The Second Sunday in Lent February 17, 2008
Genesis 12:1-8
Psalm 33:12-22
Romans 4:1-17
John 3:1-17
This morning’s Gospel lesson speaks to a very important, basic doctrine of the Church: What does it mean to be ‘born again?’ At some time or other, all thoughtful Christians ponder this question and this passage from John will allow us to ponder together.
This meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus was more than just a meeting between two religious leaders in the Jewish community. It was a head on collision between two views on how God works. Simply put, Nicodemus believed that the person does all the work; Jesus says that God does all the work. These two views cover all views.
For perspective, I want to start with this question: “Who does all the work when a baby is born?” The answer obviously is, “The Mother.” When a mother is in the process of delivering a baby, we call it labor: That’s work. Ask any mama, and she will tell you. And it is critical that the mother does the work because if the baby begins to labor under birth conditions, it’s a time of great concern.
Our language today tends to conceal who does the work at birth. I was born almost 60 years ago, but more accurately, “My mother bore me. I was given birth by my mother. In a sense it was a gift, the gift of life.” Not to belabor the point, but it’s foundational for the point that Jesus was making.
Turn to the Gospel lesson please: “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The man came to Jesus by night…” John’s Gospel is full of double meanings. Nicodemus is coming to Jesus both at night, presumably so that he won’t be seen, but he is also in the dark, he just can’t see what’s going on. This is really an interesting pun.
It is also the basis for Jesus’ first statement: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot SEE the kingdom of God.” The term born anew carries with it the sense of being born from above. To be reborn means that it is something that is instigated in heaven and then enacted here on earth.
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he’s so enshrouded in darkness he can’t see a thing of God. Even though he’s a learned Pharisee, one who knows all the religious laws and observes them meticulously, he’s still groping about blindly.
He has to be ‘delivered’ from the darkness. Nicodemus is obviously befuddled and more than a little annoyed. Note his retort: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”
This is pretty clear. Jesus is saying that unless you emerge from the darkness, you cannot see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it. Again, there are two admonitions here:
1.
Unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God
Unless you are reborn, you cannot see the kingdom of God2.Unless you are reborn, you not only can’t see it, you cannot enter it.
Unless you are reborn, you not only can’t see it, you cannot enter it.Then Jesus announces that rebirth is the labor of the Holy Spirit and we have little control over it. Here’s another one of those double meaning passages in John. The word wind, in Greek ‘pneuma,’ is the same word as Spirit.
“The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it [note: you don’t see the wind or the Spirit] but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” And so on.
The Spirit is the one who gives birth to us. Nicky Gumble, the author/creator of the ALPHA course puts it this way: “Rebirth happens when the Holy Spirit merges with our Spirit, just as our natural birth occurred because our parents merged. Then the Spirit does all the work and gives birth to us, just as your mother did all the work at your natural birth.
Rebirth is the miracle of a moment and the result of a process.
I speak regularly of the 8 stages of the process of rebirth from Sr. Rose Page, and I want to mention them briefly again:
1.There is an awakening. We sense something is changing.
There is an awakening. We sense something is changing.2.We investigate. The Holy Spirit is prompting us to explore
We investigate. The Holy Spirit is prompting us to explore3.There is the conversion. This is almost some event in our lives.
There is the conversion. This is almost some event in our lives.4.We get our act together. We want our actions to reflect our newfound faith.
We get our act together. We want our actions to reflect our newfound faith.5.There is a time of dryness. The old feeling is gone. This is a crossroad. This is a time of staying faithful or moving away from the faith.
There is a time of dryness. The old feeling is gone. This is a crossroad. This is a time of staying faithful or moving away from the faith.6.There is a time of Real Prayer. We reestablish the old warmth with God, only at a deeper level.
There is a time of Real Prayer. We reestablish the old warmth with God, only at a deeper level.7.All Hell breaks loose. Horrible things happen to us and we usually are broken. But if we persist, we are much more mature in the faith.
All Hell breaks loose. Horrible things happen to us and we usually are broken. But if we persist, we are much more mature in the faith.8.Union with Christ. This is when we realize that it was the Spirit who not only DID all the work; it is the Holy SPIRIT who continues to do all the work. We only respond. At this stage we discover it is not my work, it is not my faith, it is not my self-esteem, it not my health, it is not my ministry. It is Christ’s. I am in Christ and Christ is in me, and everything else is secondary.
Union with Christ. This is when we realize that it was the Spirit who not only DID all the work; it is the Holy SPIRIT who continues to do all the work. We only respond. At this stage we discover it is not my work, it is not my faith, it is not my self-esteem, it not my health, it is not my ministry. It is Christ’s. I am in Christ and Christ is in me, and everything else is secondary.Once there, we finally have an understanding of what C.S. Lewis meant when he wrote in “Mere Christianity:”
“It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert the rebellious will cost him crucifixion.”
In Matthew 10:39 Jesus says, “The one who finds his life will lose it and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.” You really do realize that rebirth is the miracle of a moment and the task of a lifetime.
In Romans 6:3-4, Paul writes:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Rebirth is moving from self into Christ. It is the awareness of the truth: “It really isn’t all about me.”
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 12:1-13
“For just as the body is one and has many members, all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…”
I believe that rebirth consists of two things:
1. It is by baptism, a gateway sacrament if you will, through which we can become fully reborn.
2. It is a lifelong process of conversion, including our moment of accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, and then living life accordingly.
Being reborn, and it is more process than event, consists of striving for holiness. It is being nurtured on word and sacrament. It is to reach out to others in need, and to have the grace to accept the outreach of others to you when you are in need.
It is the sense of belonging to a community rather than just going to Church.
It is knowing that your relationship with God is very personal but never private.
As the Spirit continues to deliver you from, all the selfish, sinful impulses are contracted out of you by the divine birth canal. Often it is painful, but the point is that you are being prepared for holiness.
Amen.
