The Second Sunday in Lent --- 16 March 2014

John 3:1-17

1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old?”

• So... are Lutherans born again? I think we'll look at that question further along this morning.
• I think we can all see that this passage from John is full of controversial words with different possible understandings and misunderstandings. There are symbols that need to be looked at and explained.
• Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night, possibly out of fear and possibly to avoid being seen with Jesus and causing some scandal for consulting this controversial rabbi. Night in John's Gospel also implies a personal darkness. Oddly the encounter never really ends; Nicodemus just sort of disappears from the narrative, leaving only Jesus' words.
• Nicodemus appears to be almost a literary device for John to further Jesus' teaching. Jesus' statement that no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above has often been troubling. Nicodemus himself is confused since he takes this statement literally.
• So what is this being born from above? Is it something that just happens? Is it something to be sought out? Is it something that is beyond the common things all Christians are part of?
• Is it a special sign of a special blessing? Is it something we do? Or is it something done to us?
• First of all, in the Gospel's original language 'from above' is the same word as 'again.' Since it is the same word in Greek, misunderstanding is very possible, and John capitalized on this in his Gospel by having Nicodemus hear the word one way while Jesus meant another.
• Jesus goes on to say the a person must be born of “water and the Spirit.” There are some that see this as a reference to the sacrament of Baptism, but this is not absolutely certain. Still for us who are baptized in water, there is a measure of comfort here.
• No doubt you've heard of Christians being “born again” and having a very overwhelming experience of the love and presence of God. Some even say that such an experience is required of Christians and without it a person's faith is not real or it is at least deficient.
• As heirs of the “Conservative Reformation”, we may wonder where we stand on this. Such emotional religious experiences are not often found in Lutheran history and spirituality. So... are Lutherans “born again”?
• The answer is “Yes!” By definition, we are!
• By undergoing Baptism, we are “born again.” In it's deepest theological understanding, Baptism joins us to the death and resurrection of Christ. In that, we too have died with Christ. In the sixth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, Paul writes Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
• It seems that emotion may be present but it is not necessary. It would also seem that some sort of belief or understanding may be present as well, but this not so much a requirement either.
• To focus on emotion and experience would be to focus on the self. To focus on the aspect that deals with understanding, consent, or personal will would again make the self the focus. Either one might lead a person to believe that their emotional experience or their personal assent to a list of beliefs would be what saves them.
• This of course is not the case. As has been so often said, the focus is on God's work and grace in Jesus Christ. To focus on grace and an undeserved regeneration puts the focus where it should be: on God.
• Please understand; I'm not saying Lutherans have a better or truer understanding of salvation or the ways of God. If we say we fully understand, we deceive ourselves. To see being “born again” as a stance before God as a complete gift is the truth. Faith itself is as much a gift as well.
• If this time of Lenten preparation leads us only to turn a bit more to God in faith, for understanding, and for direction, our Lenten observation will have done its job.
• So if the question come to us – from our own minds or from people around us - “Are you born again?”, our answer is “Yes!” because God has seen to that. In a similar vein, if we might be asked “When were you saved?”, we could respond “This morning and every morning!” or if we wish we could say “On a Friday, about 2000 years ago.” Both are true because God's grace is new and renewed every day and because salvation is from God in Jesus Christ and it was accomplished for all time by his blood and obedience.
• Are we born from above? Thanks be to God, yes.