By Karen Yee
http://bit.ly/2CbtKkM Used by permission CreativeCommons.org
Before becoming a pastor, I taught 6th grade at Taylor Middle School. One of my best friends was a fellow 6th grade teacher, Mr. Alvarez. We were always talking, sharing ideas, and working together on a variety of projects. We were partners, except for one week during the school year: Big Game Week. You see, I graduated from the University of California at Berkeley (Go Bears!), and he was from “the Farm,” Stanford University. For that one week, our classes would taunt and tease each other, drape the other’s classroom with the other school’s school colors, and blast our respective fight songs as we paraded into each other’s classroom. Finally, the football game would be played and there would be a quick “we won” cheer, and things would return to normal. At the end of the day, we respected each other and knew the most important thing was to let our students know the importance of going to college.
Unfortunately, our society no longer knows how to have differences and still get along. We live in a polarized society where we are quick to judge and condemn the “other,” or anyone who doesn’t think, vote, believe, look or act like us. People are grouped: you are either good or bad, for us or against us.
John 3: 16 is the most recognizable verse in the Bible. We see it on posters, at sporting events, and on the bottom of the soda cup at In & Out Burgers. However, it is only part of God’s story. I always want to scream, “Keep reading!” “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him,” (John 3:17). We have become so polarized that we think it is our job to judge others and decide their validity or worth. However, if Jesus did not come to condemn, then why are we doing it? Jesus came to love and save the world and our purpose, our job, is to point people to Jesus so that they can be saved: saved from hopelessness, saved from the lack of purpose and meaning in life, saved from death, and given abundant life, now and everlasting.
These verses are part of the story of Nicodemus, who came in the dark of night to meet Jesus. He was too afraid of what others would think. Even back then there was division in society. There were those who loved Jesus and those who wanted to condemn him. Jesus reminds Nicodemus, and all of us, that, “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil,” (John 3:19). We must come out of the darkness, step away from our cliques and groups, go beyond our stereotypes and presuppositions of others, and come together in the light of Christ to love, to serve, and to point each other to the One who saves.
Rev. Karen Yee is English Ministry Pastor at lu-Mien Friendship Baptist Church in Richmond, CA, and is Associate Pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship in Castro Valley, CA.
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualsugar/4123864009/in/album-72157624840737437/ Used by permission Creativecommons.org.
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