Sunday, June 7, 2009

Questions and Answers

This is my sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday.
The text is John 3:1-17.


Holy God, Three in one, bless our hearts and our minds that we may hear your word, and live out your calling to each of us, to your glory. In your name we pray, Amen.

Answers. Aren’t we all looking for answers of some sort? Whether it be answers to questions such as, “will I have enough savings to make it through this economic crisis?”
Or will I make it through the layoffs at work, so I can keep my job.
Questions such as, How will I survive, now that my spouse is leaving me?
Or how can I go on now that this loved one has died?

There are many questions in our lives. We search often for long periods for answers to our questions. Sometimes just looking for comfort, sometimes looking for joy, and sometimes we are just looking in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of our questions are genuine, and others are meant to be accusatory or to hurt another person.

No matter the answer we seek, we as human beings are always looking for answers, looking for reasons behind our lives, looking for ways we can improve either superficially or deep down to our core, we look for answers regarding our lives on earth, as well as what comes after.

As we heard in the Gospel for today, Nicodemus is also searching. Nicodemus, a Jewish high priest, comes to Jesus by night. With that statement already, I have questions. Now, why would a Jewish High priest be coming to Jesus? In the past it has been ill-intentioned, they have wanted to find ways of discrediting him, of arresting him on an illegal charge, and have wanted him to contradict scripture or Jewish law. So, already, a sentence and a half into the Gospel reading, and I’m suspicious of Nicodemus’ intent.

But, what does it mean that he came by night? How does that change the circumstances of his questions to Jesus?

It changes them in several ways, actually. First, coming by night, meant that he didn’t want it to be a big show out in the public square, so that instead of him coming to challenge Jesus, Nicodemus is coming honestly to find the answers to his questions, and to find if Jesus is truly the Son of God.

A second reason, why Nicodemus coming by night is so significant, is a Jewish teaching which tells the people that if they truly want to have a deep conversation with a Rabbi, so that they can get all the answers to their questions, they must come by night. The reasoning behind this is then that you have a quiet time set aside for answers. There is less commotion, and neither the person or the rabbi needs to run off to do things such as happens during the day.

So here is Nicodemus, coming to Jesus by night, confirming that Jesus is whom he considers a religious leader, that Jesus is who he is coming to for answers to his deepest questions. Nicodemus is also showing how much he respects Jesus, and is in need of answers.

Nicodemus in an attempt to have Jesus understand that he is here in truth and peace, states that Jesus must be a teacher from God, because of all the amazing signs, healings and miracles he has performed. He tries to compliment Jesus with saying that he knows that God is with him in some way, and Jesus then answers in a riddle of sorts.

He states that no one may see the Kingdom of Heaven without having first been born from above. It seems as if Jesus is answering a question, that hasn’t been asked yet. An answer that Nicodemus doesn’t seem ready or able to understand yet. It is in the response that Nicodemus gives that we understand that he is confused. He asks, “but how can someone be born again, can one enter the womb a second time?”

Nicodemus is thinking of human birth, thinking that it seems impossible that after one grows old on earth, that he can re-enter a womb to be physically born again. He asks questions, so that he might understand more, so that he may know what he needs to do in order to see the Kingdom of heaven.

There is an interesting play on words here in the Ancient Greek that the Gospel was written in. The Greek word, Ano-then, which we hear as translated as, born from above, can also mean, born again. In Greek there is in way to know which way this word has been used.

Nicodemus takes Jesus’ words to mean literally born again, whereas Jesus was speaking of being born from above. Being born of water and of the Spirit.

Still Nicodemus is confused, not sure what Jesus is even speaking about, not sure how the Spirit blesses or gives birth to a new people, not sure how baptism into the Family of God gives a rebirth of a new person as a child of God.

We like Nicodemus, don’t always understand what God is up to. We don’t even always understand God’s love or compassion.

As we grow older, we live through many trials, trials of faith, trials of endurance, trials of grief and depression, trials of drug habits, trials of persecution or rejection. We live through times that break our spirits, that beat us down, and tear us apart. We can wonder where God is in those trials, we can wonder how God is working in our lives, and even sometimes if God has left us, because it surely feels that way while in the middle of something painful.

We can question God’s presence in our lives, we can question God’s plan for us, God’s calling, and sometimes even God’s existence. The earthly world surrounding us, can often be a harsh place. We see death and destruction daily. We remember world events such as D-day, a day when many people’s lives were lost. We see news stories about 18 yr old boys who go missing for months, and who are known to have now been murdered in the country that they had at one time fled from, to seek refuge here. We hear stories of murder, of drug dealers and houses, we see our neighborhoods slowly getting boarded up because of the economy, we see families getting kicked out of the houses they are renting because of foreclosures. We hear about young kids getting involved with gangs because they feel there is no other place to turn. We hear about communities that turn young people away, chastise them, look down upon them and even sometimes beat them because of who they love.

We live in a broken world. We are a broken people. We do wrong things, we sin, we hurt ourselves and each other. We question what goes on around us, we try to find answers to our questions, answers to the things that hurt us the most. We look for comfort, we look for love, we look for even just a little compassion.

Nicodemus came looking for answers, and he found love. He found love in it’s purest form, he found Jesus Christ, Son of God, salvation to all.

Jesus continues to tell Nicodemus the most important truth. The line that is most quoted from Holy Scripture, known from memory to many people around the world, a line that sums up the Christian faith. A line that brings us comfort and shows us what love truly is.

“for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

This was the focus of our first Wednesday night happenings, this last Wednesday. We worked on memorizing this verse, and then discussed what it meant.

Now I know all the youth that were there know this verse well, so let’s say it out loud together. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

So that everyone who believes in him, may not perish but have eternal life. Everyone! This is not a conditional statement, it’s meant for everyone. God loved the world so much, that He gave Jesus Christ, God’s son, to die painfully on a cross, for you, for me, for us, for the world.

Jesus shares the answer with Nicodemus. He shares the truth with Nicodemus, he shares love with Nicodemus. Jesus gives Nicodemus life, eternal life.

Nicodemus comes with questions, comes with doubts, comes with struggles, comes with imperfections. And he receives all the answers he needs, although he might not understand them all. Even though he is broken, he is welcomed into God’s family, he is redeemed by the death of Christ, he is loved.

We are Nicodemus. We come with questions, we come with doubts, struggles, imperfections, sins, fear, and pain. And we receive the best gift of all time. We receive eternal life, life with God, life full of the love of God.

We receive a love that surpasses all our understanding. It’s a love that exists for us even when we do wrong. It’s a love that is there for us even when we don’t see it or don’t want it. It’s a love that is there for us when we think we don’t deserve it.

A love that inspires us to reach out and care for each other. A love that inspires things such as food drives, a love that inspires things such as listening to a friend who needs someone to talk to, a love that inspires things such as volunteering to help with a summer children’s program. It’s a love that changes our lives, that inspires us to live in new ways, to love our neighbor as we have been loved by God.
It’s a love that is there for you, even when we don’t understand.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that who ever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Amen.

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