Rebirth
John 3:1-17 - 2-12-17 For many people, that's all
Rev. Gary Shoemaker
Bellingham F.C.C. you need to know. Just
believe in Jesus and you
A good argument could be will have eternal life.
made for the fact that this Don't believe in him and
portion of John's Gospel you will perish.
is both the easiest and
most difficult set of The problem that comes
scriptures to understand. with a deeper
On one level it seems consideration of this
pretty straight forward. formulaic approach to
salvation is when you
There's the part that some include the verses around
people take as a simple verse 16. Especially verse
message that can be held 17. "For God did not send
up at ball games - John his Son into the world to
3:16. "For God so loved condemn the world, but in
the world, that he gave his order that the world might
only begotten son, that be saved through him."
whosoever believes in him
should not perish but have
eternal life."
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But lets back up to the matter is more practical.
beginning of the story. A Nicodemus wants to have
story that introduces this a deep conversation with
mysterious character Jesus, a traveling, active
named Nicodemus. rabbi who's gathering a
Nicodemus is a Pharisee, a following. If you want to
ruler of the Jews. So, we really have a deep talk
know that he's important, with such a person, you're
and we know that he's going to want to go to him
well read in the traditions after he's finished up with
of his people. his activities for the day.
It's then that he'll have
So this important, well time to sit for a while and
informed man comes to talk.
Jesus by night. We try to
make a big deal about the And talk they do. They
fact that he comes to talk about some of the
Jesus by night. Perhaps deepest theological topics
he's afraid someone might there are. What is your
see him, maybe he purpose Jesus? Why are
represents darkness. My you doing the things that
current thought on that you're doing? What does
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it mean to enter the in order to see the
Kingdom of God? How kingdom of God.
does one get born into
God's love? Countless books have
been written trying to
Here we see two of the unpack what it means to
brightest and best spiritual be born from above. But I
minds sitting by the light think that perhaps the
of the fire having a go at simplest answer is the best
eternal questions. in this case. We must
become aware of God's
And in the course of that perspective on the world
discussion we have some in order to adjust our own
gems about the God we awareness of how to
follow, gems that give us approach faith and our
insight into the heart of sisters and brothers
God and allow us to adjust around us.
our faith and
understanding and actions And what is God's
accordingly. You must be perspective. For the
born from above, you answer to that question we
must be born of the spirit need to return to verse 16.
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For God so loved the verses, For God so loved
world. the God-hating world, that
he gave his only Son
The Greek word used for and God did not send the
world is a familiar one to Son into the world to
all of us. It's 'cosmos'. It's condemn even this world
everything that exists, and that despises God but
everything that exists isn't instead so that the world
always pleasant and kind. that rejects God might still
be saved through him.
In other parts of John's
gospel, he uses the same If Gods love is for all,
word to refer to those who then we who have
would try to pull us down, experienced that love in
work against us, despise Christ are called to see
us. persons of other faiths
(and no faith) through the
For John, the cosmos is lens of that profound and
more often an entity that surprising love.
is hostile to God. Which
means that we might In the year 1790 George
actually translate these Washington wrote a letter
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to a Jewish synagogue in United States, which gives
Rhode Island. to bigotry no sanction, to
Recognizing that persecution no assistance,
Washingtons faith was requires only that they
shaped by both 18th who live under its
century Deism and the protection should demean
creedal Christianity of his themselves as good
day, I think you'll his citizens in giving it on all
words stirring as occasions their effectual
Americans and deeply support."
resonant with the faith we
profess as a follower of That paragraph would
Jesus: have taken me a year and
a half to write, but what
"It is now no more that he's saying is simply this.
toleration is spoken of as if In America, it's not one
it were the indulgence of group over another, it's
one class of people that not by the good graces of
another enjoyed the a ruling class that all
exercise of their inherent others have rights, but we
natural rights, for, happily, all have equal access to
the Government of the human rights. We are all
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equal. (Unfortunately we poignant given the threats
have to have a huge of late made against
asterisk there due to the Jewish brothers and
huge sin of slavery. It's sisters whose cemeteries
surprising that folks as have been desecrated and
enlightened as President community centers
Washington could still be threatened and amid the
so blind. Makes me increased animosity
wonder what I'm blind directed toward Muslim
to?) brothers and sisters
recently.
But back to the quote, I
especially love the part in It's important to note that
the middle... The Nicodemus is only
Government gives to mentioned three times in
bigotry no sanction and to the gospel. Nicodemus
persecution no assistance. doesn't reappear until
Can I get an Amen? Jesus is in trouble. A time
when it becomes
This more expansive sense dangerous to stand with
of Gods saving love is Jesus, to be a follower of
particularly timely and Jesus.
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Apparently, the way of
Nicodemus stands in the Jesus had made an impact
Sanhedrin and defends on Nicodemus. Perhaps it
Jesus before those who can make an impact on us.
have called for his We live in times when it's
destruction. And then not convenient to be a
again he appears when follower of Jesus. Because
Jesus is hanging lifeless Jesus requires us to love
on the cross. Nicodemus everyone, to act with
comes with love and takes kindness to everyone, to
his body down, caring for accept and care for
it and wrapping it in the everyone, even when that
traditional spices and lays caring puts us at risk.
him in the tomb. That's a
level of care and On her blog, Melissa
compassion that's very Sevier shared a reflection
deep. This is the man who recently - God loves the
some see as a shady world. Thats the whole
character who came to world. And while that
Jesus under the cover of world was pretty big in
darkness. Johns dayincluding
Roman soldiers, sinners,
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pagans, Pharisees, people Latino immigrants in our
who went to the temple schools; People of faith in
regularly and those who other religions; Secular
werent allowed in the people; People of races
temple, lepers and other different from yours/mine;
unclean folktoday our Speakers of other
world is even bigger. languages; Openly
LGBTQ persons; Trump
Today we can turn on the lovers; Obama lovers;
television or listen to the Even our White
radio or read the Evangelical brothers and
newspaper and find stories sisters who consider
with real people in them themselves the most
from all over Gods persecuted group in the
world. And when were country.
really lucky, we either get
to travel and meet some of God loves the world. The
those people, or we find whole world. So much
they come closer to us. that God gave.
Syrian refugees resettling God gave everything.
in our cities
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So must we give.
Love the .
Love the world.
It's God's world.
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