Born of the Spirit
Scripture Reading: John 3: 6 - 8 (NIV)
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Message: Born of the Spirit
Rebirth
Jesus is in conversation with Nicodemus, the curious Pharrasse who believed in Jesus secretly
This is the conversation:
(Jesus said) “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
Jesus was engaging a religious leader to open up his awareness of the need to change his thinking
Jesus introduces the concept of rebirth: to be part of this new world of God one has to be born again
Jesus is speaking to an enquiring mind, a man who asks questions and is curious to investigate everything about this new teaching of the Rabbi Jesus
It is a conversation of engagement - a conversation that is brimming with energy
And within this context, Jesus says: “You need to be born again”
It is a concept that goes beyond Nicodemus’ religious mindset and reference
And yet, in our religious language today, the term rebirth is used more in terms of conversion and repentance
But what if this idea of a rebirth is more about Jesus showing the way to enter into God’s kingdom than it is about a ceremonial conversion?
How should we understand what it means to be born of water and the Spirit?
Spiritual Birth
Then Jesus explains: it is about entering into the spiritual dimension of life
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”
Jesus is telling Nicodemus that there is more than just what we see in this world
There is a dimention of faith that is beyond explanation and beyond our control
The rebirth Jesus refers to is an intentional action to move into a spiritual dimension of your faith
The rebirth Jesus is talking about is relinquishing control… like you can’t control the direction the wind blows
To do that, is about accepting that you will not have all the answers, that you won’t have it all figured out
I think the metaphor of birth is intended to help us understand that there is a reliquishment of control - who is in control of their birth?
Instead of looking to have a grip on practicing your spirituality, Jesus helps us with this conversation to understand that we need to be open to God taking us places in our faith that is not where we are in control
Embrace Spiritual Growth
Now, I know that this conversation makes us uneasy…
The questions of Nicodemus represent our discomfort with not being in control
Today’s message is an invitation to embrace the uncomfortable side of faith - the side that is not in our control
Forward in Faith is not just nice slogan, it is also about embracing spiritual challenges
Forward in Faith is about embracing the wind and not resisting the being born again
The Spirit is taking us forward in faith
To move forward in faith, we need to be born again
We need to be born of the spirit
AMEN
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