Readings
for Lent 2A
Genesis 12:1-8; Psalm 33; Romans 4:15, 13-17; John 3:1-17
February 19, 2005
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
"Behold, I am making all things new…" This is the theme for our sermons this year. Today we hear two stories of "God making all things new": the story of Abram, and the story of Nicodemus. Abram is 75 years old when God appears to him, asking him to leave his homeland to create a new religion. Abram responds to God's call immediately--he completely changes his life, allowing God to "make all things new".
Nicodemus seems more resistant to the suggestion that God wants to "make all things new." Who is this Nicodemus? He is a Pharisee, a layman whose passion is to "keep the law of Moses." Pharisees keep the law so literally they tie a little box to their heads or wrist that contains scripture quoting The Law. Nicodemus is a wealthy man, part of the ruling class, apparently a leading member of the Council of Jews called the Sanhedrin-those who pass judgment upon other Jews. Jesus addresses Nicodemus as if he is the preeminent teacher of Israel. For Jesus, encountering Nicodemus might be something like us encountering a United States Supreme Court Justice and the Archbishop of Canterbury all rolled into one person.
"The Most Honorable Very Right Reverend Sir…"
It was this powerful man, Nicodemus, who came to Jesus in the night, apparently in secret. Some see him as timid or afraid, others believe him to have been courageous. We didn't read it today, but just before this story, the Gospel of John tells of Jesus cleansing the Temple. He threatens Temple elders as he knocks over tables of the moneychangers; then drives out all sheep and cattle! Soon Jesus will be arrested. Nicodemus is a judge on the Council. He will review Jesus' case. To be seen with Jesus is dangerous. Yet, Nicodemus risks everything; goes to Jesus proclaiming to know that Jesus is "a teacher from God." (John. 3:2) But Jesus challenges Nicodemus. Jesus knows that all the knowledge of God in the world does not reveal to Nicodemus the truth about Jesus. Jesus challenges him to let go of his "learned" religiosity, to get out of his head, and be "born from above", or be "born again."
This passage is often a stumbling block to well-educated, church-going, mainline Protestants like Episcopalians. The Greek word "anothen" has a double meaning lost in translation. Jesus says we must be "born from above" "born again." This one word says both things at the same time. North American Christians have heard of the term "born again" as if there is a very specific, instantaneous religious experience one must have to be truly living in relationship to Jesus Christ. This particular religious experience is described as an emotional, "Jesus entered my heart" on this day, in this moment-ZAP-sort of way. This is NOT what Jesus is talking about. Rather, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be "born of the Spirit". He must allow the presence of God to rule his life, not The Laws tied to his forehead ruling his life. Nicodemus has maxed out in his "book-learning" about God, now it is time to experience God.
Sometimes people ask me, "Pastor Mary, what do you do each week?" The short answer is, "Whatever Pastor Karen asks me to do." The long answer is a lot of detail regarding care of the people of St. Jude's, with emphasis on children, youth, young adults and new members. But the most gratifying aspect of my work is when I get to be something like a spiritual mid-wife-when I help people give birth to their life in the spirit. Part of that includes instructional, "book learning" about God, Jesus, and Christianity. A lot of it is deep prayer.
Preparing teens for an adult affirmation of faith, as in our confirmation class, is an example of how I get to "mid-wife" youth into birthing new life in the Spirit. While some kids seem to simply go through the motions because parents expect it, many actually take the "book learning" and the service projects and the church history lessons and the theological/doctrinal work seriously. And when all is said and done, some take all that religious knowledge and offer their lives up to God in new and wonderful ways. There is nothing more gratifying to a priest than watching a young person, or any person, move from a place of complacent religiosity to being alive in the Spirit. They may not be able to always articulate what they have experienced, but many of our youth have had personal religious experiences which show they have been "born of the Spirit."
I'm always looking for insights into how to reach young people on a spiritual level. Recently I read, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. You might be surprised to learn that, contrary to popular belief, teenagers today are not ambivalent about religion. Teens really do believe in God--84% Nationally. (p. 41). They thirst to learn more about God and about their family's religion. The majority says that if it were up to them to choose whether or not to attend church, they would attend, and 5% say they would attend even MORE THAN they attend than when they rely on parents take them. (p.37, 38) There is a popular myth that more and more young people are giving up "traditional Christianity" in favor of "New Age", or Asian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism)-with the claim that our diverse immigrant population is pulling kids away from Christianity-NOT SO! It turns out that most new immigrants throughout America are Christian in the first place. And 37% of those teens who are non Christian adopt spiritual practices from Christianity, whereas only about 2% of "Christian" teens seek to incorporate non-Christian spirituality into their lives. (p. 82) Rather than switch to other religions, or drop their religion, most teens say they want to keep their tradition but want relevant religious experiences.
The National Survey of Youth and Religion, 2003, reveals significant unexpected findings. Those of us in main-line Protestant Churches can feel somewhat good about the involvement teens have with their religion. 86%, of our youth believe in God, (higher than the national average) but only 69% of these believe in a personal God-a God who is involved in the lives of people today. 13% believe, like the Deists, that God created the world but is no longer involved. Another 13% believe God is not personal, but is something like an impersonal life force. (p. 41) These statistics are considered reflective of the adult population. However, a significant number of church-going, God-believing main-line Protestant teens, 51%, said they considered themselves "spiritual but not religious." When asked what they meant by that, the answers were all over the map. They generally meant they did not want to simply "go through the motions" of showing up to church and saying rote prayers. But, rather, they wanted "to pray and really mean it". One boy from Ohio, who attends church regularly, said: "Religion is basically going to church, knowing God like 'book-smart,' whereas a 'spiritual' relationship would be more like speaking to God daily and really feeling like you know him and you can talk to him, feeling him as a friend.(p.81)
This teen is articulating what Jesus was trying to tell Nicodemus. "Book-smart" religion is important to a point, but you need to feel the presence of God in your life. So what about Nicodemus, did he listen to Jesus and allow himself to be "born from above", "born again"? Most likely, but not in an instant. His spiritual rebirth seems to have been gradual. Nicodemus continued to sit on the Sanhedrin council. Later he criticized the council for hypocrisy as they attempted to condemn Jesus without a fair hearing-revealing that they were not even following their own laws. (John. 7:51) By the time Jesus dies, Nicodemus appears to have been re-born in the Spirit. He buys 100 pounds of expensive myrrh and takes it to the tomb to prepare Jesus' body for burial. (Jn 19:39) Nicodemus is living in the Spirit, honoring the life of Jesus, at the risk of losing his own life.
How many of us can say we have been "born of the Spirit"? Gradually, or suddenly? If you are having trouble feeling the presence of God in your life, you may need a spiritual mid-wife. Perhaps a spiritual mentor who can teach you spiritual disciplines, such as Pastor Karen is doing in her Weds. Lenten Series: Making All Things New. Or, maybe, you could be mentor to a teen and discover, as I have been blessed to discover, that teens eagerly seek God in their lives. The "book-smarts" you have about God, coupled with a spiritual friendship with a teen, could possibly give each of you the opportunity to experience God's presence in a new way, and you can both discover the joy of being "born of the Spirit."
AMEN.
| Updated 3/14/05 |
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