Podcasts about scripture: john 3:1-3:17

God is a God who initaties. He makes the first move. He takes the first step. And that's really, really good news, considering the mess we've made of relationships and the world He made. May's virtue focus at Generations is INITIATIVE: seeing what needs to be done and doing it. And when we take initiative, we're reflecting God's nature and character to the world around us.

Medina Church of the Nazarene

A look at Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.

May the God of Wonders Bless You!

May the God of Wonders Bless You!

Welcome to East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church!

Welcome to East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church!

Born again! John 3:1-17 Dan McQuillin

A sermon from John 3:1-17 by Pastor Will Harmon Cavanaugh Church Fort Smith, Arkansas

A sermon from John 3:1-17 by Pastor Will Harmon Cavanaugh Church Fort Smith, Arkansas

A sermon from John 3:1-17 by Pastor Will Harmon Cavanaugh Church Fort Smith, Arkansas

Teaching from the Word of God.

From the 9am Sanctuary Service

From the 9am Sanctuary Service

MUMC Podcast

MUMC Podcast

Storyline Christian Community

Connecting People to God in Christ

As we look through the night time discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus we find that the Spiritual life is harder to pin down than we might like, but what is important is that we recognize when it's there. Above all else, we find that Jesus came to Save us. That's why He came, and that changes everything.

The weekly Bible Reading and Sermon from Westbourne Park Uniting Church's 9:15am - Family Service.

New life is available now in Jesus Christ for all who believe in the Son of God.

Welcome to East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church!

Welcome to East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church!

Tema: Correré Hacia Ti Serie: Jesús Y Yo Predicador: Pastor Bert Bocachica Visítenos los domingos a las 2pm en 1469 St. Peters Avenue, Bronx, NY o en vivo por http://www.facebook.com/tsfesp

