Musical Prelude and Service.

John 3:1-17
As I read this passage of scripture I am left asking; are we Nicodemus?
Nicodemus is a religious leader in Jerusalem. He is a pharisee; an expert on scripture and spends a great deal of time reflecting on and debating how scripture tells us about God.
He is also a man who is comfortable in his privilege. He is living a secure and comfortable life. But apparently he is also feeling a level of uncertainty with where things are heading in his community and the world around him. We aren’t provided with anything specific in this passage, but perhaps he is concerned wit the violence that is a part of this society. Perhaps he is left uneasy with the promotion of values that are counter to Jewish traditions. The fact that within Roman imperialism everything points to the emperor. All loyalty, all wealth, all praise. Perhaps Nicodemus is disturbed by the exploitation of the disadvantaged in his society.
We can only speculate, but in any case, Nicodemus makes his way to see Jesus and talk with him. He approaches this wandering teacher with respect and hoping to find greater insight into the things he is saying.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus with questions. What is happening in our world? What do I do we do in this time and place? And what is God doing right now?
Finally, who exactly is Jesus? John spends a lot of time and ink answering that question. Jesus offers a great many stories of Jesus answering that question; describing himself through metaphor. In this passage, Jesus in a round about way says he is the son of Man, but also born from above. Other translations of this scripture, use the term, born again. He is born of the spirit.
But and this is also important: on questioning, Jesus does not say this quality is restricted to him. When asked if it means returning to your mother’s womb, Jesus essentially asserts one is never too old or too late to renew yourself or your faith.
To be born from above by the spirit means your eyes are opened to a new way of seeing. You are more open to being guided by God; not by the world or the values of a world that so often rejects the values God prioritizes. This is a call to look to a God of love and life, not to focus on a world that promotes wealth, power, fame and status.
All too often we seem to mix these things up. We will hear messages from some so-called religious authorities who insist a faithful life leads to wealth or power. It is a path to status and fame. Jesus says, if you are born of the spirit, you do not know where the wind is coming from or where it is blowing you.
This message can be troubling. It is a call for a level of faith we clearly and reasonably struggle with. The idea of letting go and let the spirit take us to unknown destinations is frightening. We want to be in control.
A book I read a few years ago talks about this in some detail. Sailboat Church by Joan Gray argues congregations should be open to letting the spirit move them in their ministry. Being open to new possibilities and making use of our resources, our energies and opportunities, as the spirit opens doors and nudges us forward.
This image contrasts with the common idea of us being in a rowboat and puling on
the oars to reach a pre-arranged destination; no matter how hard the current may be pushing and pulling us in a different direction.
Are we open to a new way of living in the world?
Let yourself be born to a new way of life; Jesus tells Nicodemus. Let God show you a new way. Let your eyes open to a new way of seeing the world around you and to the possibilities before you. There is much that is beautiful in this world. But there is also so much that is broken. The world does not need to be like it is right now. The world can be saved from itself.
Today’s scripture ends with one of the most well-known passages in the bible: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
But Jesus does not stop there, does he? God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through him.
I think it is important when reading these words to keep in mind that in this context, ‘believe’ is much more than a form of intellectual agreement or assent. It is an action; a way of living, of following. It means to look at what Jesus is saying, how Jesus is living and acting in the world.
This is not about finding a ticket into the afterlife. It is about making a world of love and life. A world that values all its inhabitants.
It is about saving the world – from itself.
The world we live in sends us a lot of messages. We are all too often enticed to isolate ourselves from the suffering of others. We are encouraged to concern ourselves only with our own welfare, our own safety, our own comfort. To only express our concern or work for the welfare of others after we have secured our own future or our own security. We are told there is nothing we can do to make a difference in the world. That these troubles such as climate change, the attacks on those who are different form the norm, the violence that seems to seep into so much of our everyday life cannot be helped. It is best to try and protect ourselves.
In other words, let the world burn, let our house keep standing.
I generally try to keep from commenting on the politics in other countries. But there was an incident in the United States last week that for me illustrates the necessity of communities of faith such as ours being public, intentional, and explicit in expressing our love and our welcome to people of all sexualities and genders.
This past week there was a gathering of what is called the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC for short. It is a gathering of essentially extreme conservative thinkers, personalities s and supporters. In one of the speeches, one particular speaker who I won’t name here, made the statement that transgenderism should be eradicated from society, to be rid of that “ideology”.
He now argues he is talking about the idea not the people, but I see that as playing with semantics and the result is the same; a great many people feel threatened. They see the hatred and the violence that is so apparent in those words, and wonder where they can turn and who they can rely on and trust. And those ideas do not stop at a border.
If we truly see ourselves as a loving and compassionate and a welcoming and inviting community, we must be clear and open about that. Otherwise, we are letting others who do not share our values, but who are extremely vocal, establish how the rest of the world views us from the outside.
Jesus comes to save the world. Not to save those who look like him, think like him, pray like him. He comes to save the world and we are called to see the world with new eyes and take that journey to a new world with him. We are called to walk with Jesus; to work with Jesus to save the world from hatred, from bigotry, from greed, and self-interest. We are called to walk and to talk with courage and compassion.
It is a journey where we may not know exactly where we are headed. We may not know who all we will meet along the way.
But we can follow that path knowing we walk with Jesus and say thanks be to God.
Blessings
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789