John 3:1-15

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John 3: 1-15

1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He 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.' 3Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.' 4Nicodemus 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?' 5Jesus answered, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above." 8The 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.' 9Nicodemus said to him, 'How can these things be?' 10Jesus 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. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Think

In my "born again" days I used to love this story of Nicodemus.  I felt like I could put myself in Nicodemus shoes and completely understand this lesson.  It made me feel so good, it made me feel like I was God's little special pet child and that I could be born again through the "womb- of the father" which is a phrase I picked up in that tradition.  Now it made me feel a little sad to think that I was so haughty and proud.  To think that I was priveledged in some way to know exactly what Jesus was talking about.  I chalk it up to naivite or teenage certainty but there is something about Nicodemus.  This man who sneeks to see Jesus in the night and ask him questions, which does resonate with me still.  I find myself doing the same thing- waking up in the still darkness of the night when something is weighing heavy on my mind, or my soul is hungry for something, or my heart is thirsty for the reassuring love of God, and sneaking in a prayer or two here and there hoping that Jesus will respond with some non-cryptic answer.  Usually I am answered by the steady breathing of my dog and my husband and that is enough assurance that I am loved.  Sometimes I am answered by a gust of wind, or a howl of a neighboring dog, and I am assured that I am safe.  Often times I am answered by nothing audible but just a sense of stillness which can only be found in the Father's-womb.

(I know that there might be some people out there who have an issue with the masculine image of Father with the feminine image of wombs- I think however this is a wonderful balancing image which allows both the masculine and feminine to live together in a kind of homeostais which is found in the nature of God.- perhaps some day soon the question of language images for God will come up in my lectio practice, but today is not the day for that)

Pray

God, in you all things are created.  Through you all things are born.  By you all things are sustained.  Help me to remember that you answer prayers in the stillness of night in sometimes cryptic terms which I do not understand fully.  Give me patience to sit with the answers and begin to understand them through the vision of your Holy Spirit.  Amen

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20 minute Yoga meditation