Brad Sullivan Trinity Sunday, Year B May 27, 2018 Emmanuel, Houston Isaiah 6:1-8 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Trinityish Type Stuff: a.k.a. Restoring God's Shalom Without doubt and without fear, May you find some comfort here, May there be hope to help you cope When what you need Is nowhere near Make your mark unto these years, Shape your world with salt and tears, Carry on when your will has gone, Be it joy or sorrow Given time, given faith, Given courage to embrace Changes as they each take place, Be it joy or sorrow - Terri Hendrix, Joy or Sorrow That’s from a song called Joy or Sorrow by Texas singer/songwriter, Terri Hendrix. That song made me think of the life of Jesus, following the wind of the Holy Spirit. In good times and in bad, in joy or sorrow, Jesus had a profoundly beautiful life, being led by the wind, the Spirit of God. Jesus was fully connected to God and to creation around him with hope, with faith, embracing life as it came, be it joy or sorrow Now because of Jesus and because of the church’s dawning realization that he was God, living as an actual human being among us, the church, began over the centuries to develop an understanding of God as being one God who was also three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We developed this understanding of God because Jesus spoke to God, his father, who spoke back to him, and Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit of God. The three worked and moved together as one, even though they were each distinct. How’s that work and fit together, three persons who are one God and yet still three distinct persons while still being one God? I don’t know. After years of pondering and wondering, I simply think of I think of the Trinity in terms of relationship. Three persons bound together so perfectly in love for each other that they are one. From that image of God, we gain an understanding of the image of God in which we were made. We were intended to love others and be loved by others, to join with others so that we are one with them. That was Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, if you’ll remember from John 17:11, that they would be one as he and the Father are one. In good times and bad, in joy or sorrow, we were made to be like God, bound to one another in love, our loving unity creating shalom, the peace and wholeness of God. I’ve been reading Learning Change by Jim Herrington & Trisha Taylor, and they begin the book with idea of God’s dreams for us, that we would each bring about the peace and wholeness of God. “We were designed,” they write, “to dream of the epic life God created us for - the abundant, fully human, and fully alive life that Jesus lived. Along the way, we exchange that dream for a seriously compromised version, characterized by the pursuit of comfort and convenience...” “God [has chosen] us to partner with him in recreating and restoring shalom in our own families, our communities, and ultimately in the world.” Reading this book has reminded me of the dream I had as a youth of following the wind of God and having a purpose in my life to restore shalom. I lost some of that along the way, coming into adulthood and seeking comfort and security for my life. I lost that dream of partnering with God in restoring shalom, and since reading this book, Jesus has been calling me to make some changes, even if only in attitude and outlook, so that I can reclaim that dream of a life of partnering with God in restoring peace and wholeness. Restoring Shalom, the peace and wholeness of God, was Jesus’ life through and through, and partnering with God in restoring Shalom is the life Jesus was talking about when he told Nicodeums about being born from above. When we’re born from above, we follow the epic dream God has for us, partnering with him in restoring shalom in the world and following the wind of God. “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,” Jesus said. Thinking of the wind blowing where it chooses in terms of the Trinity, I have this great image of the Father and the Son talking together and suddenly a mighty wind starts blowing, and the Son says, “Hey Dad, where do you think she’s going now?” “Are you kidding, Son, I never have any idea where she’s going, but it’s always on the grandest adventure.” …and together they follow the Spirit, the three bound perfectly together in love, their loving unity creating shalom, the peace and wholeness of God. Being born of the Spirit of God, following the wind, which blows where it chooses, we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes, and yet we find something beautiful in the life of that wind, and so we follow where the wind blows. Jesus calls us to surrender ourselves to follow God’s epic dream for us of abundant, fully human life. In that surrender, we let go some of some false security, comfort, and convenience, and we follow the wind of God, partnering with him in restoring shalom. Be it joy or sorrow, our lives were made for so much more than for securing our own comfort and security. We were made to be fully alive which does not mean that we’ll be perfectly happy with no tears ever. Both Joy and sorrow will still happen as they did for Jesus. We know that risking joy and sorrow is part of what it means to be fully alive, fully human. So is following the wind of God on whatever grand adventure she has in mind for us. We had two examples in our scripture readings today of people following the wind of God on a new grand adventure: Isaiah and Nicodemus. For Isaiah, he had this grand vision of God in his divine court with angels all around him, leaving little doubt that the grand adventure on which he was about to embark was the wind of God, in his case, a gale force wind. He had no idea what he was getting into, but as soon as God asked, “Who will go for us?”, Isaiah piped, “Sounds good, let’s go! What are we doing again?” There was joy and sorrow in his following the wind of God, but come what may, Isaiah was all in. Some folks have such experiences of a strong sense of God calling them to follow the wind on a grand adventure, and they can’t wait to begin. Others are more like Nicodemus. He was a little more subdued in his response. For one thing, the invitation that he received to follow the wind of God was less gale force and more gentle breeze, and he wasn’t at all certain that he wanted to follow. Having seen and heard Jesus, he saw something beautiful, and he felt the wind of God on his face gently beckoning him onward, but he thought, “This seems potentially great, but also very confusing and rather distressing; can I talk about this with you in private, Jesus?”. I love both of these examples of how we can say yes to the wind of God beckoning us to follow in the life of the Trinity. God lets us follow the wind as we can, as we learn to trust him and catch the beauty of the dream of God’s life for us. Where’s the wind of God blowing? I don’t know. Just ask yourself this: Who’s the next person you’re going to talk with or even look at while you’re here? That’s where you get to live the life of the Trinity and help restore the shalom of God in creation. Where’s the next place you’re going from here? That’s the next place the Spirit is inviting you to help restore the shalom of God in creation, and on and on. In your home. With you family and friends. At work. In your neighborhood. That’s where you get to follow the wind of God, to live the life of the Trinity, to help restore the shalom of God in creation. She calls: Without doubt and without fear, May you find some comfort here, May there be hope to help you cope When what you need Is nowhere near Make your mark unto these years, Shape your world with salt and tears, Carry on when your will has gone, Be it joy or sorrow Given time, given faith, Given courage to embrace Changes as they each take place, Be it joy or sorrow - Terri Hendrix, Joy or Sorrow

