Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.  

Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say - 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name."  

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."  

The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.  

The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"  

Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

The Lenten message of sacrifice rings true in giving up of ourselves and concentrating on service to others. Only by death do we gain life. We have a "me" problem of what's in it for me.

The grain of wheat is of no value if we hang on to it and try to preserve it, but when we bury it in the ground as if in a tomb, that's when life unfolds. Through death comes life. Jesus tells us that a man who hoards his life will lose it. He becomes so selfish that all he wants to do is preserve what he has. The man who goes forward with the idea of serving others is the man who, giving up his selfish ways, is the man people remember and, in turn, is the man who retains life.

When we are sent out, we are not sent out alone. He sends us out with directions and guidance. We need to do more listening to God's call and his direction relying on following the light. Let's put ourselves on the back burner and God in front. He is with us in everything we do.