Look Up and Live
Preacher: The Rev. Andrew Van Kirk
Scripture: Numbers 21:4-9
The people in the wilderness had become discouraged. Their vision had shrunk until it reached no higher than their immediate needs: their hunger, their discomfort, their frustrations. When our attention settles only on what is right in front of us, it becomes easy to forget the larger story God is writing.
Serpents forced the people to look down in fear, watching every step. But God’s healing required something different. Moses lifted a bronze serpent high on a pole, and the people had to lift their eyes to see it. Their healing began when they looked up.
Jesus reminds us, just as the serpent was lifted up, so the Son of Man was lifted up on the cross. Salvation does not come from fixing the wilderness or removing every danger. It comes from looking to the one who has already taken the worst of the world upon himself.
When we look at the cross, we see more than suffering. We see the arms of Christ stretched wide in love. In that moment we discover something we could not see while staring only at the ground: God’s mercy reaching toward us. And from that mercy comes the strength to walk forward together, leaning on one another, as people who have been saved by grace.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life do you find yourself looking only at the problems right in front of you?
What does it mean for you personally to “look up” to Christ rather than remain focused on fear or frustration?
How have you experienced God’s grace meeting you in the middle of difficulty rather than removing it entirely?
In what ways has the cross helped you see others not as enemies but as fellow people in need of grace?
How might you help someone else “look up and live” this week?