Brad Sullivan Trinity Sunday, Year B May 27, 2018 Emmanuel, Houston Isaiah 6:1-8 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Trinityish Type Stuff: a.k.a. Restoring God's Shalom Without doubt and without fear, May you find some comfort here, May there be hope to help you cope When what you need Is nowhere near Make your mark unto these years, Shape your world with salt and tears, Carry on when your will has gone, Be it joy or sorrow Given time, given faith, Given courage to embrace Changes as they each take place, Be it joy or sorrow - Terri Hendrix, Joy or Sorrow That’s from a song called Joy or Sorrow by Texas singer/songwriter, Terri Hendrix. That song made me think of the life of Jesus, following the wind of the Holy Spirit. In good times and in bad, in joy or sorrow, Jesus had a profoundly beautiful life, being led by the wind, the Spirit of God. Jesus was fully connected to God and to creation around him with hope, with faith, embracing life as it came, be it joy or sorrow Now because of Jesus and because of the church’s dawning realization that he was God, living as an actual human being among us, the church, began over the centuries to develop an understanding of God as being one God who was also three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We developed this understanding of God because Jesus spoke to God, his father, who spoke back to him, and Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit of God. The three worked and moved together as one, even though they were each distinct. How’s that work and fit together, three persons who are one God and yet still three distinct persons while still being one God? I don’t know. After years of pondering and wondering, I simply think of I think of the Trinity in terms of relationship. Three persons bound together so perfectly in love for each other that they are one. From that image of God, we gain an understanding of the image of God in which we were made. We were intended to love others and be loved by others, to join with others so that we are one with them. That was Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, if you’ll remember from John 17:11, that they would be one as he and the Father are one. In good times and bad, in joy or sorrow, we were made to be like God, bound to one another in love, our loving unity creating shalom, the peace and wholeness of God. I’ve been reading Learning Change by Jim Herrington & Trisha Taylor, and they begin the book with idea of God’s dreams for us, that we would each bring about the peace and wholeness of God. “We were designed,” they write, “to dream of the epic life God created us for - the abundant, fully human, and fully alive life that Jesus lived. Along the way, we exchange that dream for a seriously compromised version, characterized by the pursuit of comfort and convenience...” “God [has chosen] us to partner with him in recreating and restoring shalom in our own families, our communities, and ultimately in the world.” Reading this book has reminded me of the dream I had as a youth of following the wind of God and having a purpose in my life to restore shalom. I lost some of that along the way, coming into adulthood and seeking comfort and security for my life. I lost that dream of partnering with God in restoring shalom, and since reading this book, Jesus has been calling me to make some changes, even if only in attitude and outlook, so that I can reclaim that dream of a life of partnering with God in restoring peace and wholeness. Restoring Shalom, the peace and wholeness of God, was Jesus’ life through and through, and partnering with God in restoring Shalom is the life Jesus was talking about when he told Nicodeums about being born from above. When we’re born from above, we follow the epic dream God has for us, partnering with him in restoring shalom in the world and following the wind of God. “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,” Jesus said. Thinking