Daily Readings - Sun Mar 11 2018

¹⁴Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.¹⁵The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.¹⁶But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.¹⁷He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.¹⁹They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.²⁰He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.²¹The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.²²In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:²³"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

Ephesians

Chapter 2

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John

Chapter 3

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of redemption, grace, and the transformative power of faith. In the first reading from 2 Chronicles, we witness the consequences of Israel’s rebellion against God. Despite their repeated infidelity, God’s mercy ultimately prevails, as He stirs the heart of Cyrus, the Persian king, to allow the exiles to return and rebuild the Temple. This passage reminds us that even in the midst of judgment, God’s love and forgiveness are always at work. The second reading from Ephesians deepens this theme, emphasizing that our salvation is entirely a gift of God’s grace. We are saved not by our own efforts but through faith, and we are called to live out this gift in good works that reflect God’s love. The Gospel from John unfolds the ultimate expression of this love: God’s gift of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert to save the people, Jesus is lifted up on the cross to bring eternal life to all who believe. These readings are deeply interconnected. The story of Israel’s exile and restoration in 2 Chronicles foreshadows the universal salvation offered through Christ. The Ephesians passage explains the mystery of how this salvation is accomplished—through grace and faith—and the Gospel reveals the heart of this mystery: God’s boundless love for the world. Together, they remind us that our relationship with God is rooted in His initiative, not our own. While we may stumble into darkness, God continually offers us the light of His Son, inviting us to turn toward Him. In our daily lives, these readings call us to trust in God’s mercy and to live as people transformed by His grace. Let us not rely on our own strength or works to earn God’s favor, for salvation is a gift freely given. Instead, let us embrace the light of Christ, allowing His love to guide us in all we do. May we, like the exiles of old, return to the Lord with humble hearts, and may we, like the Ephesians, walk in the good works prepared for us by God. Above all, let us remember that God so loved the world that He gave us His Son—may we respond to this love by believing in Him and living in the light.