Brief synopsis of the readings: Our first reading comes from the Old Testament historical book of 2nd Chronicles. It gives a brief overview of the events leading up and including the fall of Jerusalem and exile into Babylon. But after several years the Babylonians were themselves conquered by the Persians and their King Cyrus allowed them to return to Jerusalem. The fall of Jerusalem was caused by God as punishment for their infidelity. In John’s Gospel we see Jesus speaking to Nicodemus. Jesus told him how the Son of Man must be lifted up to grant eternal life to all believers. Viewers of professional football games will recognize the next line: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Any student of the Old Testament knows well the events of our first reading. After the Israelites escaped Egypt they settled in Jerusalem. After that they experienced the high point of their time there: Kings Saul, David and Solomon led the nation. But after Solomon the kingdoms split and became more and more fragmented. Eventually they were conquered by the Babylonians and this exile was seen as the low point. It was here that the first drafts of the Old Testament were written out of a fear that their exile would become permanent and they would disappear into history.

While they were in exile they wondered how this happened. Did God abandon them? Was God defeated by a more powerful god? As they struggled they decided that exile was punishment for abandoning God and worshiping other gods. When they returned from exile they came to believe that their punishment was over and they were restored (not unlike grounding a teenager today).

I write this because while we believe that Scripture is without error in faith or morals we can also see how these ancient authors grappled with what they saw and experienced. While they may not have liked the idea of punishment for their infidelity they couldn’t imagine God abandoning them or God being defeated; that would mean were mistaken in worshiping him and their very existence was pointless.

The idea of interpreting God’s intent based on what happens to us is as old as humanity and as common as today. The opening pages of James Michener book Hawaii describes a society where people are chosen to be sacrificed to keep the gods satisfied (a group of them escaped and paddled their way to Hawaii; the rest is history). In 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused great damage and loss of life in New Orleans and several people believe this was God’s punishment for homosexuality in New Orleans.

Our story is (and should be) wrapped up in trying to understand who we are and what God wants for us. But sometimes I think we go overboard in determining God’s motives. Perhaps some of the good things that happen to us aren’t necessarily God’s approval and some of the bad things aren’t necessarily God’s punishment. Perhaps God designed a universe that is more random than we think.

Many believers won’t go there because we have a hard time living with randomness. A few years ago I applied for a job I really wanted and lost out to someone I thought was a weaker candidate. I was angry about this until a few months later when that agency hit a rough spot and he was laid off. Was this God saving me from a layoff? Or was it just events that happened? And if our world and our faith is that haphazard is there any point in doing the right thing because sometimes bad things happen to good people?

Well, if the 1st reading presents us with a dilemma our Gospel may give us the answer. Most Christians and nearly all NFL fans recognize the passage John 3:16 as banners are frequently flown at football games. It reminds us that no matter what happens, God has chosen us. And while nowhere does God promise us an earthly world without suffering, God does promise us that our lives have meaning and God’s kingdom is there for the asking.

God specifically promises that whoever “believes in him will not be condemned.” Sometimes we can take the word “believe” to mean an intellectual assent and it’s been used to claim that only Christians will be saved. But I think we believe in salvation when we order our world to that reality when we look at God’s promises as assurance that no matter what happens to us, God will make things right for us.

Of course that means we need to allow for the possibility that God does not intervene in all occasions, that earthquakes happen because of plate tectonics or that evil people do have the power to create wars and genocides. It means that people die of disease and accidents.

But it also means that none of these things determine who we are and who God is. It can also allow us some abilities. Cancer can strike children but we can support St. Jude’s and other hospitals to find cures for those cancers. Earthquakes can happen but they can also touch the part of ourselves that feels compassion and provide help for people affected.

This may be a silly example but when I was a teenager I was impressed at seeing my parents give blood. It looked like a small sacrifice but well worth it knowing it may save a life. I was also touched by the fact that the recipients never knew the donors. I’ve now been a blood donor for about 45 years. It does hurt some when the needle goes in but nearly nothing in comparison to the good that it will do. I’m always amused at how the people at the blood center try to make it as painless as possible because whatever the recipient experiences is far worse. I don’t deny the pain of the needle going in but I place it in a much larger context.

Please understand that I am in no way minimizing the pain we all experience in life. That resiliency is part of what makes us human. But nothing is a strong or as certain as God’s love for us and God’s promise that we are all headed to place with no more suffering.

Let’s remember that next time we see a “John 3:16” poster at a football game.