Weekly Inspire

​The season of Lent invites us to turn our eyes to a wondrous sight — the cross as a visible sign of the forgiving love of God. The Old Testament Reading, Numbers 21, describes the lifting of the bronze serpent by Moses, inviting faith in the promised healing it would bring. The Gospel from John 3 is the narrative of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, using Moses’ lifting of the bronze serpent as a type of the crucifixion. The Epistle, Ephesians 2, shows the blessed consequence for the believer. We are lifted (“raised up”) with Jesus and seated in heavenly places “because of the great love” of God. On this Sunday, just as Moses urged the Israelites to look at the serpent and live, we “fix our eyes on Jesus.” The Sundays in Lent are all “little Easters,” inviting us to see not only a crucified Savior but also a risen and ascended Lord, the “perfecter of our faith.”

- Pastor Mike Hafer

More thoughts from Pastor Mike Hafer