“Sneaking Around” (John 3:1-17)

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but to save the world through him.”

(John 3:16-17, N.I.V.)

 

There is no denying the ‘truth” in that statement.  As believers we affirm and confirm that statement as “truth”.  We have heard it over and over again as the basis for the life and ministry . . . the purpose . . . of Jesus.  Jesus came to save us as individuals and as the children of God . . . came to save the world . . . to bring about God’s Kingdom.  And, he came to show us how.  That is, as they say, the gospel truth.  None of us here this morning is going to deny that “truth”.

 

As we examine our scripture reading this morning, that statement is a big part of what is being shared.  But just as big is Jesus’ words about rebirth . . . being born again through the Spirit.  He also pretty much reveals himself as the Son of God, though not quite coming right out and saying it.  But the part we remember the best is the “truth” about who Jesus is and what his purpose is.  We remember John 3:16 and 17.

 

Knowing that . . . well, what else is there for me to say?  Pack up your bags and head on home . . . but, wait!  This is the Gospel of John we are dealing with . . . the theological and spiritual gospel unlike the other three gospels.  The metaphorical gospel.  The gospel always pushing the readers and listeners to delve deeper into what is being shared . . . to look deeper for the meaning and purpose. 

 

Dang!

 

I was ready to call it a day until I remembered that we are dealing with the Gospel of John.  With this gospel one must be ready to step back and experience it in new ways.  As I read the story, I could not deny the obvious messages and truths . . . who could?  They are there for us in black and white . . . or should I say “red”?  What kept bugging me was the context of the story and the little lecture Jesus delivers to Nicodemus.

 

Now remember this is the story of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus is a Pharisee.  He is a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He is a man of power and prestige within the community.  One who is seen as an expert of the religious teachings.  A bearer of the faith.  The people look up to him and follow him.  Jesus, on the other hand, is an itinerant evangelist, a rouge teacher whose popularity is growing minute by minute among the people.  He is a curiosity and a concern.  His message is intriguing and scary as it speaks of a new kingdom.  The man is not only a curiosity, but a threat.  A threat to bring down everything and ruin the balance of power.

 

Nicodemus, though, has a hunch about this Jesus fellow.  Knows that there is something special taking place and that Jesus is the impetus behind it all.  Knows that things of this magnitude can only come from God.  Nicodemus knows . . . knows something but isn’t quite sure of it all.  So, he does what all inquiring minds do . . . he goes to the source of his curiosity and asks.

 

Only he does it under the cover of darkness.

 

Why the darkness of night to visit Jesus?  Because no one can see it.  Nicodemus is sneaking around.  Sneaking around so that no one can see what he is doing.  His fellow Pharisees cannot see what he is doing . . . thus, he cannot be pointed out as a traitor from those in power.  Nor can the people see him visiting Jesus . . . in this he cannot be said as endorsing Jesus and message.  In order not to reveal himself he sneaks around in the dark.

 

So, here is the thing that bothers me . . . if he has a pretty good idea of the specialness of Jesus as being one “who has come from God” . . . which, if true, means that there is a whole lot of credence in what Jesus is saying and doing . . . then why is he sneaking around?  Why does he tip toe around the obvious truth?

 

I mean, isn’t it unusual for one to visit another in the darkness of night unless there is something to hide?  Also, Nicodemus is a smart, educated individual, so why does he act so ignorant with Jesus?  Why does he act so literal when Jesus talks about being born again?  Nicodemus knows the power of words . . . knows their symbolic and metaphorical power . . . after all, he is trained in religion and theology.  Yet, he plays dumb to what Jesus is saying.  I think he knows exactly what Jesus is saying and he just tip toes around the truth.

 

Jesus confronts him about his behavior.  “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?”

 

Jesus wants Nicodemus to quit avoiding the “truth”.  Those who see God’s will through Jesus and choose to pursue it must turn from the past and embrace the new . . . they must be born again of the Spirit.  They must become “new” and go in a different direction . . . a direction that often goes against everything that one knows and lives.

 

So would be the case for Nicodemus.

 

What would Nicodemus lose in following Jesus?  He would lose his place on the Jewish ruling council.  He would lose his place among the Pharisees.  He would lose power and prestige.  He would lose respect among those he moved around with.  He’d lose his place in the community.  He would lose everything he had spent a lifetime working for.  He would lose it all.  Not only would he lose it all if he just would join Jesus, but he would lose it all if he was even caught associating with Jesus.  Thus, he sneaks around in the darkness of the night.

