Old Testament: Deuteronomy 7: 6-11
Psalm 37: 1-18 * 37:19-42
Epistle: Titus 1: 1-16
Gospel: John 1: 29-34
Deuteronomy 7:6 “...the lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his treasured possession.”
I often think of the words of comedian (theologian) Lewis Black when Old Testament scripture comes up. Lewis has a knack of reminding us that the scripture of the Jewish people, his people, is what we Christians call the Old Testament. Find his monologue on Youtube: “Lewis Black Old Testament.”
This scripture from Deuteronomy and so many other writings from the Old and New Testaments tell how humankind has grown in the understanding of how we were created and who we are. Understanding that we are loved and are being exhorted to love one another, which takes me to Ed Bacon’s book The 8 Habits of Love, and the Beatles’ song “All You Need Is — that’s right!— Love.”
Jump with me to New Testament and one of the most all encompassing scriptures, the famous passage of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone that believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” My focal phrase is “God so loved.” We can discuss and debate the rest of the verse, but allow me to leave you with the idea that we are treasured, and deeply and eternally loved, by the one who created us. As the verse I picked as the theme of this writing says: “...the lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his treasured possession.”
Roger Conville
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