John
3:1-17
I remember
back in the 1960s, there were people on every street corner confronting people
who were passing by. “Have you been born again?!” they would shout at us. It is
still a question people in certain Christian groups ask of other people, and it
comes across as a threat, not an invitation.
Many
of us never knew then, and still don’t know now, how to respond. Such people
were always looking for us to have a dramatic encounter, a specific high point
in our faith lives. They were looking for us to be able to name a moment in
time when we stopped doing bad things and gave our lives to Jesus. There is
even a specific prayer one is supposed to pray as proof of this event. The
questioners were looking for a moment when we felt born again. If we didn’t
have one, then we were going to hell, in their judgment.
The
trouble with asking this question of Lutherans is that we know we have many
such moments during a lifetime. Sometimes, one particular moment stands out,
but for most of our lives, there are many opportunities to be born again. For
example, every Lent, we are encouraged to “return to the Lord.” And, when we
do, we feel a bit born again.
Fortunately,
many years ago, I figured out I could use one or two answers to please the
person who wanted to know when I had been born again. I tell them I was born
again 2,000 years ago on the cross, or on March 14, 1948, the day I was
baptized at St Luke’s Lutheran Church in Chicago. Even though this is not the
answer they want, they leave me alone after this response.
The
recognition of a specific “aha” moment in my spiritual life is not what Jesus
is looking for when he talks about being born again or born from above. When
Jesus talks with Nicodemus, he is hoping Nick will be open to a new way of thinking
about God.
Nicodemus
was a Pharisee, so he was very familiar with scripture, with the hundreds of
commandments, and the thousands of explanations of the commandments. He knew
how to apply the familiar traditions in new situations. I think he is curious
about Jesus, and wants to know more about him. Jesus’ way of giving new
interpretations to old traditions challenges and intrigues him. At the same
time, Nick is not sure what other Pharisees will think about him talking with
Jesus, so he comes at night, when it is less likely others will notice.
Nicodemus
has been taught that it is important to obey the commandments in order to keep
God happy, and therefore to receive God’s blessings. Jesus invites him to think
differently, to think about God from a new point of view, from a point of grace.
Even today, we think, we believe,
that we must be good enough for God to love us. We must be on our best behavior
so God will let us into heaven. Yes, even Lutherans who claim to rely on grace
fall into the trap of believing we must earn God’s love. Life becomes doing
enough good things so we can get into heaven. We fear God won’t love us if we
aren’t good enough.
But,
that’s just it. There is no way we can be good enough for God to love us. Even
when we don’t intentionally sin, we still sin. We think prejudiced thoughts
about other people. We don’t believe everyone is worthy of God’s love. We cheat
and lie in little or bigger ways. We don’t trust God, so we tell God how to fix
something. We want to peek into the future and know what is coming. And so on.
Because we don’t really trust
God, each and every time we re-commit ourselves to receiving God’s grace, God’s
mercy and forgiveness, it is like we are being reborn. And each and every time
we offer someone else mercy, forgiveness, we are offering them God’s grace and inviting
them be reborn, too.
For
the story today, I have a video. A few years ago, I discovered a collection of
videos from Thailand that were intended as commercials to promote kindness. There
are subtitles, but I am not sure you all can read them. And the first part goes
pretty fast.
So
here’s the story: There is a store in the market, owned by a family. A boy is
caught stealing some medicine. The woman yells at him, but the man asks if the
boy’s mother is ill and the boy nods. The man sends the daughter to get some
vegetable soup to give to the boy. 30 years later the man is still helping poor
people, and suddenly becomes ill. The daughter watches as he falls to the
ground. …
I
think you can understand the rest of the story. As you watch, look for the
moments of grace, and for times when people in the video may have been reborn. Let’s
watch.
What did you notice? Where was grace? In the giving of
food, to the child and to the old man. Where was the possibility of being
reborn? In the receiving of food and medicine, and the bill paid in full.
When
have you felt reborn? When have you offered someone grace, so they could perhaps
be reborn? Being reborn gives us the opportunity to grow closer to God, so as
you consider this Lent how to “return to the Lord,” I suggest you ponder the
ways in which you have been and could now be reborn. Amen
