Who were born, not of blood or
of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
The Gospel of John loves a good
puzzle stuffed inside a mystery wrapped in an enigma! John loves nothing more than to confuse
you. In chapter three, Nicodemus, who
was a scholar, religious leader, and learned man, goes to see Jesus. Jesus, in turn, tries to tell Nick that he must
be born again…or it could be translated born anew…or could be
translated born from above.
What Jesus is saying here is really hard to translate! Even the words are confusing, so no wonder
Nick scratches his head, stupefied and stunned!
This Word of God made flesh, John is saying in the words above, is both
human and divine. This is true not only
of Christ but of you and me. Yet, like
Nick, we get confused. We lose the
divine part of our ability to see the face of God in another. Our hearts become clouded and souls stormy,
so we cannot engage the world through God’s hope, peace, joy, and love. There is a reason why we light candles at
Advent ~ they are to help us see differently.
We look for hope and seek to embody hope. We engage in peace and want peace to begin
with me. We laugh with joy and invite
others to join the dance. We love,
because God forms us with love from the top of our head to our pinkie toe. You are not a glorious accident; you
are a beloved of God. You are
not some prisoner to the politics or powers that be, but a beloved of God. You are not defined by your worst mistake,
but forgiven to let loose your light and let God’s prayer shine through
you. Take your word that has brought you
thus far on the way, out into the world to be one way God can be experienced
through you this day. And may God’s love
enfold and hold you as we round the corner and a stable comes into view on the
horizon. Amen.
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