3:16 on 3-16

If 3-14 is Pi Day, celebrated with both pie and bad math jokes, and 3-15 is the Ides of March, full of Shakespeare and Caesar quotes, then I propose on 3-16 we quote the most famous verse of the Bible, John 3:16, everywhere we go. It's the one verse people memorize, and we almost always do so in the King James: "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."

Surely no other verse conveys the gospel of Jesus Christ so clearly and succinctly as John 3:16. It's why we see it plastered everywhere on t-shirts, keychains, and everything else we turn into "Christian merchandise." I mean, I've never seen a coffee mug saying, "The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire" (Judges 1:8), nor have I seen a bumper sticker of Acts 28:12: "We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days." John 3:16 is unique in its ability to present love, life, and salvation through Jesus all in a single verse. That's why we put it everywhere.

Today, though, I'd like for you to pay special attention to 3:16. Soak up all of chapter three, but focus on that single verse. We see it so often we get used to it, think we understand all it says because of our familiarity with it. Slow down; wait. Read it carefully, word by word. Meditate on it. Let it become your life verse, if only for a day. Share it with family and friends, especially your lost loved ones. Then do it all again next year. Make a new holiday on March 16: 3:16 Day.