The Pharisee Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, paid a visit to Jesus cloaked by the secrecy of night. He came alone to probe and to have some questions answered. We might ask, \u201cWhy did he come at night?\u201d Was it because he didn\u2019t want anyone to see him in the company of this man, Jesus? Did he fear losing his place in society? He was, after all, a leader and a man of wealth. Or perhaps he simply wanted to avoid the daytime crowds that were constantly hanging around this rabbi, Jesus, and to have a little one-on-one time with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicodemus was a man who held an elevated position in society. He was a teacher and a man of means. As we read further in this Gospel, we see that Nicodemus had become something of a secret follower or supporter of Jesus. And this situation developed in stages. First, Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark of night. Second, he gave Jesus vocal support in the council of the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51). And the third and last contact he had with Jesus was caring and direct. After Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus openly came forward to anoint and prepare his body for burial with a 100-pound mixture of \u201cmyrrh and aloe\u201d (John 19:39). In those days myrrh was not cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can look at Nicodemus\u2019 progression and compare and contrast it with our own personal relationship with Jesus. We are a lot like Nicodemus in that at different times of our lives we have been at the same stages he was in our relationship to Jesus. How many times have we sought out Jesus in the secret and comfort of our homes? How many times have we gone out in the world openly proclaiming the Word to anyone who would listen? How many times do we show compassion and love for our neighbors-who are the faces of Christ? And how many times have we freely opened our bank accounts and given to our churches? Many of us are just like Nicodemus when we spend too much time looking for the answers to the mysteries of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicodemus came to Jesus looking for some answers but, instead, all he found was confusion. He failed to understand what Jesus was saying to him. He replied with an obvious meaning rather than digging deeper into what was being said. Nicodemus\u2019 first statement had to do with him and his cohorts knowing that Jesus is a \u201cteacher who comes from God,\u201d because the \u201csigns\u201d that Jesus performed could not have been accomplished \u201capart from the presence of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus replied, \u201cVery truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.\u201d Nicodemus was confused because the Greek word anothen, used in this context, has a double meaning. It can mean again or anew-but it can also mean, from above. So the word can be translated either as being born again or born from above. Nicodemus took it literally by focusing on the concept of human birth. He replied to Jesus, \u201cHow can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into his mother\u2019s womb and be born?\u201d Jesus passed by these absurd observations by explaining to him what he meant-but Nicodemus remained clueless. And we, too, can remain clueless if we focus on only a few verses. How many times have we all heard someone say, \u201cI am a born again Christian\u201d? Didn\u2019t we get it right the first time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For thousands of years, many Native American Indian tribes have practiced a purification rite that we know today as \u201ca sweat lodge ceremony.\u201d There are actually different names for this rite. For instance, the Lakotas, who live on the wind swept Northern Plains, call it the Inipi. This ceremony is conducted first, before all other sacred acts. It is a cleansing ceremony. It is conducted within a dome-like structure constructed of thick bent branches that are covered over with hide or cloth. This structure can hold about six to eight adults, squeezed tightly together. In the center, a pit is dug that is large enough to hold a dozen or more stones. The stones are super-heated in a fire pit that is prepared near the entrance to the lodge. The entrance to the lodge always faces east, toward the rising of the sun. When the ceremony is begun the structure is fully covered. Water is poured over the stones, thereby creating a tremendous veil of steam within. The process is continued until all of the stones are cooled. This can take anywhere from an hour to two hours. During the time the water is being poured over the stones, the participants offer prayers and sing sacred songs. The physical, as well as the mental and spiritual, sides of life have been cleansed by the ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has been said that the domed structure of the Inipi is symbolic of Grandmother Earth being pregnant. Being inside the Inipi is symbolic of being in the womb. While inside, much formation takes place in the mental, physical, and spiritual bodies of the participants. When participants emerge from the lodge into the cool air of the outside world and the full light of day, they feel literally, and on many levels, reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Inipi rite can be a reminder of what Jesus said to Nicodemus about being born from above. It can also be understood as being born again. In one sense, the Inipi ceremony really is symbolic of being born again-yet that is not its focus. The focus is always God-centered. As Christians, we have accepted Christ into our lives. Through baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made new. And we believe and understand this verse, \u201cFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Pharisee Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, paid a visit to Jesus cloaked by the secrecy of night. He came alone to probe and to have some questions answered. We might ask, \u201cWhy did he come at night?\u201d Was it because he didn\u2019t want anyone to see him in the company of this man,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[51,43,52,3],"tags":[151],"class_list":["post-511323","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lent","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-lent-2a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":51,"label":"Lent"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":151,"label":"Lent 2A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951031,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511323\/revisions\/951031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}