CreatingCommunity is an email devotion to guide your preparation for worship next weekend. Imagine how much clearer and relevant God's Word will be if you have had an opportunity read, reflect, and dwell in the Word prior to worship. You may do this devotion alone, with others, as a family, or over Zoom as a small group.

This devotion is to be done in preparation for this coming weekend's worship.

Please follow these three steps:

1. Read through the text
2. Respond to the questions (select one of the sets of questions)
3. Offer a Prayer
John 3:14-21

[Jesus said:] “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
No Experience Necessary Questions:
  1. What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text?
  2. What delights me in this text?
  3. What stories or memories does this text stir in me?
  4. What is God up to in this text?
Family Questions (for the entire family):
  1. What is Jesus talking about when he mentions the son of man "being lifted up"? Why do you think so?
  2. Why was Jesus sent into the world? And how will that purpose be accomplished? How unusual is that?
  3. John 3:16 is often called "the Gospel (The "good news" of Jesus) in a nutshell". Do you agree? Explain.
Advance Questions:
  1. Explain the comparison made between Moses (Numbers 21:4-9) and Jesus in this passage.
  2. When you were baptized, you received the sign of the cross. In what ways has that sign provided you healing, a restored relationship to God, and hope when you were struggling? Tell of a time.
  3. What is the context of these verses? To whom is Jesus speaking? (Start at the beginning of John 3.) How does knowing this direct our interpretation?
Click here to listen in preparation for Sunday
with this week's CreatingCommunity song
"John 3:16" by Ntokozo Mbambo
Say a Prayer of your own or offer this one.

You reach deep into your pockets stuffed with mercy and fill our empty souls; refusing to be in the condemnation business, your rebuild our shaky foundations with your everlasting love; you hear our cries of loneliness and lament, and reach down to lift us into your presence. Good and Generous God, for that and more, we give you thanks!
Pastor Lutz would love to hear your responses, questions, thoughts about your experience with CreatingCommunity. You can reach him at poppastorpaul@sbcglobal.net