Born Anew from Above

Yesterday we reflected on that passage from the Gospel of John where Jesus, 

 in a conversation with a religious leader named Nicodemus, he says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” – which could also be translated born anew.

When I was in Atlanta I used to regularly help serve breakfast to the homeless at the Open Door church. After serving breakfast we would always sit down to eat. One day I happened to sit across from across from another volunteer who was a little older – retired – maybe in his early 70’s.  As I sat down, I noticed some tears running down his cheek. He said he was serving grits that morning and near the end of the line, a homeless man grabbed his hand, looked him in the eyes, and said, “Thank you.” And for some reason, it really touched him. He said, “I can’t believe I waited 70-something years to start giving back. And another guy sitting at the table said, “Yeah, what a blessing not to have missed it all together.”

Jesus goes on to say to Nicodemus: Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. The wind (which is also the same word as Spirit), (this wind/spirit) blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. 

In other words, this new birth, the birth from above, is Spirit led. It doesn’t happen on our timetable. It doesn’t always happen when or how we would like. And clearly, it is not something we do, but something God does.

Maybe you are at a moment when you are worried about the future of a child, or a loved one, or a relationship, or a job. Maybe as you read the news, it feels as though the world around you is crumbling. Or maybe as you notice that our mainline denominations are getting grayer and grayer, maybe it’s discouraging.

Then the question becomes: Can I trust that the same Spirit who blew life into the dry bones of Israel; the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead; the same Spirit who blew life into the early church on that first Pentecost, can that same Spirit birth something new in me, in my family, in my church and in the world?

Jesus said to even see the kingdom of God, you have to be born anew from above.

May you come to see that this is not just a one-time conversion he’s talking about – but an openness to the Spirit along the journey…And it is an invitation to expect that God can and will bring about something new – even in you – even in me.

Let us pray:  As we sit on the edge of this new year, O God, Grant us an openness to your Spirit’s movement in our lives.  Prepare our hearts and minds for you to do a new thing in us; through Jesus Christ. Amen.