of the wind blowing where it chooses in terms of the Trinity, I have this great image of the Father and the Son talking together and suddenly a mighty wind starts blowing, and the Son says, “Hey Dad, where do you think she’s going now?” “Are you kidding, Son, I never have any idea where she’s going, but it’s always on the grandest adventure.” …and together they follow the Spirit, the three bound perfectly together in love, their loving unity creating shalom, the peace and wholeness of God. Being born of the Spirit of God, following the wind, which blows where it chooses, we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes, and yet we find something beautiful in the life of that wind, and so we follow where the wind blows. Jesus calls us to surrender ourselves to follow God’s epic dream for us of abundant, fully human life. In that surrender, we let go some of some false security, comfort, and convenience, and we follow the wind of God, partnering with him in restoring shalom. Be it joy or sorrow, our lives were made for so much more than for securing our own comfort and security. We were made to be fully alive which does not mean that we’ll be perfectly happy with no tears ever. Both Joy and sorrow will still happen as they did for Jesus. We know that risking joy and sorrow is part of what it means to be fully alive, fully human. So is following the wind of God on whatever grand adventure she has in mind for us. We had two examples in our scripture readings today of people following the wind of God on a new grand adventure: Isaiah and Nicodemus. For Isaiah, he had this grand vision of God in his divine court with angels all around him, leaving little doubt that the grand adventure on which he was about to embark was the wind of God, in his case, a gale force wind. He had no idea what he was getting into, but as soon as God asked, “Who will go for us?”, Isaiah piped, “Sounds good, let’s go! What are we doing again?” There was joy and sorrow in his following the wind of God, but come what may, Isaiah was all in. Some folks have such experiences of a strong sense of God calling them to follow the wind on a grand adventure, and they can’t wait to begin. Others are more like Nicodemus. He was a little more subdued in his response. For one thing, the invitation that he received to follow the wind of God was less gale force and more gentle breeze, and he wasn’t at all certain that he wanted to follow. Having seen and heard Jesus, he saw something beautiful, and he felt the wind of God on his face gently beckoning him onward, but he thought, “This seems potentially great, but also very confusing and rather distressing; can I talk about this with you in private, Jesus?”. I love both of these examples of how we can say yes to the wind of God beckoning us to follow in the life of the Trinity. God lets us follow the wind as we can, as we learn to trust him and catch the beauty of the dream of God’s life for us. Where’s the wind of God blowing? I don’t know. Just ask yourself this: Who’s the next person you’re going to talk with or even look at while you’re here? That’s where you get to live the life of the Trinity and help restore the shalom of God in creation. Where’s the next place you’re going from here? That’s the next place the Spirit is inviting you to help restore the shalom of God in creation, and on and on. In your home. With you family and friends. At work. In your neighborhood. That’s where you get to follow the wind of God, to live the life of the Trinity, to help restore the shalom of God in creation. She calls: Without doubt and without fear, May you find some comfort here, May there be hope to help you cope When what you need Is nowhere near Make your mark unto these years, Shape your world with salt and tears, Carry on when your will has gone, Be it joy or sorrow Given time, given faith, Given courage to embrace Changes as they each take place, Be it joy or sorrow - Terri Hendrix, Joy or Sorrow

