Scripture: John 3:31-36
The one who comes from above is above all things. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all things.He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.Whoever accepts his testimony confirms that God is true. The one whom God sent speaks God’s words because God gives the Spirit generously.The Father loves the Son and gives everything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever doesn’t believe in the Son won’t see life, but the angry judgment of God remains on them.”
Consider:
When they train lifeguards, there is a saying: “Throw, don’t go.”
What’s it mean? Just like it sounds, it means that if you see someone who needs help in the water,don’t jump in after them! Find something that can float, like a life ring or a noodle, and throw it to them.
Using a flotation device to throw to a person who is drowning is important because it provides a safe way to rescue them without putting yourself at risk. When someone is drowning, they may be in a state of panic and desperation, which can lead them to grab onto anything within reach, including another person. If you jump in to help them, there is a risk that they may grab onto you, dragging you under the water and putting both of you in danger. Additionally, when someone is panicking, they may not be able to follow instructions, making it harder to help them.
Jesus obviously did not take lifeguard training. He did not throw an object or a flotation device and keep himself out of the water. But instead, he jumped right into the middle of the water to save us from drowning.
This is what Presbyterians mean when we talk about how God is the one who saves us, because we can’t save ourselves. In older terms, this was known as “Total Depravity”, and essentially means when we are lost in the whirlwind of our own sin, or lost in a night of darkness, or stuck in a snowbank of frozen faith, we are not able to get ourselves out.
But God, in the form of Jesus the Son, threw us a lifeline. Humans had tried for years to save themselves through an ever growing list of rules and practices to help us resist our sinful hearts, but Jesus offered a different kind of flotation device - the unconditional and irresistible grace unleashed when he came to earth as both human and divine. Jesus, the ultimate lifeguard, didn’t stay above the storm, but jumped right into it, grace in his hands, the only method through which we can be lifted out of the waters onto the dry land of God’s salvation.
Respond:
Take five minutes with a journal or a note on your phone. Write down one specific area of your life where you feel you are currently “drowning” or stuck. Look at what you wrote. Say out loud: “I cannot save myself from this.” Instead of making a plan to “try harder” tomorrow, name one person or service which can help you find a way out of the water.
Prayer:
God, I am tired of treading water in this situation. I have run out of my own strength. I am grabbing the lifeline. I accept that I cannot fix this, and I invite Your grace to carry me to shore. I am letting You be the Lifeguard. Amen.
