I. Introduction

There are a few basic needs in our lives that must be met for us to survive and thrive and to get to a place of well-being and personal growth. These include being loved and cared for, feeling safe and secure, having enough to eat, water to drink, and a place to live. These are only some of the fundamental needs that humans have. In order for our loved ones to feel safe, we will do whatever we need to do to protect them, our homes, our animals and other important parts of our lives. Let's examine this passage to understand why God seeks to save humanity.

II. Learn to do good, seek justice, and rescue the oppressed.

In the earlier verses in John Chapter 3, Jesus is in a serious conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and member of the Jewish Council. He questioned Jesus about his, Nicodemus' understanding that it is only through God's presence with Jesus, that He was able to do His work, and all the miracles He performed. Jesus responds by telling him that to see the kingdom of God, one had to be born again. Nicodemus did not understand Jesus' response. Jesus explained that being born again through the Holy Spirit leads to understanding heavenly matters; that the Spirit of God will open their eyes and hearts and souls to experience the matters of the Kingdom of Heaven. If they did not believe His teachings about earthly things, they would be unable to comprehend heavenly matters. He then talks about Himself as the Son of Man, indicating that He alone has come from heaven - His original dwelling with God - and possesses complete knowledge of all that God knows. He then draws a comparison between Moses, who acted as a mediator for Israel and God by lifting up the snake in the desert and providing relief for the people, and Him, the Son of God, who also needed to be lifted up from the cross and death, and must be recognized as sent by God to offer salvation and eternal life. The Son of God was sent because of the love of God for the world, even though the world as a whole does not respond to this divine call and love. God's concern is for the darkness, the suffering, the injustices, the lack of love for human life, and more. To bring salvation to the world, God's Son came to preach about the love of God, to demonstrate what that love means, which is to love one another and to love God, to take care of the poor and the widows, to set the captives free, to heal the sick and more. All these things require an inner commitment to the wholeness of all of humanity and the struggles we face. It is important therefore to recognize who the Son of God is, and to allow Him and the values He stood for, into one's life to save us from our own destructive behaviors. He is God's gift, because of God's love for the world. To ignore Him is a shame, and an unfortunate choice to stay in spiritual darkness and to refuse the salvation that God has to offer us.

III. Conclusion

Dear members and friends of our congregation... God wants to save us and save this world. While we spend the money and time to secure our homes and to protect our loved ones, God wants us to recognize the dark spaces in this world that need saving as well. God wants to reach into our lives too to help reveal the dark spaces we may have, and God wants to remove them, heal us, and reconcile us with God, the Giver of life, love, peace, and compassion, and with each other. God is always there, reaching out to us, speaking to us through God's word, cleansing us through God's Spirit, and opening the door to God's Kingdom. May God help us all here to reflect on this word of Jesus Christ to Nicodemus, to the crowd who heard it too, to the Evangelist who wrote this Gospel and to the rest of the world, to see the saving work God wants to do through us to bring this world to a place of love, peace and safety. May it start with us today and into the future. Amen.