Sunday's Child: Even Scholars Don't Always Get It Right Away, a Reflection on John 3:1-9

Offertory Prayer

Invitation to the Offering
The offering you made last week empowered ministry within our congregation and in response to the needs of our community. It also helped support the work of ministries beyond the local church that reach people who are in desperate need to hear the good news of love and redemption. Ministries that bring medical care to the poor and elderly in our own communities, following in the footsteps of Christ who sought to heal and give hope. I invite you once again to give generously as we worship God through the sharing of our gifts, tithes and offerings.
http://www.umcgiving.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=qwL6KkNWLrH&b=3935565&ct=12937633&notoc=1

June 23, 2013 — Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
God of the universe and God of our hearts, speak to us this morning in our giving with your still, small voice. Remind us who we are; remind us whose we are; remind us why we have chosen to follow your Son Jesus the Christ. As we share in this offering today, remind us that when we feel as if we are the last ones left who have not turned from you, that we are not alone. What we do, and what we give is multiplied with the compassion of others. Keep us faithful in that knowledge. We pray this in the name that is above all others, Jesus the Christ. Amen. (1 Kings 19:1-15a)

Written by Ken Sloan, Director of Stewardship for GBOD. http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church/offertory-prayers

Monday, March 14, 2011

Even Scholars Don't Always Get It Right Away, a Reflection on John 3:1-9

Repeat from earlier year:

Jesus has been upsetting the insiders. One of them, Nicodemus, comes by night. I am told by Bible commentators that "night" implies more "not understanding" than a time. I had always taken "night" as literal and read that Nicodemus was hoping not to be seen by anyone important when he approached this trouble maker. After thinking about it for a moment, I've decided to keep both meanings.

Nicodemus asserts that the miracles they have seen Jesus perform have been persuasive. Yet apparently not completely so. It's night after all.

After being asked about how anybody can have a second birth, Jesus answers him by asserting the necessity of the Spirit.

"What is born of the Spirit is spirit....The wind blows where it chooses..." Remember that the Greek word translated as wind also means breath or spirit. God breathes on us; a force moves us like the wind moves us and that force is as invisible as the wind as it is as potent as the wind.

"So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Who is this "everyone"? Who has been born of the Spirit? Am I reassured? insulted? puzzled? grateful?
.... "

2 comments:

Unlikely said...: John 3 is really a great story when taken either as a whole or even as parts. Reading your post I think you've been hooked by the story (This is a very good thing). The story of Nicodemus and Jesus is easy to pass by because John 3:16 seems so important. But the questions you ask and that Nicodemus asked are important. We live with people who haven't heard the full promise of God's love for the world. We live with people who have questions like Nicodemus about new birth that humans can't easily answer but that the Holy Spirit can answer.; March 14, 2011 at 2:58 PM
RobynHerself said...: "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.” If we are born of the Spirit, people might consider us unpredictable because they'll never understand where we are "coming from" or "where we are going," because, we will be led, not by tradition or popular opinion, but by the Spirit!; March 15, 2011 at 4:09 AM