RAISING UP CHRIST

John 3:14-16: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

There are a number of takes we can make on the image of Christ being lifted or raised up and all of them are appropriate. Christ was lifted up on a cross at the crucifixion, Christ was lifted up to heaven at the ascension, it is our responsibility to lift Christ up in our everyday lives – especially in our conversations with others.

When Moses raised up the bronze snake on the pole – any Israelite who had been bitten by a snake and looked upon the bronze snake lived.

When Christ was raised upon the cross any who chose to believe in him and repent their past sins received new life, being born again into a beautiful, new spiritual existence.

When Christ was raised up to heaven at the Ascension he heralded the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the spreading of the Gospel throughout the known world.

When we, in our everyday lives, raise Christ before us for everyone to see we create the opportunity for others to give their hearts to the Lord, to be saved and to receive eternal life.

Father, We thank you for the gift of forgiveness for our sins and the promise of eternal life that we received with the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We recognize that your call to raise Christ up in our daily lives is not an option but an essential condition for growing your Kingdom, and we undertake to seize every opportunity to do this.
Amen.