1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,960 Welcome to Westminster Abbey's Lent and Easter reflections. 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,400 On the fourth Sunday of Lent, 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:12,720 we begin with the book of John, chapter three, verses fourteen to twenty-one. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,240 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 5 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:19,920 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,160 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,000 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:33,280 so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’ 9 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:39,000 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,200 but in order that the world might be saved through him. 11 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,760 Those who believe in him are not condemned; 12 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,000 but those who do not believe are condemned already, 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:53,200 because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:58,080 And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, 15 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,840 and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 16 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:07,360 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, 17 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,560 so that their deeds may not be exposed. 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,000 But those who do what is true come to the light, 19 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,640 so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’ 20 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:24,160 In Genesis, when Adam and Eve did what humans do, 21 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,720 and made the wrong choice, you may remember what happened to the snake. 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:34,080 In that sorry story, it has to crawl on its belly and eat dust. 23 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:39,040 If Lent without salt, or whatever it is that you have chosen to give up, 24 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:43,040 makes everything taste the same you know how the snake feels. 25 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,080 Snakes crop up again in our reading. 26 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,280 In the book of Numbers, they start biting the children of Israel. 27 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:54,720 Rescue comes when Moses lifts up a serpent on a pole. 28 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,760 Those who look are rescued. 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,960 Jewish tradition suggests people had got bored with eating manna. 30 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,800 They wanted other flavours. 31 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,360 Snakes, who could eat only dust, pointed out their error. 32 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:14,800 Now Jesus asks if we are ready to look when he is ‘lifted up’. 33 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:20,040 For those who chose to see, the serpent on the pole was salvation. 34 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:24,480 Will we look to the scandal of the man hanging on the cross? 35 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,040 It is the question St John’s gospel keeps asking. 36 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,080 Are we looking? 37 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:34,040 Even in Lent, temptation hunts us down. 38 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,160 Are we busy noticing our own effort, 39 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,840 or are we looking for something else? 40 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:46,880 It is the startling Saviour who dies and will rise who asks us that question. 41 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:48,920 Almighty God, 42 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:51,400 in whom we live and move and have our being, 43 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,200 you have made us for yourself, 44 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,920 so that our hearts are restless until they rest in you. 45 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,840 Grant us purity of heart and strength of purpose, 46 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:05,000 so that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will, 47 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,120 no weakness from doing it. 48 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,120 Grant that in your light we may see light clearly, 49 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,840 and in your service find our perfect freedom. 50 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,400 We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.