"BEING BORN AGAIN"
6th Sunday of Lent John 3 : 1 - 17
How fortunate for us that the Sunday we rededicate ourselves and receive a new member is also the Sunday in which the Lectionary offers us the story of Jesus and Nicodemus: the nighttime conversation with the seemingly fearless and surprisingly faithful Pharisee that captivates us with intriguing dialogue, challenging images, and life-changing demands…
I am immediately drawn to Nicodemus' restlessness. I don't see him as an opponent – one who wants to draw Jesus into an intellectual contest, but rather a man who is not afraid to ask life's burning questions. He comes at night, reminding us that he is in the dark when it comes to such things. He assumes, correctly, that Jesus is a Teacher, come from God; and so Nicodemus asks the Lord Jesus about eternal life, "How can one be born again?" "Can we re-enter our mother's womb and be born again?" "How can things like this happen?"
Throughout the period of questions and answers, Nicodemus serves as a foil whose insatiable curiosity allows Jesus to explain “new birth” in some detail. And, in the end, the dialogue becomes a monologue and the stooped and bearded Pharisee fades off into the night from which he came, allowing only Jesus' light to shine in his darkness and illuminate for him what it means to be “born again” – to live life again – or as if for the first time – in God’s Spirit.
Now, most Christians are somewhat uncomfortable with conversation about "being born again." It conjures up images of a teary-eyed and sweaty Elmer Gantry and/or television evangelists calling us to, “Come to Jesus.” So let's deal with our discomfort together, this morning, and let’s just see if there is any other way to look at Jesus’ teaching at night…
In order to be baptized into the life of the Spirit, you have to recognize that life is made for far more than self-satisfaction – you have to be able to risk something BIG in order to be or become something better. St. Augustine said: "The glory of God is: the human being fully alive." Vince Lombardi, legendary Green Bay Packers coach, once was asked if winning was a matter of life and death. "No," the gridiron icon said, "it is MORE than that!" And likewise, my friends, our grasp of the Spirit life is a matter of life and death – and even more than that!
In the Gospel of Thomas – an ancient story of Jesus the early church fathers and mothers did not approve for inclusion in the Canon – Jesus is reported to have said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. And if you do not bring forth what is within, what you do not bring forth will not have a chance to show you life eternal." He was speaking of a new way of living; a new way of being more fully alive to all our possibilities by living under the direction, and with the encouragement, of God’s Spirit.
The seeds of the Spirit are already inside us. To be baptized is to recognize that Spirit is alive and moving within us. Whenever we celebrate a christening or affirmation of faith, we acknowledge: God’s living presence did not die when God’s inspiration was recorded on paper, but that it is alive in us still and the Holy Spirit is revealing fresh thoughts, new emotions, different hopes and dreams in each and every reading – both in the lives of new members, as well as in the lives of those of us who think we have heard all these lessons before.
In orthodox tradition, people often have their whole bodies submerged into the water. We Presbyterians sprinkle, instead. We sprinkle sparingly, and we sprinkle symbolically. We reformed Christians, at very least, imagine the water of life rolling over the head of those we baptize. We are never too young, never too old, nor too simple, or too sophisticated to be reborn/reclaimed/rededicated from above – that is, to be born again into spiritual lives.
When the seeds of the Spirit germinate, the fullness and rich excitement of life becomes possible again. If we’re lost in the future or held in the past by ancient secrets or grudges, grief-filled memories or fear, we cannot be fully alive. If we are open to being born from above, then it is possible to be renewed/refreshed/re-energized – even several times a day.
We can live in darkness, dying little deaths many times in our lifetimes. But we can also come back to life time after each and every troubled time. And, throughout all our dying and rising, it is crucial to live “in community” and surrounded by caring and forgiveness.
The redemption and resurrection of our being “born again” are not one-time events – as some of our more “evangelical” sisters and brothers would have us believe. That is why we remember/relive our own redemption and Christ’s Resurrection at Easter each year – AND every time we celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist... In fact, there can be daily occurrences when we are born – and reborn, from above – into the life of the Spirit. A bit of the divine is waiting in us each minute of our lives, waiting to be born again and again.
To be born from above is to be initiated into a radical way of living in which we commit ourselves to taking all our cues about what is right and wrong, good and bad, possible or impossible; not from our culture, (not from the government or Wall Street or Hollywood) but from a vision of God’s kingdom we have allowed to have “dominion” over our lives.
The sacrament of Baptism reminds us of our commitment to life in the Spirit. It reminds us that: we can stay under the water for a long time – living in fear without the breath of love or faith, even when the situations and circumstances of our existence seem dark and dire – or we can keep coming up out of the water and reaching, every time, for new life…
I recall, in my intern church, the baptism of a woman one Palm Sunday. Months before… Cassandra came to visit me to talk about her beliefs, her doubts, her struggles and her life. She was black and lesbian living in Berkeley and teaching at the University. Loaded with resentments toward the church of her youth and a cruel society which rendered her a non- person twice – she began to talk about her hopes for something new to take over her life.
