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. Dear Partner in Preaching, We have before us this Sunday one of the most – perhaps the most – iconic verses in Scripture: John 3:16. Similar to approaching the Christmas Eve gospel, the question inevitably becomes, “How do I preach this in a fresh way?” or even, “Is there anything new I can possibly say?” Perhaps one way to approach this question is to not preach on it directly, allowing some of the surrounding verses to take center stage for a change. Or, more importantly, perhaps by...

Dear Partner in Preaching, John 3:16, everyone’s favorite Bible verse. But I’ve wondered whether, if people thought about what this verse says for just a little longer than it takes to read a bumper sticker, it might just prove to be one of our least favorite verses in the Bible. Let me explain. Jesus articulates in this statement what Luther called “the Gospel in a nutshell” – that God is fundamentally a God of love, that love is the logic by which the kingdom of God runs, and that God’s love trumps everything else, even justice, in the end. I realize not everyone reads it this way. After all, Jesus says “everyone who...