Central UMC, Florence SC

Epiphany Lutheran Message is part of the Sunday and Wednesday worship services of Epiphany Lutheran Church. We believe when the Bible says all, it truly means ALL because the gifts of God are free. For more info go to epiphanysuwanee.org.

Central UMC, Florence SC

Pastor Scott shares the heart and the "Why?" behind everything we do here at Cornerstone.

Pastor Scott shares the heart and the "Why?" behind everything we do here at Cornerstone.

This podcast includes daily prayer, reflections and sermons from Central Presbyterian Church leadership and special guests. We are part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Louisville, KY.

Contemporary Worship Service of Church Of The Palms, Sarasota, FL

From the 9am Sanctuary Service

Some encounters produce tangible results right away while others plant seeds in our heart that eventually produce.

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

What is New Birth? Who Needs new Birth? How are we Born Again?

Brad Sullivan 2 Lent, Year A March 12, 2017 Emmanuel, Houston John 3:1-17 Babies Crawling On the Ever-Shifting Sands of Time “They say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known.” That’s from poet and prophet, Billy Joel, in the song Summer Highland Falls. That single idea, that these aren’t the best of times, but they are the only times I’ve ever known, that idea holds true for each new generation, doesn’t it? When we’re first born, the world doesn’t seem crazy and messed up. It just seems like the world, even if it is crazy and messed up. Then we get older and the world seems different, and we get older and the world seems even more different. The world changes more and more, until sometimes folks find themselves living in a world they no longer really recognize or understand. New folks move into the neighborhood and the neighborhood changes. The constant and regular practices of our religion become less constant, not at all regular, and the younger generations don’t do things the way we used to. Texting replaces written invitations to parties and other events. The interwebs replace print media. Star Wars gets taken over by Disney! Ways of life, unacceptable when we were children are now acceptable decades later. Whatever the changes, they’re happening all the time, all around us. We’re often longing for the past, or the good old days, or the way we did things “back in my day,” and into this longing for the past, this longing for some firm footing on the ever shifting sands of time, Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above.” Well, if you are born from above, then what are you, or what is your spirit, but that of a newborn baby? See babies and children don’t long for the good old days. They see the world around them, and they can live in it and accept the world as it is. They can see God in the world all around them. The Kingdom of God is not hidden from the eyes of infants and children because they aren’t looking for God’s Kingdom in some longed-for and likely over-romanticized past. Infants and children can simply live into God’s Kingdom in the ever changing present. Our ties to the past are not a bad thing in and of themselves. They give us wisdom and some grounding in the ever-shifting sands of time, but those very ties to the past, when tied too tightly, end up binding us so that we can no longer move, and we see the sands a-shifting, we see the times a-changing, and we become afraid. That is how Nicodemus felt when he came to Jesus stating, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God…” Nicodemus made a statement, declaring that Jesus was from God, but Nicodemus also came to Jesus at night. He was curious about Jesus, but he was also frightened. Jesus didn’t mesh with what he thought he knew about God’s Kingdom, and behind Nicodemus’ statement that Jesus had come from God, was a question. “How can it be that you come from God, when what you say and do, while like what God taught, seems so different from the religion that I know?” Something of what Jesus said and did resonated very deeply with Nicodemus. In Jesus, Nicodemus could see the Kingdom of God, and at the same time, Jesus was different than the religion of Nicodemus’ childhood and training, and the fear that Nicodemus felt at that difference was eclipsing his curiosity. Be born from above, Jesus said. Be a baby again, full of curiosity and without fear, trusting not in the past, but in God and God’s Kingdom all around you. In these first weeks of Lent, Emmanuel has decided to get curious about God and God’s Kingdom all around us. On Ash Wednesday, we had our regular services here, and we also changed how we’d always done things by bringing ashes and prayers with us out into the surrounding community for “Ashes to Go,” something churches have been doing close to about 10 years now, actually. We went out into the world, where Jesus already was, and we both offered moments of grace in the ashes and prayer, the holy things of our church, and we received moments of grace from the people we met. We didn’t bring Jesus to anyone. Jesus was already there, and we got to encounter Jesus together. So, we’re going to hear stories from a couple of the folks who went out for “Ashes to Go.” J: Good morning, I was one of the Ashes to Go people who went to