How Can Someone Be Born When They Are Old?

Qasr el Yahud, where Jesus was baptized, Jordan River, Israel

Good question, Nicodemus!

Growing up in the United Church, being "born again" was not a phrase I ever heard.  I still remember the first time I ever heard it, when a stranger approached me at a work meeting and asked, "Are you born again?"  I must have looked puzzled, because she then pointed at the cross I was wearing and asked again, "Are you born again"?

In our scripture reading this week, we hear Nicodemus, ask Jesus, "How can someone be born when they are old?":

John 3:1-9; 16-18 (NIV)

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

 Jesus replied, “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.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The 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.” 

 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

I have since learned that Evangelist Christians use this phrase, "born again" to describe themselves, and I like the way Matthew Fox describes it:

“to be Resurrection for another I need to be Resurrection for myself. That means I cannot dwell in [despair] or death and anger and oppression and submission and resentment and pain forever. I need to wake up, get up, rise up, put on life even when days are dark, and my soul is down and shadows surround me everywhere … I have to listen to the voice that says: Be Resurrection… Be Born again. And again. And again. Rise up and be counted. Rise up and imbibe the good news deeply – that death does not conquer, that life, not death, has the last word …”

Rev. Paul Beckingham, a great evangelist, will reflect on this rebirth and gather us at the Lord's Table on Sunday. I hope you're able to join us for Worship.

Why Do You Come to Church?

 

This week we focus on Frank, the synagogue leader, and his response to Jesus’ visit to his synagogue.  

Luke 13. 10-17 (NIVUK)

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’

The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

From Rev. Donna:

Frank’s focus was on the law whose interpretation was clear and plain to him.

Keeping the Sabbath holy meant that no work should be done. 

No work.

I was raised with that interpretation as well, with some additions.

No TV.  

No playing games. 

The Sabbath was to be different.  This is God’s will.

Let’s consider Ruth Haley Barton’s words as we prepare for worship this week.

What is your response to her focus?

For many of us, though, knowledge of God’s will is a subject fraught with doubt and difficulty. Is it really possible to know the will of God? we wonder. How do I know whether I have “discerned” God’s will or if it is just a good way to justify what I want? How do I make sense of those times when I thought I understood the will of God but it ended up being a mess? 

For the Christian person, the choices we make are always about love and which choice enables us to keep following God into love. There may be other factors to consider, but the deepest question for us as Christian people is, What does love call for in this situation? What would love do? 

From Susan:

When I read this story again this week, I imagined that I am Frank.  I know my Torah, and the Torah clearly says that there are six days for work, and that on the Sabbath we should not do any work.  I am indignant that Jesus should disobey the law, and in my anger, I can't stop myself from pointing out his error. 

When Jesus calls me a hypocrite, he reminds me that there is more to this commandment than simply the prohibition of work.  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deut 5.15)

Sabbath is the day we celebrate our liberation. Jesus freed Rhoda from her captivity that day.  Wow. 

Although I am humiliated at being corrected by Jesus, I have learned something today.  Isn't learning one of the reasons we come to synagogue?

Why do you come to church? 

Last week's circle conversation was rich. We are learning to notice and to find words for experiences and feelings we have during worship. Was it scary?  Not at all…we talked about everything from an Eagles Concert to the Camino Trail and being called by the Lord of Sea and Sky.  We also, of course, talked more about Rhoda and Frank.  We are learning that there is more than one way to read any single scripture passage…there is no single right answer.  Our lives inform how we interpret things, and God’s Word is truly alive.

Donna is inviting us back this week for more conversation. I hope to see you there after worship.

Susan

PS.  We continue to keep Patrick, Monisa, Carmen and Jeremy in our prayers, since Elisa announced the sudden and grave illness of her brother-in-law, Patrick.  Ruth Haley Barton’s words (above) ring ever more true to me now.

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

 

(Lyrics: William H. Parker)

This Sunday, we are starting a series focussing on the stories of Jesus.  We begin in the Book of Luke:

Luke 13. 10-17 

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’

The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?  Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

One of the things I like to do as I read the stories of Jesus is imagine myself as one of the people in this story. 

I invite you to try this.  Who are you in the story?  Where are you?  How do you feel at various points in the story?  

Today I am the crippled woman. I am standing at the back of a room which looks like our church sanctuary.  It is packed with people.  I am listening carefully to what Jesus is saying.

I see Jesus looking right at me.  It is amazing to me that Jesus even sees me…and then to be called forward by him…spoken to!  He lays his hands on me and I am in tears. But I straighten immediately.  I am overjoyed. 

As I am looking into Jesus' eyes I hear a voice…the synagogue leader's voice. When he tells the people that the Sabbath is not the day to come to the Sabbath to be healed, I feel ashamed. I'm humiliated.  I lower my head.

Then I hear Jesus’ voice, and he is scolding the leaders.  I look up at the leaders and they are humiliated now.  I look around me at the people and they are smiling in delight with all of the wonderful things that Jesus is doing. 

I hope to see you on Sunday to worship this compassionate God and to spend more time with this passage.

An invitation from Rev. Donna and the Advisory:  As previously announced, Rev. Donna Dinsmore has rejoined CVC on a part-time basis.  As we begin this new journey together, Donna will be hosting a series of after-worship gatherings.  There will be conversations, singing, and reflections.  We hope you will stay for about 30 minutes after worship; this week we will enjoy some conversation to inform us and to reconnect with Donna!