During her time of preparation, she mostly came by the office, simply to talk through the events of her life. Resentments, old angers, enormous fears and raging regrets rose in her like a storm at sea. At times, it was almost scary to listen to her unpack the burdens which were keeping her from living. But slowly – and carefully – she did begin to unload them.
And – by the middle of Lent – something new was being born in her. She was empty and sorrow-filled, but no longer unforgiving or feeling “unforgiven.” She became ready to be “born again,” ready to begin anew with a clean slate, seeking a new life born of the Spirit.
On Palm Sunday, the Pastor and I and Cassandra surrounded the baptism font at the front of the church. And she was baptized with water and the Spirit, with hope for the new life within her to burst forth, heal her brokenness, and restore to her esteem and confidence in order for her to live her life more fully – and more fruitfully – again, as if she was "reborn."
I will never forget what happened when she came out from under the sprinkles and shook her hair. She cupped her hand, and she sprinkled me as well. And we looked at each other and, for a moment, I thought we both might begin splashing one another for the sheer joy of her coming thru the darkness… and into the light. She opened herself to the Spirit and the water and was “born again” in that moment… And – the good Lord willing – she has continued to come back, live above her anger and beyond her pain all the rest of her life.
And so – in a similar fashion, my friends – this is my hope for us this morning. Corrinne, for you, and for all of us: that we’ll be willing to open ourselves to the life of the Spirit so that we’ll be able to be born over and over again – in each new moment; that we will be able to move beyond our old and purposeless lives and set aside anything and everything that threatens to keep us from a full and rich relationship with God and with one another.
To be certain: this life is full of sorrow and loss, longing and pain, agony and despair. How will we cope? How can we live? We must live in community, where the daily practice of reconciliation and forgiveness helps us; for we cannot live without the encouragement we receive from one another. We live in the knowledge and with the confidence: there can be new life for every one of us, and that we can be reborn so God’s Spirit will shine in each.
Knowing that we are born to be born again and again before we die is living in the life of the Spirit. Hannah Arendt a modern American philosopher has written, "Though we must die, we are not born for that purpose but in order to begin... and begin... and begin again."
I’d like to close this morning’s message with a poem from a seminary friend, Deris Rice, about watching his father, a Southern Baptist preacher, baptizing in the Mississippi River.
There is just something about this event… about putting people under the water and raising them up… in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Something that makes people want to cry, makes them want to want everything to be alright, to leave this place and be better, to immerse themselves in their lives and, somehow, be washed clean of all the things they think they should not have done, as well as all the things they should not have been forced to experience… And that's it… Not the other stuff: the star in the east, the treasures in heaven, nor any (or many) of the old stories. Not even life after death – but to be new again, today! Amen.
I am immediately drawn to Nicodemus' restlessness. I don't see him as an opponent – one who wants to draw Jesus into an intellectual contest, but rather a man who is not afraid to ask life's burning questions. He comes at night, reminding us that he is in the dark when it comes to such things. He assumes, correctly, that Jesus is a Teacher, come from God; and so Nicodemus asks the Lord Jesus about eternal life, "How can one be born again?" "Can we re-enter our mother's womb and be born again?" "How can things like this happen?"
Throughout the period of questions and answers, Nicodemus serves as a foil whose insatiable curiosity allows Jesus to explain “new birth” in some detail. And, in the end, the dialogue becomes a monologue and the stooped and bearded Pharisee fades off into the night from which he came, allowing only Jesus' light to shine in his darkness and illuminate for him what it means to be “born again” – to live life again – or as if for the first time – in God’s Spirit.
Now, most Christians are somewhat uncomfortable with conversation about "being born again." It conjures up images of a teary-eyed and sweaty Elmer Gantry and/or television evangelists calling us to, “Come to Jesus.” So let's deal with our discomfort together, this morning, and let’s just see if there is any other way to look at Jesus’ teaching at night…
In order to be baptized into the life of the Spirit, you have to recognize that life is made for far more than self-satisfaction – you have to be able to risk something BIG in order to be or become something better. St. Augustine said: "The glory of God is: the human being fully alive." Vince Lombardi, legendary Green Bay Packers coach, once was asked if winning was a matter of life and death. "No," the gridiron icon said, "it is MORE than that!" And likewise, my friends, our grasp of the Spirit life is a matter of life and death – and even more than that!
In the Gospel of Thomas – an ancient story of Jesus the early church fathers and mothers did not approve for inclusion in the Canon – Jesus is reported to have said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. And if you do not bring forth what is within, what you do not bring forth will not have a chance to show you life eternal." He was speaking of a new way of living; a new way of being more fully alive to all our possibilities by living under the direction, and with the encouragement, of God’s Spirit.
The seeds of the Spirit are already inside us. To be baptized is to recognize that Spirit is alive and moving within us. Whenever we celebrate a christening or affirmation of faith, we acknowledge: God’s living presence did not die when God’s inspiration was recorded on paper, but that it is alive in us still and the Holy Spirit is revealing fresh thoughts, new emotions, different hopes and dreams in each and every reading – both in the lives of new members, as well as in the lives of those of us who think we have heard all these lessons before.