the park and ride. There were about six of us gathered near where people get off the bus, and my main job was to hold the sign up that said, “Ashes to Go,” so as many people as possible could see it, but I was a part of some interactions there, and I found the whole thing to be moving to me and to other people also. There was one young couple there who drove up and asked one of us to go over to them. One of our members went to them, and they asked us to pray for them because they wanted to have a baby. So she prayed for them, not only that they would have a baby, but that God would bless them in ways to make their lives full. Many folks would come by, and some would look at us like “are you serious?”, and others would give us a big smile, some would say, “I went this morning.” It was a start, a good start, and I hope it will continue. Thank you. R: Good morning. For myself, it was also a very spiritual experience. Like our sister said, we had a sign that said, “Ashes to Go,” and next year we need three signs so we can spread out a bit more. The first person who came up to us said, “Is this for real?” During the hour we were there, so many people came up with different outward expressions of the Holy Spirit that had gone into them. Some were smiling. Some weren’t sure. There were people who’d be coming off the bus, and you could see that they were tired, but when they saw the sign, they got a skip in their step, they were smiling at us, and it was beautiful, it was wonderful. There was one lady who came up, and she had a lot on her mind; she was very quiet, and we asked if she would like to have ashes. She said, “no thank you,” and she walked past. Then she stopped and came back and asked for prayer for her son. So we prayed together for her son, and then she said, “Now I would like ashes.” So it was incredible to experience this, and I hope we all have the opportunity to do this again, and I will volunteer for next year. Thank you very much. L: Good day. I was not part of taking the ashes to the street, but Brad gave my family Ashes to Go, a little take home packet and Ash Wednesday service. For the past five years, I’ve been to St. Mark’s Episcopal for the 7:00 a.m. service since it fit my schedule, but this year, my schedule didn’t allow me to go to make that service, and my wife and I couldn’t make the evening service here, and Brad knew that, so he gave us Ashes to Go for our home. I mentioned it to a neighbor, who mentioned it to another neighbor, and we ended up with seven people in our home that evening, and we read through the service together. I started the service, and our daughter wanted to read the scripture. After she got through about a paragraph, she wanted to read the second scripture, and then the third scripture, and we had a little bit of a tug of war so my wife and I could read a scripture, and we all got our scripture in. From that, our neighbors were there and participating, and as Brad said, we didn’t bring Jesus to anyone, but we found him together in our house that night, and it was very moving. I think if anyone can do that and open up, which we all can, tell someone, and I will be part of next year’s on the street. I think that’s great, and I’ll make time. Thank you. We never know where or in whom we might encounter God, for God’s Spirit blows where it chooses, and we do not know where it comes from or where it goes. Beyond the Church, God’s Kingdom shows up all the time, in all kinds of different ways, from the mystical to the mundane. God’s Kingdom isn’t overly concerned with the artifices of any longed-for past because God’s Kingdom has been ever present in through and beyond all of our presents and all of our pasts. In ancient Israel, when a foreigner, Naomi, clung to her mother-in-law, Ruth’s, neck and said, “I will not leave you,” God’s Kingdom was present. When Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you,” and “Father forgive them,” God’s Kingdom was present. In 15th century England, in the birth of the Anglican Church, God’s Kingdom was present. During that same time, when Europeans began coming to this land, God’s Kingdom was present. God’s Kingdom was present in this land, in fact, long before Europeans arrived with Christianity, or was God not here yet? God’s Kingdom has been present during times of darkness in this land and during times of light. God’s Kingdom has been ever-present in this and every land throughout all time, showing up whenever and in whomever it would. Some, like Nicodemus, would see it and think, “that can’t be God’s Kingdom, it doesn’t fit with what I know.” Fortunately, God isn’t bound by what we know in our ties to the past. So it is with those who are born of the Spirit. They are babies once again, tethered to the past, but also free to live in the world as it is rather than as it was, free to be curious about the world, free to explore as all newborn babies do. Newborn babies, born not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, is what Jesus has formed us and called us to be, over and over again, to enter back into God’s womb and are then born once again. Jesus has sent us out to live and proclaim God’s Kingdom, wherever it happens to be, even in the crazy newness of our constantly changing world, and the ever-shifting sands of time upon which we travel.

