A gaudete Sunday, allegedly.

Mothering Sunday, for part of history anyway.

Mothers' Day, since the greetng card industry took it over.

So, a rare old mix of stuff to hold in mind when reading todays's passages:

Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21

To be honest, whilst they are full of good stuff, they don't exactly make my heart sing!  They are not easy passages, not comfortable, not even the lovely John 3 stuff, because it links bck to the Numbers story which is all rather strange.  People grumble and God sends snakes to bite them... and they die.  That's cheery - not.

This week I heard of a book recently published about hell, that was being used as some kind of evangelism tool, I think the idea was that it would paint such a graphic and awful image of what lay ahead of the unrepentant sinner that they would be frightened into the Kingdom.  Oh dear.  Well intentioned I guess, but not consistent with the idea of a God who is love, who, at Calvary draws into God's very self all that is death-dealing and sinful.  Reading these little passages reminds us that the Bible says precious little about hell, and that the consequence of sin is not being burned for eternity or endless consumed by maggots (each based on unfortunate readings of extraneous verses), no it is death.  As the simplest statement says 'the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life".  In the Numbers story, the people looked at the bronze serpent on the pole and lived.   In the John 3 account of Nicodemus and Jesus, the same comparison is made... salvation equates to everlasting life.  it's opposite is, then, presumably, everlasting death.

This morning I am preaching on atonement theology - which is every bit as jolly as this stuff the lectionary offers!  I am employing three images of Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King and wondering just how each of these gives a glimpse onto some aspects of atonement.  I will not be setting up models as 'right' or 'wrong' since actually they can all be defended and knocked down by judicious use of scripture, instead I will be looking for the good, the truth, to which each one points.

You sent snakes, God?

Snakes to bite the people who grumbled?

That sounds a bit harsh...

And not just little grass snakes

Poisonous snakes whose venom brought death

Can't say I really understand that

You were crucified, Lord

Nailed to a cross by people who despised you:

That's more than a bit harsh...

And drew into yourself

The poison, the venom that brought death...

I can't begin to comprehend that...

Death-defeating God

Who in Christ has absorbed all hurt

Sorrow

Sin

Sickness

Dis-ease

Death

I don't need to understand

I need to believe

And -

As best I am able -

I do.