dry cleaners here in Lombard. And I’ll bet you’ve seen it other places, too.
John 3:16 has become a shorthand for Christian faith in many places.
In fact, I’ll bet many of you can recite it, now, without looking it up in the Bible. Anyone?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (NRSV)
I'm sure you also know that it comes from the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus sneaking in to visit Jesus and ask about the power of God – a story that’s all about the unpredictability and uncertainty of faith.
And pulled from its context, in the last quarter century or so, John 3:16 has been recruited to do the work of the entire Bible, or at least the Christian testament. It’s been called a summary of the Gospel.
But I don’t think that’s fair.
Because the Bible is a big book. It has a lot to say about God, much about the Son of God, and more to say about how we live when we’re in relationship with God – with some politics, census, history, and love poetry mixed in.
It can’t possibly be summarized in 25 words. And you really do have to know the whole story in order to appreciate the love, the gift, the belief, and the eternal life mentioned in that one popular verse.
So it drives me crazy that there’s a culture that regards quoting John 3:16 as the essence of Christian faith.
But I do think Tim Tebow is on to something.
Because it is a big book, and there’s really too much of it to hold on to all at once. But there are certain stories, sayings, and verses that speak strongly to us. Fragments that express the essence of the gospel we’ve received and understood in our hearts and try to practice in our lives.
And today we heard mine.
Jesus proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
That’s Mark 1:15. I don’t wear eye black on national television, but you can find this gospel story on my quilt square in the parish hall.
The time is now – not someday, but now.
The reign of God is near –within reach, here.
Repent: Change, renew. Turn like a plant toward the sun.
and Believe in the good news: Give your heart and your allegiance to the joy of God’s presence. Make that the core of your life.
That’s the Gospel according to Jesus;
the gospel that Simon and Andrew, James and John would have heard when he called them from their boats. No wonder they respond so fully, so immediately, to the call!
Jesus preaches the world I want to live in, the gospel that shapes my days and my imagination: The world according to God is now. Respond. Believe.
These are words that encourage me to make decisions and actions that reflect the kingdom of God, here and now; that remind me to rejoice in giving my heart to good news of God’s presence.
Of course, you have to read the whole Bible to appreciate that one verse, too. Because that's how you learn about the world according to God. It's described in Genesis, and by Moses and the prophets as a good world, where we are made in God’s image and care for creation, where the weakest and most fragile are the focus of grace; a world where other desires can never pull us away from God’s love. And the law codes, the letters of Paul, even the history and the love poetry and the politics, are about how we repent, how we change our behavior to live according to the reign of God.
And in all of that there are other gospel gems. Other lenses that may focus and reflect the whole gospel for you, and for others, the way Mark 1:15 does for me.
I don’t imagine that we’re going to see a lot of Mark 1:15 signs at football games.
But I wish we would.
I wish we’d see those signs in all sorts of places.
And signs reading
Jesus preaches the world I want to live in, the gospel that shapes my days and my imagination: The world according to God is now. Respond. Believe.
These are words that encourage me to make decisions and actions that reflect the kingdom of God, here and now; that remind me to rejoice in giving my heart to good news of God’s presence.
Of course, you have to read the whole Bible to appreciate that one verse, too. Because that's how you learn about the world according to God. It's described in Genesis, and by Moses and the prophets as a good world, where we are made in God’s image and care for creation, where the weakest and most fragile are the focus of grace; a world where other desires can never pull us away from God’s love. And the law codes, the letters of Paul, even the history and the love poetry and the politics, are about how we repent, how we change our behavior to live according to the reign of God.
And in all of that there are other gospel gems. Other lenses that may focus and reflect the whole gospel for you, and for others, the way Mark 1:15 does for me.
I don’t imagine that we’re going to see a lot of Mark 1:15 signs at football games.
But I wish we would.
I wish we’d see those signs in all sorts of places.
And signs reading
John 3:16 or John 3:17
and many more, so that the good news is everywhere, in many different ways.
Which brings me back to Tim Tebow.
Because John 3:16 isn’t the only verse he’s worn on his face. In his college football career, he wore many different biblical references, verses and phrases that shape his life, that he shared with the world – or at least the Florida Gator fans.
And I wonder:
How would it be if we wore our gospel – you and me, at work or at school – every day, or at least once a week?
How would it be, if we knew and proclaimed – by our faces and bodies and by our actions – the core of our faith? If we carried with us, for all the world to see, the words that shape our everyday decisions and dreams.
I want you to try it.
It may take time.
First, you need to know your verse. You may already.
If not, read and listen and remember. Open your heart to the stories and statements of the Bible that grab hold of you, deep inside. The ones that trigger longing, or tears, or real joy.
Then use them. Spend time imagining how your life would be, lived according to those words. Put them on your lists of pros and cons when you’re making a decision, even if it seems to be about something else. Imagine them over the heads of people you love, and people who drive you crazy.
Finally, proclaim them.
You don’t have to paint your face, but you could.
Write them on your hand.
Get a T-shirt.
And don’t be shy about sharing them. Because if you’re living the gospel, other people will want to know your secret.
It may not win you a Super Bowl, but life in the Kingdom of God lasts a lot longer and has fewer commercials.
Thanks be to God.
and many more, so that the good news is everywhere, in many different ways.
Which brings me back to Tim Tebow.
Because John 3:16 isn’t the only verse he’s worn on his face. In his college football career, he wore many different biblical references, verses and phrases that shape his life, that he shared with the world – or at least the Florida Gator fans.
And I wonder:
How would it be if we wore our gospel – you and me, at work or at school – every day, or at least once a week?
How would it be, if we knew and proclaimed – by our faces and bodies and by our actions – the core of our faith? If we carried with us, for all the world to see, the words that shape our everyday decisions and dreams.
I want you to try it.
It may take time.
First, you need to know your verse. You may already.
If not, read and listen and remember. Open your heart to the stories and statements of the Bible that grab hold of you, deep inside. The ones that trigger longing, or tears, or real joy.
Then use them. Spend time imagining how your life would be, lived according to those words. Put them on your lists of pros and cons when you’re making a decision, even if it seems to be about something else. Imagine them over the heads of people you love, and people who drive you crazy.
Finally, proclaim them.
You don’t have to paint your face, but you could.
Get a T-shirt.
And don’t be shy about sharing them. Because if you’re living the gospel, other people will want to know your secret.
It may not win you a Super Bowl, but life in the Kingdom of God lasts a lot longer and has fewer commercials.
Thanks be to God.
Nicely done and with references I'd never hear from Katie :)
ReplyDeletePeace,
Jimmy Wright