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. 

Today’s message was written by Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Some years ago, a ten-year-old boy named Johnny was sitting alone on a park bench one afternoon. It was a beautiful spring day and Johnny was watching some other kids play baseball. An older man happened by, saw Johnny sitting there and sat down beside him. They entered into a conversation. They talked about the gorgeous weather, sports, and their families. Finally, the older man said, “Johnny, I want to ask you a question. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?” Johnny thought for a moment and then said, “First, I would wish for peace and happiness in the world. Second, I would wish everybody would join a church. And third, I would wish that my best friend Billy, who is blind, would be able to see. That’s what I would wish for.” 

The older man seemed amazed by little Johnny’s answer, and with a look of perplexity, he said goodbye and walked away. Johnny didn’t understand why the man was confused by the answer. He sat there for a moment, and then picked up his crutches and hobbled home! Now you know where Johnny got that gracious, loving spirit, don’t you? He got it from Jesus. He got it from the one who went to the cross for you and me. 

On the cross, God showed us how much he loved us and how much he wants us to love one another. Faith, hope, love – that’s what the cross is about. Whether you are receiving chemotherapy, or radiation, facing the loss of a loved one, whether you are calling from Baghdad, whether you are depressed and lonely, whether you are a teenager or a child, remember – God loves you! And you are blessed to be a blessing to others. 

Let us pray: Loving God, who has given us a mentor and example of living in Jesus, we pray that you will give us the courage and will to see more clearly, love more dearly, and follow more nearly the Christ, day by day. Today, may we reflect the image and spirit of Jesus who was called “The one for others” because he sought to serve rather than be served. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Author and Priest, Ronald Rolheiser tells about attending a seminar on prayer. The woman leading the seminar was an expert in meditation, and at one point she shared with the group that her own prayer life involved sitting in silence for two hours each day. During this time, she would often have some pretty moving experiences of God. 

During their discussion time, Ronald asked how her experiences of God in prayer compared to her everyday experiences of God in her day-to-day life. She said, “No comparison. Being with and eating with my family is a good human experience, but it is not religious. It’s just human. In meditation, I have a true religious experience.”  

As awesome as meditation is, and I personally have benefited from it greatly, God is at work far beyond our meditation cushions and even beyond our deepest moments of prayer. The God who has become incarnate in human flesh is found not only in meditation and monasteries but also in our homes. 

Rolheiser goes on to ask: “Why do we go on pilgrimages to holy places and not instead sit barefoot and feel the holiness of the soil of the earth? Why do we go to places like Lourdes and Fatima, to see where the Blessed Virgin might have cried, and not notice the tears in the eyes of the person sitting across the family table from ourselves? Why are we all enthralled by a person like Padre Pio, who carried the wounds of Jesus in his hands and feet, and blind to the wounds of Christ in the face of the emotionally needy person we so much try to avoid? There is nothing wrong with pilgrimages… shrines, and Padre Pio, but it is not in and through them that God says the most important things to us.”

The God who is love, who was born in a stable, who stepped into this world in the person of Jesus, is a God who is found, first of all, in our homes, in our families, at our tables, in our joys, and in our suffering. And in our own love shared.

In this Christmas season and in the year ahead, I continue to pray that God would give you eyes to see Christ in the world and the people around you. May you experience his deep, healing love for you. And may you share that love with a world desperately in need. 

Let us pray:  We praise you, Holy God, for the gift of Jesus, for his unconditional love, mercy, and grace. We thank you for stepping into this world, and into our lives. Empower us to be bearers of his light – not just today, but throughout the year. It is in his powerful name we pray. Amen. 

Ronald Rolheiser tells a marvelous story about a four-year-old child who awoke one night frightened, convinced that in the darkness around her, there were all kinds of ghosts and monsters. So she got up and ran to her parents’ bedroom. Her mother took her by the hand, led her back to her own room, where she turned on a light, and reassured her, “There is nothing to be afraid of. God is right here in this room with you.” The child replied, “I know that God is here, but I need someone in this room who has some skin on them!”

John begins his gospel “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and lived among us.  

This speaks to a mystery that is at the heart of the Christian faith: That God was fully present in Jesus. 

It’s hard to get my mind around that. But there is something beautiful in it. That God loves this world so much, that he would step down into it. That he would hunger and thirst, that he would experience beauty and joy and suffering and pain – just as we all do.

This says something very profound about the God we worship – that this world matters. That you and I matter… that people – their bodies, their experience matter – that creation itself, the earth, it all matters. It all matters to God. It is all holy, sacred.

On this Christmas Day and in the year ahead, may God give you eyes to see Christ in the world and the people around you. May you experience Christ’s deep, healing love for you. And may you share that love with a world desperately in need. 

Let us pray:  We praise you, Holy God, for the gift of Jesus, for his unconditional love, mercy, and grace. We thank you for stepping into this world, and into our lives. Empower us to be bearers of his light – not just today, but throughout the year. It is in his powerful name we pray. Amen. 

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Christmas Bells.”

Then from each black, accursed mouth 
The cannon thundered in the South, 
And with the sound 
The Carols drowned 

Of peace on earth, goodwill to men! 
And in despair, I bowed my head: 
“There is no peace on earth,” I said, 
“For hate is strong 
And mocks the song 
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!” 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep! 
The Wrong shall fail, 
The Right prevail, 
With peace on earth, goodwill to men!” 

Longfellow wrote this poem for Christmas in 1863 and it reflects the heartbreak of the Civil War. However, it ends with resounding words of hope – the same hope that we desperately need to hear in our day and age. Even as we read the news headlines, may we hear the bells peel loud and deep. And may we hold fast to the Christmas hope that the day is coming when there will be peace on earth and goodwill to all.

Let us pray: We remember today, O God, that what you began on Christmas morning in Jesus, you will one day bring to completion. We long for the day when there will be no more war, no more poverty, no more broken relationships. We long for the day when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes and your peace will reign. Until that day, help us live deeply into your Christmas hope; through Jesus Christ. Amen.