The Nine Holy Martyrs of Cyzicus; The Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker.
Acts 4:1-10; John 3:16-21.
Read John 3:16-21
The entirety of the four gospels can be summarized by this one verse from the Gospel of John: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). This is the good news! God loves us so much that He gave His only-begotten Son Jesus.
God was not the only one in the scriptures to give a beloved son. Recall the patriarch Abraham. God promised that he would have a son Isaac with his wife Sarah and establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac and his descendants (see Gen. 17:19). Eventually, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (see Gen. 22:1-19). Abraham proceeded to sacrifice Isaac, but at the last moment, God provided a ram to offer instead. Then God said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you did this thing, and for My sake did not spare your beloved son, I will certainly bless you, and assuredly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:16-18). God not only kept this promise to Abraham by sending His own beloved Son into the world, but God Himself also gained many sons and daughters by adoption. St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:14-17).
Let us reflect on and rejoice in this good news that all of us can call God “our Father.”