"Beyond the Slogans and Simple Formulas"
Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-21
"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."
~ John 3:16
John 3:16 has become much more than a bible verse; it has become a cultural slogan. It is also one of the most misused, misunderstood texts in all of scripture. Taken literally, John 3:16 suggests that those who do not believe in Christ will perish, and this one single verse has provided motivation for some decidedly unchristian actions, to include drawing bold lines of inclusion and exclusion in this life and the next.
And while some have called John 3:16 "the Gospel in a nutshell" -- the perfect and pithy summation of Christian faith -- it can reduce God to a formula: read this verse and you're saved.
But John 3:16 alone is insufficient in offering the full expression of the joy-filled, abundant life Jesus offers each one of us, for it puts the focus on his death, without holding up his life as an example to follow. And at the heart of that life is his commandment to love one another as he loves us.
Do you want a faith that moves beyond the slogans and simple formulas and offers a transformative, life-giving relationship with God through Christ? Do you want to experience eternal life -- not just in the next life, but here and now?
You can start by joining us for worship at 10 a.m. this Sunday, March 18, at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, an Open and Affirming Congregational of the United Church of Christ, 76 Pierce Street, Stoughton, MA. We hope you will join us!
NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU ARE ON LIFE'S JOURNEY, YOU'RE WELCOME HERE!