 

Nicodemus gets it.  Nicodemus understands what Jesus is saying . . . what he is offering.  But it is hard to give up what one has in one’s grasp to embrace something that sounds too good to be the truth.  It is difficult to give up one’s life even though being told that one will gain one’s life.  So, he tip toes around it . . . sneaks around in the dark.  Nicodemus, despite being pretty certain that Jesus is quite special and from God, is not ready.

 

But Nicodemus is not the only one.

 

We all do it.

 

We have all been guilty of sneaking around in the dark when it comes to following Jesus.  We have all been guilty of tip toeing around the “truth”.  And, why shouldn’t we be a little reluctant to follow Jesus?  What Jesus asks of us and expects of us is not simple and easy to pull off.  If it was would we be sitting here this morning going over the same things that we have been since the “church” was born?  To follow Jesus demands a whole lot from each of us . . . how often did Jesus speak of the cost of discipleship?  Grace is not cheap . . . it has come at a great cost to God and the expectation is that we will take it seriously as we live our lives in following Jesus.

 

There is no aspect of our lives that is not impacted by the call of Jesus to love God completely and others as we love God.  There is not anything that we see in our newspapers or on television that is not touched by God’s demand to act like Jesus.  There is nothing.  And, unfortunately so many of those things are immersed in anything and everything that has nothing to do with God and God’s love.  To embrace God’s ways as demonstrated through Jesus is to step out of the frying pan and into the fire.  It is to risk everything in order for all to be included.  And, who wants to risk that?

 

So, what do we do?  We sneak around in the dark.  We tip toe around.  Apparently, like Nicodemus we might not be ready.

 

Last Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we celebrated the birth of the “church” . . . we celebrated new beginnings and life . . . as the Spirit came down and marked the followers of Jesus.  We also celebrated ourselves . . . our birth stories as the followers of Jesus . . . of having been marked by the Spirit.  Because of this we know the “truth”.

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but to save the world through him.”

 

It is time for us to come in out of the darkness and fully embrace who we are . . . we are the children of God called to love.  The world needs us now more than ever.  Let us step out of the darkness and live in the “light”.  Amen.

“Moaning and Groaning” (Romans 8:22-28)

 

Growth is hard.  It does not matter the form . . . physical, mental, or spiritual . . . growth is difficult.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  In our reading this morning the Apostle Paul equates it to that of childbirth with all its pain, moaning, and groaning. Having witnessed the birth of all four of our children . . . well, I still cringe at all the moaning and groaning that took place at those births; and, that didn’t even include Dana’s contributions.  That was just me!

 

Anything that involves growth is going to involve hard, difficult work that will have us at times moaning and groaning at the effort of that growth.  Paul is right.  There is a lot of moaning and groaning at the birth of a child.  It takes a lot of effort getting that child brought into the world.  Unfortunately (and no one tells you this), all that moaning and groaning is just the warm up.  Once that child is brought into the world the real work begins.  Not one parent ever received an “owner’s manual” upon leaving the hospital.  Nope, it was trial by error to get that baby from childhood to adulthood and beyond!  Lots of difficulties.  Lots of pain.  Lots of moaning and groaning.

 

Anything that involves growth isn’t easy.  Think about it . . . education is a process of growth.  Years and years of studying and learning . . . tests and more tests . . . until one passes the milestone and graduates.  Through all those years there were plenty of moans and groans emitted from those learning.  It is work and the ironic thing about it all is that education doesn’t stop with high school, college, or even grad school . . . education is a life-long process.  Mental growth is the exercising of the brain . . . and, exercise for it to work must push the brain to expand beyond its limits . . . stretching it just beyond its capacity to make it stronger.  And, the brain must be pushed because there is always one more thing to learn just beyond the bend in our journeys.

 

Think about how you have grown over the years.

 

As parents . . . remember the fear that sat in the pit of your stomach when you took home that first child?  The terrified look of realization when they set you free from the hospital on your own?  Look at you now . . . look how far you have gone from that first child.  Through it all there were moans and groans accompanying the growth of being a parent.  Isn’t that why those of us who are grandparents sit with glee as we listen to our children moan and groan about raising their children, our grandchild.  We’ve been there and done that.

