Genesis 12:1-4a; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
When we are young, we tend to want to try
things, but we also need some encouragement if they seem too risky. So, our
good friends will say: I dare you! Sometimes, we would even double or triple
dare each other. With dares at play, we had to do it, so we’d jump into the
lake in early May, or catch a tadpole, or eat broccoli, or touch the light pole
with our tongue in winter.
I imagine the conversation when Abram went home to Sarai. “Hey,
honey, guess what happened to me today! I had a conversation with God and God
wants us to move west, wa-a-ay west.” Sarai responds, “What, and leave our
home, our whole families? I don’t think God wants us to do that!” Lot hears the
story and says, “Hey, Abram. I dare you to go!” Since it’s a dare, now Abram
has to go ahead with the plans.
Or, maybe, after God presented the idea, Abram looked around
at the crowded neighborhood he and Sarai were living in and decided it was a
good idea. And he dared himself to pack up and go.
… With Nicodemus, I found some similarities between Nic and myself. We are both educated in a particular belief system; we are curious about many things; and that makes us willing to engage in conversations about that belief system.
So perhaps, if I were living 2000 years ago, I might have dared
to approach Jesus in the evening to ask him questions. I wouldn’t want a lot of
people around, because one-on-one conversations are easier to manage. I wouldn’t
want other people to think my questions were stupid. And, who wouldn’t want a
private interview with a famous rabbi!?
In the same way, Nicodemus dared to go to Jesus in the evening,
and dared to ask him questions. Naturally, with any dare there can be consequences.
And in any conversation with a rabbi, there can be answers we don’t understand.
Jesus was particularly good at telling stories and asking questions instead of giving answers. And of using metaphors instead of speaking clearly. Which makes it confusing for those who like concrete thinking. “Say what you mean, Jesus!”
Still, Jesus dares us to think outside the box of
traditional beliefs. Imagine you could be born again, this time not of your
mother, but of God’s Spirit. Remember that God’s Spirit, God’s Ruah, to use the
Hebrew word Nick would have known, God’s Spirit blows just like the wind,
unpredictable and free. Imagine this
same Spirit blowing through you and all people. What might you dare to believe
and to do then?
… Essentially, Paul dares us to have the faith of Abram/Abraham. Through miscues and adventures, through 25 years of doubt and patient waiting, Abraham continues to trust God. He dares to remain faithful. Because Abraham was able to have such strong faith, so can we dare to believe in the same Jesus, the same God, the same promises.
… The council and a few other leaders met Friday and
Saturday to begin a long discussion that will guide the congregation into the
future. We admitted to ourselves that it’s time to face some hard realities. We
have been doing the same things over and over, and expecting different results.
We need to dare, now, to do some things differently. You-all, too,
will be asked to participate.
Sometimes, when congregations dare to try something new, it adds new life to the congregation. Trinity Church was about 30 years old, and had about 50 members. The developing pastor had taught them to be flexible, to experiment with new ways of doing things. Some experiments worked, some didn’t; that’s the nature of experimentation.
The building was both sanctuary and fellowship hall. When there
was an event, like an annual meeting, the chairs were stacked, the round tables
were rolled out, and the chairs placed around the chairs. It took about 10
minutes.
After the meeting, the process was reversed. One day, the
pastor suggested that they leave 2 of the tables out, so families with children
could be more comfortable there. The folks dared to try it, and soon, two
tables became four. It turns out some adults liked sitting there, too. And a
nursing home found it a good way for some severely disabled patients to attend
worship. Trinity Church dared to try something different and a new ministry was
born.
I am not suggesting putting tables and chairs at the back of
the sanctuary here. My point is that when we try something, the consequences
may be even more of a blessing than we dared to hope.
… When we dare to trust God, amazing things can happen. God’s Holy Spirit moves through the congregation and causes all sorts of excitement, and some change. Some things we try may work, some things we try won’t work. The important thing is that we dare to try new things.
One example we discussed was the choir anthem a couple weeks
ago. Instead of a quiet piece, we were all clapping our hands and probably
shaking our maracas. It caused some different Holy Spirit movement, like some
Spirit wind moving through us all. Thank you, Len and the choir, for daring to try
something different!
God’s Spirit is a constantly moving wind,
blowing through us, empowering us. I wonder what you will dare to try this
week. I dare you! Amen
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