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

2nd Sunday in Lent

Journey With Jesus: From Wilderness to Garden Each Sunday through Easter, we will be studying selected passages from the Gospels to journey with Jesus towards transformation.

The conversation in the garden between Nicodemus and Jesus in which Christ reveals himself as the Son of God sent to redeem the world is likely the most quoted and analyzed in the New Testament. (John 3:16) Pastor John explains how God continues to love us through our failures and foibles in his sermon

What is New Birth? Who Needs new Birth? How are we Born Again?

While John 3:16 is perhaps the best known verse in the New Testament, the two preceding verses, which explain the context by reference to Moses and the events of the Exodus, often pass without comment. We see in these verses the parallel between Moses and the Exodus journey, and the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. During Lent, we focus on the tools of Lenten discipline to help free us from whatever it might be that enslaves us and prevents us from loving God with all our heart, soul, and might.

While John 3:16 is perhaps the best known verse in the New Testament, the two preceding verses, which explain the context by reference to Moses and the events of the Exodus, often pass without comment. We see in these verses the parallel between Moses and the Exodus journey, and the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. During Lent, we focus on the tools of Lenten discipline to help free us from whatever it might be that enslaves us and prevents us from loving God with all our heart, soul, and might.

Brad Sullivan 2 Lent, Year A March 12, 2017 Emmanuel, Houston John 3:1-17 Babies Crawling On the Ever-Shifting Sands of Time “They say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known.” That’s from poet and prophet, Billy Joel, in the song Summer Highland Falls. That single idea, that these aren’t the best of times, but they are the only times I’ve ever known, that idea holds true for each new generation, doesn’t it? When we’re first born, the world doesn’t seem crazy and messed up. It just seems like the world, even if it is crazy and messed up. Then we get older and the world seems different, and we get older and the world seems even more different. The world changes more and more, until sometimes folks find themselves living in a world they no longer really recognize or understand. New folks move into the neighborhood and the neighborhood changes. The constant and regular practices of our religion become less constant, not at all regular, and the younger generations don’t do things the way we used to. Texting replaces written invitations to parties and other events. The interwebs replace print media. Star Wars gets taken over by Disney! Ways of life, unacceptable when we were children are now acceptable decades later. Whatever the changes, they’re happening all the time, all around us. We’re often longing for the past, or the good old days, or the way we did things “back in my day,” and into this longing for the past, this longing for some firm footing on the ever shifting sands of time, Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above.” Well, if you are born from above, then what are you, or what is your spirit, but that of a newborn baby? See babies and children don’t long for the good old days. They see the world around them, and they can live in it and accept the world as it is. They can see God in the world all around them. The Kingdom of God is not hidden from the eyes of infants and children because they aren’t looking for God’s Kingdom in some longed-for and likely over-romanticized past. Infants and children can simply live into God’s Kingdom in the ever changing present. Our ties to the past are not a bad thing in and of themselves. They give us wisdom and some grounding in the ever-shifting sands of time, but those very ties to the past, when tied too tightly, end up binding us so that we can no longer move, and we see the sands a-shifting, we see the times a-changing, and we become afraid. That is how Nicodemus felt when he came to Jesus stating, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God…” Nicodemus made a statement, declaring that Jesus was from God, but Nicodemus also came to Jesus at night. He was curious about Jesus, but he was also frightened. Jesus didn’t mesh with what he thought he knew about God’s Kingdom, and behind Nicodemus’ statement that Jesus had come from God, was a question. “How can it be that you come from God, when what you say and do, while like what God taught, seems so different from the religion that I know?” Something of what Jesus said and did resonated very deeply with Nicodemus. In Jesus, Nicodemus could see the Kingdom of God, and at the same time, Jesus was different than the religion of Nicodemus’ childhood and training, and the fear that Nicodemus felt at that difference was eclipsing his curiosity. Be born from above, Jesus said. Be a baby again, full of curiosity and without fear, trusting not in the past, but in God and God’s Kingdom all around you. In these first weeks of Lent, Emmanuel has decided to get curious about God and God’s Kingdom all around us. On Ash Wednesday, we had our regular services here, and we also changed how we’d always done things by bringing ashes and prayers with us out into the surrounding community for “Ashes to Go,” something churches have been doing close to about 10 years now, actually. We went out into the world, where Jesus already was, and we both offered moments of grace in the ashes and prayer, the holy things of our church, and we received moments of grace from the people we met. We didn’t bring Jesus to anyone. Jesus was already there, and we got to encounter Jesus together. So, we’re going to hear stories from a couple of the folks who went out for “Ashes to Go.” J: Good morning, I was one of the Ashes to Go people who went to the park and ride. There were about six of us gathered near where people get off the bus, and my main job was to hold the sign up that said, “Ashes to Go,” so as many people as possible could see it, but I was a part of some interactions there, and I found the whole thing to be moving to me and to other people also. There was one young couple there who drove up and asked one of us to go over to them. One of our members went to them, and they asked us to pray for them because they wanted to have a baby. So she prayed