For God So Loved The World - Church in the Park

Scripture: 
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Observation: 
This past Sunday, Pastor Julius spoke on John 3:16, which displays the perfect love of God. We spend so much of our lives searching for love, acceptance, validation–something that will make us feel whole; but the love we are looking for is found completely and perfectly in Him. Standing there in the rain, worshiping Jesus, surrounded by our church community, showed me something so profound. The rain didn’t stop the church; people showed up, and God moved like He always does! We worshiped in the rain; we prayed in the rain; we heard the Word in the rain; and then we watched people make the most beautiful decision to be baptized.
People went into that water and came out declaring something new!
Old things were washed away, replaced by new life, new beginnings, and public declarations that Jesus is Lord. 

Application: 
Unwavering faith doesn’t mean you never have doubts; it means you don’t let the doubts make the decision. Sometimes faith looks like showing up when everything around you says, “This isn’t going to work.” Sometimes worship looks like lifting your hands in the middle of a storm. Sometimes obedience looks like going forward when you don’t know how it’s all going to come together, and sometimes the rain is exactly where God wants you to be because that’s where He wants to show you what He can do. We don’t know what someone walked into that park carrying, but we know that Jesus met them there, and that’s why we keep going.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for reminding us that Your love is perfect and that Your plans are greater than fear. Forgive us for the moments we let circumstances make us question what You can do. Thank You for our church community that showed up with unwavering faith, even in the rain.Thank You for every person who worshiped, every person who served, every person who prayed, and especially every person who stepped into those waters and said YES to a new life in You. Help us never lose sight of the one. Give us the courage to keep showing up, keep believing, keep serving, and keep going after the one who needs to know Your love. Because if just one life was changed Sunday, it was worth every drop of rain. Your love is perfect, Your plans are perfect, and You are still the God of the impossible.