A leading Jewish teacher and scholar named Nicodemus came (at night—he wasn’t ready to risk his public status) to talk with Jesus. Jesus told him, to his initial confusion, that giving our life to God is like being born all over again. The much-loved verse John 3:16 was not a rote slogan for an end zone sign, but Jesus’ way of saying that God’s self-giving love creates a new identity for us. We become children of God, people who choose to live in God’s light rather than the darkness of our broken world.

• Though we often treat it that way, John 3:16 was not the end of what Jesus told Nicodemus. His description of what God was doing through him went right on through verse 21. Do verses 17-18 match up with the mental images you may have learned of how God thinks and feels about you? As you read verses 19-20, are there any parts of life in which you are tempted to love darkness more than the light, any attitudes or actions you are reluctant to admit to others, yourself or God? What makes it a vital part of being a deeply committed Christian to remain open to God’s light, even if it alters your wishes or comfort level?