for them, not only that they would have a baby, but that God would bless them in ways to make their lives full. Many folks would come by, and some would look at us like “are you serious?”, and others would give us a big smile, some would say, “I went this morning.” It was a start, a good start, and I hope it will continue. Thank you. R: Good morning. For myself, it was also a very spiritual experience. Like our sister said, we had a sign that said, “Ashes to Go,” and next year we need three signs so we can spread out a bit more. The first person who came up to us said, “Is this for real?” During the hour we were there, so many people came up with different outward expressions of the Holy Spirit that had gone into them. Some were smiling. Some weren’t sure. There were people who’d be coming off the bus, and you could see that they were tired, but when they saw the sign, they got a skip in their step, they were smiling at us, and it was beautiful, it was wonderful. There was one lady who came up, and she had a lot on her mind; she was very quiet, and we asked if she would like to have ashes. She said, “no thank you,” and she walked past. Then she stopped and came back and asked for prayer for her son. So we prayed together for her son, and then she said, “Now I would like ashes.” So it was incredible to experience this, and I hope we all have the opportunity to do this again, and I will volunteer for next year. Thank you very much. L: Good day. I was not part of taking the ashes to the street, but Brad gave my family Ashes to Go, a little take home packet and Ash Wednesday service. For the past five years, I’ve been to St. Mark’s Episcopal for the 7:00 a.m. service since it fit my schedule, but this year, my schedule didn’t allow me to go to make that service, and my wife and I couldn’t make the evening service here, and Brad knew that, so he gave us Ashes to Go for our home. I mentioned it to a neighbor, who mentioned it to another neighbor, and we ended up with seven people in our home that evening, and we read through the service together. I started the service, and our daughter wanted to read the scripture. After she got through about a paragraph, she wanted to read the second scripture, and then the third scripture, and we had a little bit of a tug of war so my wife and I could read a scripture, and we all got our scripture in. From that, our neighbors were there and participating, and as Brad said, we didn’t bring Jesus to anyone, but we found him together in our house that night, and it was very moving. I think if anyone can do that and open up, which we all can, tell someone, and I will be part of next year’s on the street. I think that’s great, and I’ll make time. Thank you. We never know where or in whom we might encounter God, for God’s Spirit blows where it chooses, and we do not know where it comes from or where it goes. Beyond the Church, God’s Kingdom shows up all the time, in all kinds of different ways, from the mystical to the mundane. God’s Kingdom isn’t overly concerned with the artifices of any longed-for past because God’s Kingdom has been ever present in through and beyond all of our presents and all of our pasts. In ancient Israel, when a foreigner, Naomi, clung to her mother-in-law, Ruth’s, neck and said, “I will not leave you,” God’s Kingdom was present. When Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you,” and “Father forgive them,” God’s Kingdom was present. In 15th century England, in the birth of the Anglican Church, God’s Kingdom was present. During that same time, when Europeans began coming to this land, God’s Kingdom was present. God’s Kingdom was present in this land, in fact, long before Europeans arrived with Christianity, or was God not here yet? God’s Kingdom has been present during times of darkness in this land and during times of light. God’s Kingdom has been ever-present in this and every land throughout all time, showing up whenever and in whomever it would. Some, like Nicodemus, would see it and think, “that can’t be God’s Kingdom, it doesn’t fit with what I know.” Fortunately, God isn’t bound by what we know in our ties to the past. So it is with those who are born of the Spirit. They are babies once again, tethered to the past, but also free to live in the world as it is rather than as it was, free to be curious about the world, free to explore as all newborn babies do. Newborn babies, born not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, is what Jesus has formed us and called us to be, over and over again, to enter back into God’s womb and are then born once again. Jesus has sent us out to live and proclaim God’s Kingdom, wherever it happens to be, even in the crazy newness of our constantly changing world, and the ever-shifting sands of time upon which we travel.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Stubbornness is weakness disguised as strength.

CHBC

At least one thing is clear from Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus – knowing about God is not the same thing as knowing God. Being religious is not the same thing as having a relationship with God. We've heard Jesus' words, "you must be born again" so many times, but sometimes familiarity eclipses the meaning of words. Let’s go back to that encounter and try to understand it again.

At least one thing is clear from Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus – knowing about God is not the same thing as knowing God. Being religious is not the same thing as having a relationship with God. We've heard Jesus' words, "you must be born again" so many times, but sometimes familiarity eclipses the meaning of words. Let’s go back to that encounter and try to understand it again.

Pastor John describes on Trinity Sunday how the rebirth that Jesus described in the Garden to Nicodemus was the receiving of the Spirit.

Christ Church, Bayston Hill (UK)

Beginning with a Native American Christmas story about an elder meeting in the forrest, Pastor Megan encourages the faithful to balance the amount of self care and sacrifice in our lives.

Get Plugged In at Northbridge Church! www.northbridge.cc

What must I do to be born again?

Get Plugged In at Northbridge Church! www.northbridge.cc

Highland Presbyterian Church

Sermon Only

fan or follower

Everything we can claim to know about God should always be related to the love God has shown us.

June 3, 2012

Everything we can claim to know about God should always be related to the love God has shown us.