What Do You Notice When You Read John 8:1-12?

 

What do you wonder?  I invite you to pause and think about these questions…perhaps in the wondering you will hear what Jesus is trying to say to you today.

John 8:1-12 (ESV) 

 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.  Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”  This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.   And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”  And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.  But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.  Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”   She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

I Am the Light of the World 

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

When I read our passage for Sunday Worship, what I noticed was: Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  And then again later:  “And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.”

I wondered what he was writing.  And why was he writing on the ground?  

We’ll never know for sure what he wrote, and a few great theologians have speculated about why he was writing.

What I see is Jesus’ gentleness and compassion with everyone he was teaching on that day, even the scribes and the Pharisees who were challenging him.  He did not confront them with scolding or unkind words.  He did not embarrass them in front of the gathered crowd.  After he spoke, he turned away from them; he wasn’t even looking at them.

The first time he bent down and wrote with his finger may have been a symbolic reference back to God writing the Law on stone.  But by doing it a second time, after he spoke, he gave the scribes and the Pharisees time to think about what he had said and when they did that, “they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones.”

I invite you again to pause and think about what you notice and wonder…perhaps in the wondering you will hear what Jesus is trying to say to you today.

We welcome back Rev. Paul Beckingham to worship on Sunday.  He will be reflecting on this story and gathering us at the Lord’s Table.  I hope to see you on Sunday!

Image by freepik

Can You Remember an Occasion when God Answered your Prayer?

What did you do in response?

This Sunday we will listen to three stories of trouble, answered prayers and giving thanks.  What do the characters in these stories do in response to their answered prayers?

Luke 15: 1-24 (ESV)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.  And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.  Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’  And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Each story ends with community celebrations. The people don’t just whisper "Thank you, God."  They stop, gather their friends and neighbours and really treasure the answered prayers. 

I wonder, do we take time for that?  I wonder what would happen if we shared our answered prayers with our friends and neighbours?  Could this be one of the ways of focussing on the good to make us stronger and more optimistic in times of turmoil?

We are so happy to have Rev. Paul Beckingham with us this week to reflect on these three parables.  I hope you will come and join us for Worship in the chapel.

What Might Trees Teach Us About Giving Thanks in Times of Turmoil?

Living in a rainforest, we have ample opportunity to admire trees.  Whenever I pause long enough to gaze at them, they seem to reach to the heavens, and to shout their exuberance in colour, blossom and fruit.  In return for life they seem to give thanks.

What else is going on?  

In order for the branches to reach the sky there needs to be solid, well watered roots.  As well as bringing water and nutrients to the tree, the roots help the tree to sustain stormy weather by anchoring it into the ground. The tree branches are supple; they bend in the wind.  If drought happens and the soil dries out, the tree may come down in a windstorm.

A well rooted and watered tree has a long and fruitful life. How do we enjoy a long and fruitful life? A life filled with things that will make us want to reach up to God in thanks?  What do we need to be rooted in?

Perhaps we can find the answer in Psalm 1:

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

When a seed is planted and watered, a root emerges, followed by a shoot that contains the leaves and stem. The root comes first, just as Psalm 1 tells us that we must be well rooted in God's Word to grow, flourish and to sustain the storms of life.

We welcome back Flo Kim to CVC Worship this Sunday, and we are moving from the wisdom of the Proverbs to the wisdom of the Psalms.  I do hope that you can join us in the chapel - I’m looking forward to seeing you, to worshipping with you and to learning with you.

Do You Wish That You Could Hear God’s Voice When You Need Wisdom?

Maybe you are trying to make a career decision, for example.  Or maybe you are in the midst of job or family strife and need to figure out what to do next.

Where do we get the wisdom needed in these difficult moments?  As Christians we turn to God in prayer.  But how do we hear God’s voice?  His wisdom?

Prayer can be defined as a conversation with God.  And spending time with God, best begins with thanks - remember Psalm 100 MSG?  Enter with the password: “Thank you!”  

When beauty takes our breath away, when we are shown love, or when we are given grace, we can thank God.  Giving thanks routinely (like in our daily prayers), teaches us to pay attention to God moving in our lives.  Noticing God's movement in our lives can help you hear God’s voice when you need to.  This is the basis of what the Ignations call Spiritual Discernment.  You can read more about this here.

This week, we welcome back Flo Kim to CVC to speak about wisdom, specifically as it appears in Proverbs 1:20-33:  

Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts.
    At the town center she makes her speech.
In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand.
    At the busiest corner she calls out:

“Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance?
    Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism?
Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?
    About face! I can revise your life.
Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you;
    I’m ready to tell you all I know.
As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear;
    I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me.

“Since you laugh at my counsel
    and make a joke of my advice,
How can I take you seriously?
    I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!
What if the roof falls in,
    and your whole life goes to pieces?
What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing
    to show for your life but rubble and ashes?
You’ll need me then. You’ll call for me, but don’t expect an answer.
    No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me.

“Because you hated Knowledge
    and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God,
Because you wouldn’t take my advice
    and brushed aside all my offers to train you,
Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it;
    you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it?
Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots?
    Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.
First pay attention to me, and then relax.
    Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”

I hope you can join us.