John 3:1-8 (CEB) There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”
Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?”
Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
A few years ago, I had the honor of baptizing Xander, our oldest nephew on the Christman side of our family. Xander was a baby, and didn’t have a lot to say then. I don’t even think he cried. But leading up to his baptism, his special day, I had a lot of conversations with family about what Baptism means. We talked about any questions that they had, and the meaning of baptism in the United Methodist faith. We recognize that this is an avenue of grace, where we celebrate the role of prevenient grace in all of our lives. Prevenient grace is the unconditional love, power of God that surrounds us before we begin to even form words. When we recognize grace in our broken world, we create space for God to do some holy and wonderful things.
And asking questions from a spirit filled prompt is one way God’s extraordinary grace breaks through the ordinary in our lives to bring us to new life. Asking questions to learn and dismantle old lessons creates space for the spirit to spark life anew.
Nicodemus from John 3 was Pharisee, a ruler, a leader in the Jewish ruling council and he came to Jesus at night with a question. The answers he gets are things that Christians have long been trying to understand for years. He concedes that God is good – God is all knowing and mighty and our miracle maker. Yet, Jesus challenges him with the image of rebirth, new life. Nicodemus struggles with the concept thinking literally – how can one be born again?
Some writers over the years have questioned his motives for talking with Jesus like this. This conversation took place at a prime time in the ministry of Jesus. Was he trying to trap him for persecution? Was he working under the rule of another leader? The answer is no. Nicodemus was honestly seeking God. He was not yet convinced of Jesus as the divine leader in our world. He knew the stories of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and he was eager for an encounter with the Holy. Nicodemus became a public figure in the life and death of Jesus. Nicodemus made space for grace! He made space for waters of new life to bring him renewal, refreshment and rest. How can we do this as people of faith today? How can we make space for the waters of new life to wash over us?
Let’s ask questions together – what does rebirth mean in our lives today? What does our Methodist founder John Wesley have to say, remember, one of his most holy moments was when his heart was strangely warmed?
Let’s come together in celebration and support of each other. We have a call on our lives as Christians to support all of God’s children – by showing up to be best of our abilities, listening to their questions, and giving a genuine heart-felt answer that is rooted in the Spirit.
Last, let’s consider coming at this life remember grace above all else. We were not created for division, judgement or hate. We were not created to be second guessed or controlled. We were created for relationships with God and with each other. May the waters of new life today, whether they be a first time experience like at baptism or a reminder of our own from when we were infants, create space for us to once again find new life. Let us pray.
God of life, the world tells us that we should second guess it when someone asks us a hard question. The world tells us that we can’t trust people who need to know what they don’t need to know. Well, God, thank you for stories like Nicodemus. Thank you for space to ask questions and experience your grace anew. As we celebrate your spirit through the waters of new life, may your spirit help us celebrate and support one another and to remember your grace above all else. With Jesus we pray, amen.
Facing the Storm with Faith 