In orthodox tradition, people often have their whole bodies submerged into the water. We Presbyterians sprinkle, instead. We sprinkle sparingly, and we sprinkle symbolically. We reformed Christians, at very least, imagine the water of life rolling over the head of those we baptize. We are never too young, never too old, nor too simple, or too sophisticated to be reborn/reclaimed/rededicated from above – that is, to be born again into spiritual lives.
When the seeds of the Spirit germinate, the fullness and rich excitement of life becomes possible again. If we’re lost in the future or held in the past by ancient secrets or grudges, grief-filled memories or fear, we cannot be fully alive. If we are open to being born from above, then it is possible to be renewed/refreshed/re-energized – even several times a day.
We can live in darkness, dying little deaths many times in our lifetimes. But we can also come back to life time after each and every troubled time. And, throughout all our dying and rising, it is crucial to live “in community” and surrounded by caring and forgiveness.
The redemption and resurrection of our being “born again” are not one-time events – as some of our more “evangelical” sisters and brothers would have us believe. That is why we remember/relive our own redemption and Christ’s Resurrection at Easter each year – AND every time we celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist... In fact, there can be daily occurrences when we are born – and reborn, from above – into the life of the Spirit. A bit of the divine is waiting in us each minute of our lives, waiting to be born again and again.
To be born from above is to be initiated into a radical way of living in which we commit ourselves to taking all our cues about what is right and wrong, good and bad, possible or impossible; not from our culture, (not from the government or Wall Street or Hollywood) but from a vision of God’s kingdom we have allowed to have “dominion” over our lives.
The sacrament of Baptism reminds us of our commitment to life in the Spirit. It reminds us that: we can stay under the water for a long time – living in fear without the breath of love or faith, even when the situations and circumstances of our existence seem dark and dire – or we can keep coming up out of the water and reaching, every time, for new life…
I recall, in my intern church, the baptism of a woman one Palm Sunday. Months before… Cassandra came to visit me to talk about her beliefs, her doubts, her struggles and her life. She was black and lesbian living in Berkeley and teaching at the University. Loaded with resentments toward the church of her youth and a cruel society which rendered her a non- person twice – she began to talk about her hopes for something new to take over her life.
During her time of preparation, she mostly came by the office, simply to talk through the events of her life. Resentments, old angers, enormous fears and raging regrets rose in her like a storm at sea. At times, it was almost scary to listen to her unpack the burdens which were keeping her from living. But slowly – and carefully – she did begin to unload them.
And – by the middle of Lent – something new was being born in her. She was empty and sorrow-filled, but no longer unforgiving or feeling “unforgiven.” She became ready to be “born again,” ready to begin anew with a clean slate, seeking a new life born of the Spirit.
On Palm Sunday, the Pastor and I and Cassandra surrounded the baptism font at the front of the church. And she was baptized with water and the Spirit, with hope for the new life within her to burst forth, heal her brokenness, and restore to her esteem and confidence in order for her to live her life more fully – and more fruitfully – again, as if she was "reborn."
I will never forget what happened when she came out from under the sprinkles and shook her hair. She cupped her hand, and she sprinkled me as well. And we looked at each other and, for a moment, I thought we both might begin splashing one another for the sheer joy of her coming thru the darkness… and into the light. She opened herself to the Spirit and the water and was “born again” in that moment… And – the good Lord willing – she has continued to come back, live above her anger and beyond her pain all the rest of her life.
And so – in a similar fashion, my friends – this is my hope for us this morning. Corrinne, for you, and for all of us: that we’ll be willing to open ourselves to the life of the Spirit so that we’ll be able to be born over and over again – in each new moment; that we will be able to move beyond our old and purposeless lives and set aside anything and everything that threatens to keep us from a full and rich relationship with God and with one another.
To be certain: this life is full of sorrow and loss, longing and pain, agony and despair. How will we cope? How can we live? We must live in community, where the daily practice of reconciliation and forgiveness helps us; for we cannot live without the encouragement we receive from one another. We live in the knowledge and with the confidence: there can be new life for every one of us, and that we can be reborn so God’s Spirit will shine in each.
Knowing that we are born to be born again and again before we die is living in the life of the Spirit. Hannah Arendt a modern American philosopher has written, "Though we must die, we are not born for that purpose but in order to begin... and begin... and begin again."
I’d like to close this morning’s message with a poem from a seminary friend, Deris Rice, about watching his father, a Southern Baptist preacher, baptizing in the Mississippi River.
There is just something about this event… about putting people under the water and raising them up… in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Something that makes people want to cry, makes them want to want everything to be alright, to leave this place and be better, to immerse themselves in their lives and, somehow, be washed clean of all the things they think they should not have done, as well as all the things they should not have been forced to experience… And that's it… Not the other stuff: the star in the east, the treasures in heaven, nor any (or many) of the old stories. Not even life after death – but to be new again, today! Amen.
