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“New Inward Birth”
Genesis 12:1-5; Psalm 121; John 3:1-18; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
Second Sunday of Lent - Baptism
Sunday
February 17, 2008
Please pray with me, Lord surround us with
your presence and Holy Spirit to breathe new birth and life in us. Speak to
us from our mere believing in you and into our actively following your ways,
that we might find newness of life for being adventurous, using our
imagination and intuition. Blow a strong wind into our hearts, that in our
new birth we take risks. As we are blessed with knowing you, O God, in
Christ Jesus, lead us in our Christian journey as we grow in our faith.
AMEN.
Like most persons traveling by the
Interstate these days for trips, I take along the computer MapQuest version of
directions. I rather enjoy driving as you know. Last July in the intense heat
finding Synod School, I had my husband, Rick, help me with plugging in my home
address and destination to Storm Lake, Iowa; wherever that was! For over seven
hours in the sweltering sun, I felt, like I told some of you, I was traveling to
the end of the earth; really, I hadn’t been that far west by a road map in corn
country for a long time. I thought of this travel map as a life-line to my
destination.
Years ago, the old paper maps of
our childhood from the backseat pouch gave us various ways on county trunks of
road traveling from point A to B. But for me, in unfamiliar territory today,
more and more I like to use mile markers, arrows or color codes for west that
might really be left or right; “0.7 miles to the stop light, then a right for
two blocks, then 2.3 miles to Destination Drive!” In a way, I am a risk taker
because I have no idea, nor does MapQuest, about road construction, repairs, or
traffic patterns at times of the day and night along the way that could add to
the mileage map. For me, it’s a kind of new birth and a new way of life in
traveling.
For Abraham and Nicodemus, a new
kind of life, being born anew, was transforming for them, not in having
MapQuest, but each in their own new way, as they were true risk takers in their
day. YHWH spoke to Abram and told him to leave his country, kindred, and his
father’s house for an unknown land that God would show him. He is being called
to begin a new way of life, a new birth in his faith of trusting God, and
mostly, to leave behind what he knew so well; his family, land, and his familiar
living patterns. Then, even in today’s world, let’s face it; that take’s guts!!!
Above all, Abram doesn’t much know what he’s getting into; he just knows that in
taking a risk of faith God’s blessings will be bountiful. For Abram, he was
acting on the promises of God, similar to further generations, Abraham’s son,
Isaac and also to Jacob.
Nicodemus, that Pharisee and
rather ignorant leader of the Jews, was taking a risk to go to Jesus, ‘Rabbi’,
at night. Maybe he was searching for a MapQuest of his own faith! In John’s
gospel events during the day identified with God’s presence; night seemingly
represented the darkness and absence of God. Nicodemus is skeptical of Jesus
asking him about new birth after growing old, misunderstanding a physical (womb)
rebirth with that of being born by the water and Spirit, being born anew. But
Jesus says to him, and us, ‘you do not know’ where the wind (Spirit) blows
‘cause it ‘blows where it chooses’; ‘very truly, I tell you’ that, yes, we hear
it. But more importantly, Jesus is saying if we are born of the Spirit, if we
are baptized with water and the Spirit, initiated by God, like Jesus, we are
united with Christ and are members of God’s family, the church.
In our baptism, an outward sign of
an inward spiritual grace, in the baptizing for Kayli Mae this morning, the
power of the Holy Spirit initiates her and us into the church, it assures her
and us of the promise of God’s grace and love in our midst, it bestows upon her
and us that God forgives our sins, and baptism calls us to a life of Christian
service and fulfillment. Why is the sacrament of baptism important? Because
God’s promises to us in baptism are in finding new inward spiritual birth and
life with God and with the church. Like Abraham, Kayli’s baptism is the first
step on her journey of faith knowing God is present with her as she travels
through life. Being strengthened in God’s love, we are joined in our baptism
with others in the church and Christians everywhere. Like Abraham, in the waters
and Spirit of baptism, Kayli accepts God’s goodness and grace, is united in
God’s will for her mission in life, her new life in Jesus Christ.
Yet we know that in Abraham’s
going away from his homeland to follow God’s will for his new life, and in Jesus
offering Nicodemus new life in his own belief in Christ, we too, as God’s
descendants take risks as we are offered new life and birth. Jesus says whoever
believes in Him has ‘eternal life’ meaning as we live in the present we receive
the inward spiritual grace of the presence of God. The Gospel’s good news for us
is in Jesus’ description of earthly things and heavenly things, not in knowing
our faith as a journey of MapQuest, but in knowing our spiritual faith and
growth where there is new inward birth and life for us; the Holy Spirit
encouraging us in our future faith, baptism promoting future growth of new life
in Christ, and spiritual strength each day in assurance, obedience, humility,
faith, peace, joy, and hope in the power of God’s love for us.
God’s love of the world was so
great that God gave his only begotten Son so that everyone could have eternal
life, the presence of God. Our celebrating baptism this day is in the
glorification of God for our eternal life, the presence of God in our lives,
always. In the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, in his departure
(ascension) to heaven to be with his Father
(13:1), we celebrate our new inward birth of life anew in Christ. Let us
understand, learn, and share our faith in God, so ‘if anyone is in Christ, there
is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become
new (2 Cor. 5:17).
AMEN.
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