(lent) 3

#3


the number of Babe Ruth. although, at the start of his career he had no number. at one time players didn't have uniform numbers. It is believed that Ruth was given the number 3 becausae that was his position in the batting line-up. Ruth hit 3rd (and wore the number 3) while Lou Gehrig hit 4th (and wore the number 4).

the first odd prime number.

is the Magic Number. one of the original Schoolhouse Rock songs. covered by the likes of Jeff Buckley, Blind Melon and Jeff Johnson. De La Soul sampled it on their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising.

R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.


number of semicircular canals in the human ear.

number of primary hues (red, green, blue) that, when mixed, is perceived to be white light by humans.

atomic number of lithium. also a song title by the 90's grunge group Nirvana with the opening line "I'm so happy 'cause today I found my friends their in my head..."

in Bowling, 3 strikes in a row is called a 'Turkey'


In Ecclesiastes 4:12 Solomon states 'a cord of three strands is not easily broken.'

the make up of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

chapter and verse in John: where Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

born again. more than a song.
born again. dead to sin. new life to live. and life to the full.

how does this happen?

later in John chapter 3 is possibly the most famous passage in the Bible: John 3:16. more than the banner held up in the end zone at football games. more than words. John 3:16 is the pathway to life.

^16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (The Message)

how is one 'born again?' given new life?
1. belief. that Jesus is the One able to grant us this new life. He came to make the world right again... to restore it... to mend it... put it back together. on the middle cross of three, he bled and died - crucified but innocent. our sin, a burden upon His shoulder.

2. trust. in Him. and we are acquitted. found not guilty. our sin... our punishment taken away. our slate wiped clean. trust that He is who He says He is. trust that only He is able to purify us.

belief and trust. sounds so simple. the path to life is marked with a light shining on belief and trust in Him... in Jesus. it's so simple. yet we often make it so difficult. we take other roads... other paths... paths in darkness... roads in disrepair. because we think we know what's best.

but God knows how to fix us... how to fix the world. and we get to play a apart in it... if we choose to believe and if we choose to trust.


belief and trust. it all plays out and comes to a head on the third day... Resurrection day.
to be continued...