Maybe it would do us some good to take a hard look and unflinching listen to the words we wince to hear. We might stop making Scripture into our own image, for one thing, or buying into the image that others have imposed upon it. And that kind of deep engagement can lead us to hear it with new ears: “For God so loved the world,” this world, our world, the one right around you. You could see with new eyes the way the old age is passing away, you could see where creation groans and calls your name, beckoning you into the light.