 

Same goes with relationships in our lives.  If you are married, I imagine that you would agree that where you are today in relation with your spouse is much different than when you started out.  As a male it did not take me long to learn, “Yes, dear!”  Yet, in our marital relationships we have grown . . . grown in how we work together, care together, and moved from being individuals to a couple that cherishes one another for who we are.  But it wasn’t easy . . . there was lots of moaning and groaning because any relationship is work especially when the goal is to help the other grow. 

 

So, growth is work.  It is hard.  It is difficult.  And, there is going to be the moaning and groaning of growth pains accompanying that growth.  Why should it be any different when it comes to our spiritual lives . . . our lives of faith?

 

In our reading the Apostle Paul is telling those in Rome that what they are experiencing as the “church” is the moaning and groaning of birth.  He is also telling them that it is just the beginning . . . there is much more growth yet to come.  They are just at the beginning of a long process and who knows where that process will go.  But they are not alone.  The Spirit is with them to guide them, to push them, and to assist them in their growth as individuals and as a body of the faithful. The Spirit is there moaning and groaning . . . constantly pushing . . . coaching.

 

So, it is for us.

 

I guess one way of looking at the Spirit is to consider it as a coach.  The purpose of a coach is to help individuals and groups of individuals grow to be the best that they can be at a sport.  The coach analyses and considers the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals.  From that analysis the coach creates a plan or workout to assist those individuals in becoming better.  Often those plans or workouts involve a lot of exercises and drills that push the individuals to the limit . . . but, the coach knows that they need to be pushed in order to grow.  Thus, the coach is always there pushing and exhorting the players to get better . . . to push through the pain . . . to get beyond all the moaning and groaning.

 

Looking back over those years that I participated in sports . . . from junior high through college, I can honestly say that I never approached a practice without a little anxiousness and fear in my heart. I always wondered, “What is coach going to kill us with today?”  As soon as the workout was announced it was followed by a chorus of moans and groans from all of us players. 

 

And you know what?  If I followed the coach’s instructions . . . did the workouts . . . and, pushed through all the pain, moans, and groans . . . well, the coach was right.  I grew.  I got stronger.  I got better.  Faster.  All the way from the beginning to the day I quit competing, I got better because the coach was there.

 

Listen to what Paul says: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people with the will of God.”

 

The Spirit is a coach . . . our coach for pushing us to be the best at who God created us to be . . . to be the best at practicing God’s will as demonstrated to us through Jesus.  The Spirit knows the goal . . . knows us—our strengths and weaknesses . . . and, knows what must be done to help us achieve those goals.  The Spirit guides us . . . coaches us . . . and, pushes us to do the hard work of faith . . . to live up to God’s will . . . to grow.

 

Sounds exhausting, if you ask me.  But the Spirit, our coach, will tell us that we cannot grow if we are not willing to do the work.  Still, we are human, and as M. Scott Peck says, “Sin is taking the easy way out . . . finding the loopholes.”  Surely, we could just place our bibles under our pillows at night and allow osmosis to do its thing . . . gradually allowing us to accomplish the goal without all the moaning and groaning.  But it doesn’t work that way.  No, we have to do the work . . . and, the Spirit is here to remind us of that.

 

On that first Pentecost long ago, the Spirit was received . . . the faithful received the Spirit.  Just as Jesus said they would.  It was a painless birth, but the real work was yet to come.  It was just the beginning.  Paul understood the difficulty of spiritual growth . . . it was a lot of hard work.  Work which isn’t always wanting to be done by those that it is expected.  There is moaning and groaning as the Spirit pushes and coaches the faithful towards God’s will.  Over two thousand years later we are still moaning and groaning about it.

 

On this day of Pentecost, we are reminded as the followers of Jesus that we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.  As a coach the Spirit knows us and knows God’s will . . . thus we are pushed to grow.  To grow to be what God desires us to be as individuals and as a group . . . to do God’s will.  The goal of the Spirit is to help us grow.  Our moaning and groaning demonstrates that the Spirit is working within and around us as we journey towards the fulfillment of God’s desires.

 

Growth is difficult . . . it is hard . . . it is work.  The Spirit knows.  The Spirit is there to encourage and support . . . to push us to grow.  Again, after more than two thousand years look at how far we have come, and what is yet to come.  The Spirit knows . . . we moan, we groan . . . but, the Spirit leads us.  Amen.