We adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
because by your cross
you have redeemed the world.
NUMBERS 21:4-9
My Soul's Beloved,
Who but God the God of love could save us in the way that He did. Who but the God of love would consider such an unfathomable and absolutely mind-boggling way to redeem the world. We are unworthy. We deserve to die. We deserve to be punished for we turned away from God and we do so time and time again. The perfect love of the Father for the Son and the Son's perfect reflection of that perfect love for the Father made it possible for You, O Lord, to say yes to His plan to save a reckless, feckless people from their own ignorance, stupidity, and concupiscence. We are slaves of our flesh, slaves of the world, and slaves of the devil and we set ourselves up to fail colossally time and time again when we refuse to abide in God's love.
The Father took the very thing, the sins of the whole world, that separated us from Him, and laid it on You in all its ignominy, suffering, cruelty, and barbarity. The Great Deceiver, the Enemy of God and man, for a while, was deceived into believing he had won when You were given up to the power of Satan. His triumph and elation were short-lived. It was precisely when Evil thought it had won that God wrought the greatest and most triumphant victory the effects of which routed the devil and his minions and brought about the world's salvation.
Thank You, Father, for the price You were willing to pay in giving up You only, well-beloved Son to death. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for humbly submitting to the Father's will. Thank You, Holy Spirit of God for the love between Father and Son that made the Sacrifice of Love possible.
Abba Father, may not one soul be lost for it is unthinkable that even one soul should perish after the great, scandalous, awful price paid for our redemption. Grant O Lord that every soul receives this grace, to look at You crucified, repent, and be saved.
‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
PSALM 77(78):1-2,34-38
My Soul's Beloved,
PSALM 77(78):1-2,34-38
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
Give heed, my people, to my teaching;
turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable
and reveal hidden lessons of the past.
When he slew them then they would seek him,
return and seek him in earnest.
They would remember that God was their rock,
God the Most High their redeemer.
But the words they spoke were mere flattery;
they lied to him with their lips.
For their hearts were not truly with him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he who is full of compassion
forgave them their sin and spared them.
So often he held back his anger
when he might have stirred up his rage.
Never forget the deeds of the Lord.
JOHN 3:13-17
Nicodemus got to hear from the lips of the Son of God the mind-boggling love of God, His Father, and His plan to redeem the world at the cost of the life of His only, well-beloved Son.
It would have made little sense to Nicodemus when You revealed God's plan to him only after Your glorious Resurrection and ascension into heaven would he have understood what You meant.
God came down from heaven, incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This is the Creed we profess and will do so until Your triumphant return in glory to place under Your Lordship both the living and the dead.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
Thank You Abba Father for loving us so much that You did not hold back Your only Son but gave Him up for our sake. Today as the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, we praise, thanks, adore, worship, and profess our love for You for saving us and grafting us into Your Son making us truly Your sons and daughter.
‘For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,
but so that through him the world might be saved.’
but so that through him the world might be saved.’
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