THE SECOND SUNDAY of LENT 2008

February 17, 2008

(Geneses 12:1-4a; Ps. 121; Romans 4:1-5 & 13-17; John 3:1-17)

The Rev. Ken Kroohs

A SPECIAL VIEW OF OURSELVES

St. Christopher’s, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER   AMEN

  Our theme for Lent is that our lives, our world is only clear – only makes sense when viewed through the cross.  When we try to understand what’s going on without looking through the cross we get a very distorted view.

  For those of you who do not wear glasses that image – pardon the pun – may not be as easy to understand as it is for the rest of us.  If you wear glasses you know the feeling of getting up in the morning and THINKING you see something correctly.  Your brain tries to make it all make sense but when you put on your glasses you realize how confused your sight really was.

  Maybe the TV was on with the sound down and you thought it was showing the traffic report or a car wreck only to put your glasses on and realize it was a commercial!  Or maybe you reached for your medicines only to discover the big bottle was really the mid-sized bottle.  Or maybe you got dressed only to discover those really were not both black socks!

  Our brains are wonderful and flexible instruments which take the input received and try to make it into something reasonable.  But if the input to our brains is incomplete, or fuzzy then we get incorrect results.  In computer language that is known as GI - GO .... garbage in = garbage out.

  Without the vision correction provided by the cross we cannot get a clear understanding of our lives.

  Our lessons today provide some hints about that.  Of course the cross is not mentioned in our Genesis reading but God is mentioned.  Abraham, and Lot did not understand what God intended but they obeyed anyway. 

  I wish the Bible was not so limited in details.  Won’t it be wonderful to read what Abraham and Lot REALLY said!  Don’t you think, especially during this point in history when the Bible records people discussing with and even challenging God ... don’t you think they might just have said ... “oh great and wonderful – glorious God – uh, that’s not a great plan you have there.”

  Don’t we sometimes say to God .. Not in so many words but in our actions ... “uh, God about that plan of yours” Of course the challenge for us is to know when we really are following God’s plan and when we missed the road a few exits back.

  We are confused ... our sight is not clear ... even so our brains try to make it all make sense.  Maybe that’s why our lessons turn next to the Romans reading.  Remember Romans is Paul’s only real attempt at a comprehensive discussion about Jesus.  All his other writings are letters in response to questions or events.  Romans is written as an introduction so that when Paul reaches Rome they already know some of what he is to teach.

  So we can look to Romans for a bit more logical organization then we might find in other letters.  Paul is discussing whether the key issue is following the law – the many commandments - or is the key issue having faith.  This is not “either-or” for Paul but “both-and”.  The issue is primacy – not which do you ignore.

  And Paul says the primary issue is faith.  Abraham went where God told him BECAUSE of his faith.  So the PRIMARY question is whether he had the faith to do what God intended and not that he did so.  Abraham’s response is important because it demonstrates his faith.  That said, it was Abraham’s faith which provided a clear enough vision for him to follow God’s path when he most likely did not want to do so.

  Then we get to Nicodemus.  It’s a shame Nicodemus is relegated to a relatively minor role in most Christian teachings.  What Jesus says is quoted over and over and over again – you must be born again — but its taken out of context.  The context does not CHANGE that part of the teaching but it does, I believe, greatly deepen the teachings.

  Using Lent’s theme, Jesus says to Nicodemus — “your sight is fuzzy — even though you have studied and even memorized the scriptures you are NOT seeing clearly”

  Part of the depth we miss in this teaching is Jesus saying that Nicodemus studied but did not understand scripture.  Jesus tells Nicodemus that something more than pure brain power is needed.  He says, as Paul later said, that simply following instructions is not sufficient.

  Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again, he must start over.  And if we miss the depth of the teaching we can easily take that to mean we have to start studying all over again, we have to start memorizing all over again.  Or we could take the opposite approach and conclude it means there is NO need to study scripture – to memorize verses.

  Neither understanding holds up to an examination of what Jesus said.  We know what Nicodemus did not know.  We know about the cross and therefore, looking through the cross, the teaching  has other intentions ... deeper meanings.  It means we must start over but in more ways than simply intellectually.  It means we must start by asking about our entire lives ... looking again at them — through the cross.  It means looking at the entire world — through the cross.

  Last week I spoke about how the Garden of Eden story tells us something vital about our relationship with God.  When God tells Adam and Eve they can eat of every tree in the garden BUT .. that one word tells us that God has given us choices.  That God has made it possible for us to make bad choices.

  The cross tells us that God will go to ANY lengths to help us make good choices.

  What the cross does NOT say is that a Christian’s life will be simple and safe.  If anything, the cross tells us that the Christians life will be full of challenges.  If Jesus must face the cross — if Paul and the apostles must face hardships, then clearly we should not expect anything else.

  Rather than taking away the challenges and even the dangers, the cross says God will be there with us through the challenges and dangers.

  Jesus’ CHOICE to go to the cross is central to our understanding of it.  Central to being able to see our lives and the world better.

  Jesus had a choice.  Paul argues in another place that sin entered the world through Adam’s choice and sin was defeated by Jesus’ choice.  Jesus had a choice and the fact that He made the choice to go to the cross helps to explain the cross.  If Jesus had been dragged kicking and screaming to the cross — it would not have meant as much.  The fact that Jesus was willing to endure that pain is what makes the act so important.

  Let’s go back to the gospel.  Notice that Nicodemus at first does not ask a question.  In fact, Nicodemus’ opening statement is clearly just meant as a compliment – or even a statement of faith.  Nicodemus says that no one can do such things unless God is with them.

  So why does Jesus respond so strongly?  It seems that Nicodemus must have come close to getting it right but missed the boat at the last moment.  Jesus says to Nicodemus that you cannot REALLY see the kingdom of God – God’s actions in this world — unless you have been born again .... unless you changed to see them.

  The serpent tells Adam and Eve that if they eat that fruit they will know the secret of good and evil.  Jesus says you must be born again .... changed so you can see good and evil.

  Eucharist Prayer C includes a wonderful prayer petition: “open our eyes to see your work in the world about us”.  That phrase, and Jesus words here stress that God is at work in the world about us but we cannot see that work without some change in attitude.

  A couple weeks ago as four of us were preparing to pray before lunch I asked the waitress if there was anything she would like included.  She told us about her grandmother who was in Hospice care.  This week she gave us an update — talking about how her grandmother was ready ... how it was time for the pain to be gone.

  Maybe you can reach that place without the gentle, frequently unnoticed help of a gracious God.  Maybe.  

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But I believe when we look at that through the cross we find more clarity.

  When a child is born we all “oh” and “ah” .... but when we consider that child’s birth through the love of a God who would endure the cross ... we find more clarity.

  When we sit back in the recliner and think: “you know, this life isn’t half bad” .... and then examine that feeling through the cross — through the lens of God’s love .... we find more clarity.

  .... You all know me well enough to know I jump quickly into the “OK, so what do we do with that?” line of thinking.  My spiritual mentor frequently scolds me – gently about it.  I asked other people to help with the prayer workshops because quiet contemplation is not my best talent!

  So what do we do with all this?  Nothing.  It is not a “do” in that sense.  Rather it is like picking us some fine piece of pottery.  We don’t do anything but observe, appreciate and enjoy.

  May this Lenten season be a time to observe, appreciate and enjoy our lives as seen through the cross.                              

          AMEN

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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation.  (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to:  ken@st-christopher.com)