John 3:1-17
Lent is a journey which is to intentionally takes us deeper into our relationship with God. John is a good book to use for this because everything in John has meaning. The words, the scene, and the characters all have something to teach us about faith. So lets journey a bit deeper this morning by delving thoughtfully into John. Now as I ask these questions don't answer with your first thought. Hold onto it and see where it might take you. Ponder it within your own mind, much like a guided meditation.
First, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark. When do you choose to come to God? Do you wait until the darkest moment? Do you come only when you remember to? Do you like to ponder things better at the close of day or the beginning? Do you come only when there is something to hide anyone knowing you made the journey? Nicodemus could be coming to Jesus at night for any or all these reasons. He may not want the other Pharisees to know he came. He may have had a busy day and this was the only time he could get there. Or he may have needed the cover of darkness because he doesn't understand his conversation with Jesus. It all gives us questions to ask off our own spiritual life though. If we dare to explore them honestly we may find our own answers about our own relationship.
Next is the conversation they have. Jesus is set on other worldly things and Nicodemus seems to focus on what makes sense, earth bound things. They don't even seem to be on the same plane. How many times do we come expecting to hear our own response? In other words do we come in prayer with our own presupposed answer. The answers we want to hear, or do we expect to hear from God? Do we stay silent and listen for the sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26), for a response from God? Or do we come with our own answers already made? It is all we want or can hear. We can't open the way for God to respond, or hear God if God does.
Lastly do we come to scripture already knowing what we will hear? Think about the familiarity of John 3:16. Do we even remember it is within this dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus? Do we think about its being the last of three questions from Nicodemus and this one is the longest response? Do we notice it falls just after the second question about being born from above? What does it mean to hear the wind? Listen... listen deeply... listen fully... listen with your heart.
God so loved the world, God so loved the world. He gave his only son. God gave, God's own son, for love of the world. That whoever believes has eternal life. For God did not send the son in order to condemn. Not to condemn the world. Not to condemn, but in order for the world to be saved. Because God loved, he gave, not to condemn, but to save. Try to listen more deeply this Lent.
Lent is a journey which is to intentionally takes us deeper into our relationship with God. John is a good book to use for this because everything in John has meaning. The words, the scene, and the characters all have something to teach us about faith. So lets journey a bit deeper this morning by delving thoughtfully into John. Now as I ask these questions don't answer with your first thought. Hold onto it and see where it might take you. Ponder it within your own mind, much like a guided meditation.
First, Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the dark. When do you choose to come to God? Do you wait until the darkest moment? Do you come only when you remember to? Do you like to ponder things better at the close of day or the beginning? Do you come only when there is something to hide anyone knowing you made the journey? Nicodemus could be coming to Jesus at night for any or all these reasons. He may not want the other Pharisees to know he came. He may have had a busy day and this was the only time he could get there. Or he may have needed the cover of darkness because he doesn't understand his conversation with Jesus. It all gives us questions to ask off our own spiritual life though. If we dare to explore them honestly we may find our own answers about our own relationship.
Next is the conversation they have. Jesus is set on other worldly things and Nicodemus seems to focus on what makes sense, earth bound things. They don't even seem to be on the same plane. How many times do we come expecting to hear our own response? In other words do we come in prayer with our own presupposed answer. The answers we want to hear, or do we expect to hear from God? Do we stay silent and listen for the sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26), for a response from God? Or do we come with our own answers already made? It is all we want or can hear. We can't open the way for God to respond, or hear God if God does.
Lastly do we come to scripture already knowing what we will hear? Think about the familiarity of John 3:16. Do we even remember it is within this dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus? Do we think about its being the last of three questions from Nicodemus and this one is the longest response? Do we notice it falls just after the second question about being born from above? What does it mean to hear the wind? Listen... listen deeply... listen fully... listen with your heart.
God so loved the world, God so loved the world. He gave his only son. God gave, God's own son, for love of the world. That whoever believes has eternal life. For God did not send the son in order to condemn. Not to condemn the world. Not to condemn, but in order for the world to be saved. Because God loved, he gave, not to condemn, but to save. Try to listen more deeply this Lent.
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