Born Again

"Born Again"
a condensed version of the sermon delivered by Rev. Kirk Moore on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Somonauk, Illinois.

PODCAST of "Born Again"

This Morning's Scripture reading is:
John 3:1-17

Born again.
Born anew
Born from above

The Greek words Jesus used in his conversation with Nicodemus can mean any or all of that. We’ve got some background and unpacking to do with today’s Bible reading from John 3:1-17.

Here we go!

Nicodemus – He was a respected Pharisee. He’s mentioned here and also a couple of later times:

This time was when the Pharisees wanted to simply have Jesus declared guilty and crucified:

(John 7:50-51 NRSV) Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, "Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?"

This time was when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus’ body

(John 19:38-40 NRSV) Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.

A Night visit – Did he just study day and night? (because night was really the best time for a rabbi to study and learn.) Or was this a clandestine visit? I think the visit was more secretive – not from the other Pharisees, but from the people the Pharisees called sinners – the poor.
"We" – Nicodemus was the brave leader – but there were likely other Pharisees who wanted to know more – they just weren’t willing to come on what I have guessed was a clandestine mission.
Miraculous signs – Nicodemus and others had seen miracles and therefore knew there must be something more to Jesus than smoke and mirrors. But just like others who had there attention peaked by seeing amazing things, Jesus was looking for something deeper from them. (John 2:23-25 NRSV) When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.
Born again -- Jesus went right for the confusing word with many meanings. It’s great to see Jesus say something that is misunderstood and then to hear him explain it. I think Jesus liked doing that kind of thing. The Greek word, "anothen" means "anew" "from above" and "again." It works wonderfully here to show Jesus inviting conversation based on initial confusion.
Born of Water – There are (at least) two sides to this one. Some say it is the water of baptism. (You’ve got to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit to be ‘saved.’) Others (including me) say that water refers to being born – being alive. I don’t think that it means that someone has to be born – it just shows the reality that we’re all born. (If, in the future, we somehow 'birth’ children that have never been ‘born’ the way it happens now, someone will probably try to use this verse to say that they can never be part of God’s club. The verse doesn’t mean that at all.) It also shows a condition that requires no action on the part of the person being born – they get the benefit without doing anything.
Born of the Spirit – This is the renewing- the rebirth we have with Jesus. It’s symbolized in baptism with our old nature dying and our new nature being reborn. And the rebirth – the renewing – the revitalization comes about because of what God does – not based on what we do to try to earn it.
Not able to be explained – God’s spirit is what brings this renovation in lives. It’s not for anyone to understand – no more than we understand everything about wind (Sure – we’ve learned much about the wind. In Jesus’ day it was much more of a mystery)
Respected Jewish teacher – in some translations Jesus calls Nicodemus "The teacher of Israel." He was not only respected – but he was really revered by others.
We – the conversation is shifting now – from "I" (Jesus) to "We" (meaning the followers of Jesus who wrote John, I think.)
The audience – The audience – originally Nicodemus and those he represented – then the Jewish leaders in John’s time – I think now is the church.
Snakes - In a scene from Numbers 21:4-9– poisonous snakes were biting and killing the Israelites after they had whined and whined to Moses. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Of course, their attitudes changed after the snakes started biting. "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So God had Moses make an image of the poisonous snakes and put it on a pole and everyone who was bitten would look at the snake on the pole and they would be healed.
Belief – Here’s another point of contention among Bible studiers. Belief in means something more than simply acknowledging something as a factual. But understanding belief as a requirement puts the ability to be saved on us and not on God. If we don’t believe it can’t be done. It bothers me that we can take something as wonderful as God’s saving of the world and make it into a "you’re in" or "you’re out" scenario. But consider this:

If the intended audience for this verse – Pharisees – and by extension today – the church – hears this as I think Jesus intended by the context of the whole story. I think we would hear something like this: If you’re trusting in the rules and the religious shows and looking for miracles to prove that you’re doing it right – then you’ve completely missed the point. It’s not about all of that – it’s about God who loves you and who is here to set you free.

And/or

Belief in God is something that grows. It’s a journey that somehow begins with the question of "What is all of this?" and continues throughout our lives. A great example comes from the man who had a son with epilepsy. Jesus said to the man "All things can be done for the one who believes." And the father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" The action here is on Jesus – it’s not on the father. God leads us on the journey of faith.

However

Some might be bothered by the idea that God has done it and they get it whether they’ve asked for it or not. One side might be bothered because "That’s not fair! I did everything right and someone else gets it even if they haven’t?" Another side may be bothered because they want to be the one in control of their lives because they have felt controlled or been abused or lived in abusive situations where they felt voiceless and powerless. I don’t have a good answer for that situation. I only offer these words. "Jesus knows how precious you are and welcomes you to a life of freedom instead of a life of bondage."

No to condemn – God’s desire is to save – not to condemn. God sent Jesus to save the world. I don’t believe that God fails.

So what do we do with all of this? I think we have learned – and can trust in these statements:

God doesn’t fail
God saves.
God leads us on our faith journey
Jesus came to set us free
We can’t explain how God’s spirit works in our lives -- but it does work!
God renews, revitalizes and renovates us
It’s about more than what we can see – God’s will for us is much deeper.

Where will we go from here?

I think we continue on this faith journey – trusting in God’s guidance
I think we keep not only our eyes and ears, but also our minds – our very beings open to what God has in store for us
I think we live expectantly – knowing – or maybe hoping for God’s renewal – revival

We are

Born from above
Born anew
Born again.

Close with prayer