Daily Readings - Sun Mar 14 2021
2 Chronicles
14Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.15And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.17Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.19And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.20And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:21To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,23Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
Ephesians
4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9Not of works, lest any man should boast.10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
John
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s mercy, the call to faith, and the transformative power of grace in our lives. In the first reading from 2 Chronicles, we hear the story of Jerusalem’s fall and the exile of God’s people. Despite their infidelity and rejection of the prophets, God remains faithful and ultimately offers them a path to redemption through the Persian king Cyrus, who allows the Israelites to return and rebuild the Temple. This passage reminds us that even in the midst of sin and failure, God’s mercy endures and His plan of salvation continues to unfold.
The second reading from Ephesians deepens this theme by emphasizing that our salvation is entirely a gift of God’s grace. We are saved not by our own works but through faith in Christ, who has raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavens. This passage calls us to humility and gratitude, recognizing that our good works are not the cause of our salvation but rather the fruit of God’s grace at work in us.
In the Gospel, Jesus draws a connection between the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert and His own crucifixion. Just as the serpent brought healing to those who looked upon it, Jesus’ death on the cross brings eternal life to all who believe in Him. Yet, the Gospel also warns us that unbelief leads to judgment, not because God condemns us, but because we choose darkness over light. Jesus is the Light of the world, and those who act in truth will be drawn to Him, while those who love evil will flee from Him.
These readings challenge us to examine our own faith and response to God’s mercy. Like the Israelites, we have all sinned and fallen short, but God’s grace is always available to us. Like the Ephesians, we are called to live out our faith in good works, not to earn salvation but as a way of life transformed by Christ. And like those who heard Jesus’ words, we must choose to believe in Him, to look upon the crucified Savior, and to walk in the light of His truth. May we today embrace the gift of salvation, live with gratitude for God’s mercy, and trust in the power of His grace to transform our lives.