Nick at Night Lent II Yr A Rev. L. 2005  (John 3:1 -17)

Nicodemus, a leader and a Pharisee, comes to Jesus in the dark of night.

Why in the dark?’

Is he afraid to be seen?

Afraid of losing face?

Maybe. He is a leader of the Jews. A man of position and wealth.

But maybe not.

Think about it. This was a time before electricity and running water. This was a time of subsistence life. Hard work was required of everyone. When did they have free time? Leisure time?

At night.

When they did not have the light of day to work.

Night time was one of the appropriate times for a devout Jew to study the Law of Moses and the Words of the Prophets.

Nick came at night. With his burning question.

The question burned so brightly that he did not even need the artificial light of a torch or lantern to guide him.

Did you ever know so clearly where you where going that you did not need a light in the night, or a map in your lap, or a star in the sky– oh, I guess now we call that ONSTAR.

Really, think about it. So sure of your footsteps. Even if the terrain was a little unfamiliar?

That’s Nicodemus.

He knows where he’s going.

He is going to see and speak to the rabbi, the teacher, who has come from God and has done signs and wonders that only one come from God can do.

He is going, not to see a wizard behind a curtain in an Emerald City, but a man whose wisdom is true and reliable.

They meet.

Greetings are exchanged.

And Nicodemus asks his burning question.

What about you?

If you walked through the dark, if you came into the presence of Jesus, and the two of you began to speak....

What burning question would you ask Jesus?

What is your question?

[ "You may want to stop reading here. Pause. Allow yourself time. Let your question come to mind. Write it down. You may want to use it as a bookmark in your Bible, Prayer book, or other devotional literature. Let it guide you as you listen for God’s answer. Or you may post it back to me through this website. I will use your question as a seed for our community’s intercessory prayers and sermons. Take your time. If a question does not immediately come to you, remember you can return to this site later to post an answer. Continue reading when you are ready.]]

What was the question Nicodemus asked?

He asked about life, new life, a full life of faith.

He asked for assurance and reassurance.

He asked how does it work? This salvation?

And what did Jesus say?

You must be born again.

You must be born again of water and the Spirit.

Born of water and the Spirit is the language of Baptism.

That is language Episcopalians hear comfortably.

Being born again sounds like something else to us, doesn’t it?

It makes many Christians uncomfortable to hear the phrase "born again". It is found in the Bible only in this one story. And the phrase "born again" has been highjacked by some Christians to mean a very specific set of beliefs that are tightly understood, as though salvation where a formula : a certain prayer said at a definite moment. Those holding the phrase "born again" hostage draw distinctions between the in-group of real Christians and all others.

I think we need to reclaim this phrase.

It can be translated both "born from above" and "born anew/again".

It speaks about

And even though it only appears in the story of Jesus responding to Nicodemus, it is cradled in language of dying and rising, death and resurrection. Language which is central to our faith.

The person who is writing most clearly about this right now is Marcus Borg.

In his new book, The Heart of Christianity, (which I know several of you are reading), he talks about being born into a new way of life and being, into a new identity.

Borg writes that early in our lives we become self-conscious. Aware of ourselves as unique individuals. And as we do this we lose our oneness with God.

Here’s a story he tells about a three year old girl who was very excited about having a new sibling. Just hours after her parents brought her baby brother home from the hospital, she asked to be alone with him in his room with the door shut. The parents were nervous about the intensity of her request until they remembered they had a baby monitor in the room. They left their children alone and ran to the monitor listening station.

"They heard their daughter’s footsteps across the room, imagined her standing over the baby’s crib, and then they heard her saying to her three-day-old brother, ‘Tell me about God– I’ve almost forgotten.’" p.114

I’ve almost forgotten.

Marcus Borg suggests that the separated self–

self-consciousness and self-centered--

needs to be reborn so that we can recover our true selves which is marked by an identity centered in the Sprit, in Christ, in God.

This is our way home to God.

For some of us, the born-again experience can be sudden and dramatic. In a life-changing moment, we are turned toward God. We might be able to name a day when it happened. Like Saul on the Damascus road– in a moment of blinding light he was given new sight and insight. He became Paul.

But for many of us, being born-again is not a once and done single moment in time. It happens over time. And repeatedly. Sometimes, it feels like each day we are born anew– our life in God matures and deepens.

Either way, being born-again is the work of the Holy Spirit. We can’t make it happen. We don’t earn it. We don’t will it.

Yet, in an important way, we can mid-wife our own process of being born anew by intentionally seeking to deepen our relationship with God.

That is the gift of Lent. A time set aside to pay attention to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Lent is sometimes thought of as a somber, solemn time. I’m not sure that is right. It is a quiet, meditative time.

But with our intentionally, as we grow in Christ, we come to recognize the fruits of the Spirit in our lives;

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

Living in Christ deepens our compassion and capacity to love and forgive.

Finally, let me read just this portion from Marcus Borg:

"The New Testament constantly speaks of the new life. As it does so, it is both rhapsodic and realistic....it is the rhapsodic aspect that I wish to highlight: what the new life is like. It is enormously attractive. It is the life of reconnection with God. It is the life of the returned prodigal, welcomed home from exile; the life of the healed demoniac, restored to his right mind and to community; the life of the bent woman, standing up and restored to health; the life of the woman of the city, redeemed by her love; the life of Lazarus, raised from the dead. ... the new life "in Christ" ...is marked by ...the joy of the exuberant life, the peace of reconnection to what is, the peace that passes all understanding; and love– the love of God for us and the love of God in us." (p. 121)

To be born anew is to know

the love of God for us

and the love of God in us.

AMEN.

Note: the Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg, ISBN 0-06-073068-4 paperback, 2003.