{"id":651623,"date":"2024-02-07T17:19:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T22:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=sermon&#038;p=301623"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T19:01:00","slug":"born-from-above-lent-4-b-march-10-2024","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/born-from-above-lent-4-b-march-10-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Born From Above, Lent 4 (B) \u2013 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-purple-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-purple-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DFMS8931350132&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-purple-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-purple-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/lent-4b\/\">[RCL] Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/L4-2024-Cover-FB-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-301632\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our Gospel passage today is the end of a conversation Jesus had with the Pharisee Nicodemus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some might hear that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and immediately cast him in a negative light. For that reason, a hearer could be tempted to imagine his conversation with Jesus as an adversarial one. But that need not be the case. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus is an educated man, a \u201cpillar of the community,\u201d we might say in today\u2019s parlance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several verses before today\u2019s text begins, we learn that Nicodemus comes to see Jesus at night. Again, we might be tempted to think the worst of Nicodemus. Perhaps he doesn\u2019t want to be seen with Jesus, and so is trying to slip in to see him under the cover of darkness. However, some commentators note that coming at night could be a way that Nicodemus honors Jesus. Coming on his own time, after a full day\u2019s work, demonstrates that Nicodemus is motivated by a genuine desire to learn from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we understand their encounter this way, then the Nicodemus we meet in today\u2019s text is less an adversarial teacher preparing to argue with a colleague and more an eager student visiting a teacher during office hours in order to check for understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon arriving, Nicodemus says to Jesus, \u201cRabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.\u201d In other words, he\u2019s seeking clarity, as if to say, \u201cIt seems to me that we know that you come from God because, otherwise, you wouldn\u2019t be able to do the things that you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It seems like a sincere conversation starter. Jesus\u2019 response, however, is anything but clear\u2014\u201cVery truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Huh? Surely Jesus could have at least been a bit more affirming of Nicodemus. Some of the best teachers have the ability to affirm any sort of participation. Maybe Jesus could have said something like, \u201cYes, Nicodemus. I think that\u2019s a great way to begin to think about who I am, but there\u2019s more to it than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alas, that\u2019s not really Jesus\u2019 style. Another example follows when Nicodemus asks an important question.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother\u2019s womb and be born?\u201d Again, we could read Nicodemus as adversarial or sarcastic, but the question could just as easily be one of honest curiosity. Still, Jesus doesn\u2019t exactly simplify things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVery truly, I tell you,\u201d he says, \u201cno one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.Do not be astonished that I said to you, \u2018You must be born from above.\u2019 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sure, Jesus\u2019 response may sound confusing to Nicodemus \u2013 and to us. But maybe that\u2019s the point. Perhaps Jesus is doing what a lot of good teachers do\u2014instead of providing a simple explanation or answer, he challenges his student to think more about it for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you remember a teacher in your life who didn\u2019t answer your questions simply or directly so much as they helped you to develop the skills necessary to answer them for yourself? That\u2019s a sign of a good teacher. Jesus uses this classic <em>teach-a-man-to-fish<\/em> approach with Nicodemus, and the result is a first-class theological discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, like all theological discussions, it\u2019s confusing. Jesus is attempting to reframe Nicodemus\u2019 understanding of his relationship with God, and that\u2019s not something that he can explain to him in simple terms. Jesus needs Nicodemus to be able to make sense of it for himself, and so he uses another tried and true teaching\u2014and preaching\u2014tactic: a real-life example. You can\u2019t see the wind, he says, but you know it\u2019s there because you can hear it rustling the leaves of the trees and see the branches bend and sway. Where does the wind start? Where does it go? We don\u2019t know. It\u2019s intangible, abstract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s the same with \u201cbeing born from above.\u201d How does that work exactly? It cannot be fully explained in a classroom with a piece of chalk or an overhead projector. (Or a dry-erase marker or \u201csmart board,\u201d for that matter.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don\u2019t always see God\u2019s presence clearly labeled in the world around us. But, if we begin to pay attention, every once in a while, we will notice God\u2019s presence nonetheless\u2014in transforming hearts, changing minds, and bending wills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is precisely what Jesus is inviting Nicodemus to do: start paying attention to the presence of God in his life. That\u2019s an especially important lesson for Nicodemus to learn because Jesus won\u2019t always be with him. At least, not in the same sense that he is on this night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus hints at this reality in the first verse of the portion of the passage we hear this morning. \u201cJust as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As 21<sup>st<\/sup>-century Christians, we hear Jesus\u2019 words in full knowledge of his death and resurrection. We can easily draw a parallel between the serpent being lifted up in the wilderness (which we also hear this morning from Numbers) and Jesus being lifted up on the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicodemus, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t know yet what\u2019s going to happen to Jesus. But when he does find out, if he remembers this conversation with Jesus, he will learn for the first time the answer to his question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow can somebody be born from above?\u201d Because Jesus died and rose again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus himself is the answer to Nicodemus\u2019 important question. That\u2019s what Jesus is trying to teach him. But Nicodemus will not\u2014and cannot\u2014completely understand this until he develops a relationship with Jesus. For that matter, neither can we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Developing a relationship with Jesus doesn\u2019t happen overnight. There is no simple how-to guide for the process, no matter what anyone says. It requires taking time to pay attention to Jesus, the Risen Christ, and his presence in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That just so happens to be a central task of the Lenten season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember the words (from the Book of Common Prayer) that we heard on Ash Wednesday, when the presider said, \u201cI invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God&#8217;s holy Word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Lent, Christians tend to focus on the self-denial part of that, but the rest is important, too. If we use the remaining days of Lent to lean into a period of self-examination, prayer, and scriptural meditation, then we will be walking with Nicodemus into a deeper relationship with our risen and living Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try, for instance, reading through the rest of John&#8217;s gospel account. You will get a sense of Nicodemus\u2019s own journey with Jesus, and it just might inform your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In chapter seven, when others are plotting to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus speaks in his defense, even after several have turned against him. And in chapter 19, Nicodemus even joins Joseph of Arimathea to prepare Jesus\u2019 body for burial after it\u2019s taken down from the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he helped lay Jesus in the tomb that day, Nicodemus didn\u2019t know what would happen in just two days\u2019 time. We do. That\u2019s all the more reason for us to be on the lookout for Jesus\u2019 presence in our lives. If we do that, then we can\u2014right alongside Nicodemus\u2014experience the joy of that beautiful Sunday morning all over again, even as if for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-20008dce-aa35-4c2d-b328-a021f16661b4\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sermon-Lent-4B-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Lent 4 (B) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sermon-Lent-4B-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-20008dce-aa35-4c2d-b328-a021f16661b4\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-0ae0a68f-fb37-4b8d-a22b-507aa1b33a17\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sermon-Lent-4B-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Lent 4 (B) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sermon-Lent-4B-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-0ae0a68f-fb37-4b8d-a22b-507aa1b33a17\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 Our Gospel passage today is the end of a conversation Jesus had with the Pharisee Nicodemus. Some might hear that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and immediately cast him in a negative light. For that reason, a hearer could be tempted to imagine his conversation with&#8230;<\/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":[321],"class_list":["post-651623","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lent","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-cuaresma-4b"],"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":321,"label":"Cuaresma 4B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/651623","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\/651623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":949059,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/651623\/revisions\/949059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}