Born from Above

 John 3:1017 and Romans 8:12-17 are lectionary texts for next Sunday, May 30.

A Pharisee would certainly have his loyalties challenged by Jesus, as did Nicodemus.  Was he a Pharisee first, and therefore must condemn Jesus' Way of being Jewish, faithful to God?  Was he a subject of empire first, and therefore must condemn Jesus' Way of resistance to empire in Agape Love and Grace? Nicodemus had to have been challenged.  So must we.

Jesus talked about being "born from above."  It was about living in Spirit with God.  It was about a new beginning, new life and new citizenship based on faithfulness to God's Kingdom values as Jesus taught them.  The new life of this different way of living under corrupt religious leaders and empire would force Nicodemus to make choices of loyalty and faithfulness.

The benefit of this new life was being a recipient of God's Grace in spite of past sins and sinfulness.  Jesus, the serpent on the stick in the current age, was lifted up to save a people who sinned and were afflicted because of it.  Jesus is raised up as the cure, or at this point in the Gospel, will be lifted up as the cure.

Why, says this message of Good News to believers in 90A.D.?  Because of God's LOVE for humanity.  God gave the Son to teach us a better way, God's Way to live in this part of the Kingdom, here and now.  In the face of church corruption, political oppression and exploitation and the host of sins that go along with living under a system built on greed, hatred, lust for power over others and desire for status above others, God offered an alternative to citizenship, faithfulness and life with God in Jesus.  And then, God sacrificed the Son as an act of Grace out of Love, to save the very sinful people.

All who believe in Jesus, as fulfiller of the Law and Prophets, as Redeemer and Savior and as Lord of our lives will be thus cured of the affliction - have our sins removed, have our lives saved for us.  All who believe in Jesus' Good News of Agape Love and Grace - the very Agape Love that God has shown in Jesus' sacrifice, the very Grace given in that sacrifice, which we are now commanded to live with one another as faithfulness to God.

Why, says the message of Good News to believers in 90A.D.?  Because God does not condemn us, but wants to save us from the condemnation that we have created for ourselves.  God wants to bring us together in Agape Love and Grace to live a new life, as Paul wrote, as Children of God, living in the spirit of adoption, heirs to the Kingdom.  We are to suffer the consequences of living this Good News in the world, just as Jesus did, so that others will be saved and that we will find our glory in that, in the Way of Jesus.  We are to be a part of the saving of humanity from ourselves.

We are "born from above" to live HERE AND NOW, with our hearts and minds in the HERE AND NOW, focused on the living of Agape Love and Grace HERE AND NOW, in THIS PART of God's Kingdom.  Our salvation for heaven is given, as heirs, children of God.  The salvation we are to be about the business of working on is the salvation of the world IN THE LIVING of Agape Love and Grace in the world, this part of God's Kingdom, HERE AND NOW.

If we cannot get with that, then we cannot get with Jesus.

Like Nicodemus, our loyalties are being challenged, and there is a choice to be made, HERE AND NOW.  Of what is our first citizenship?  To whom will we give our first (and only) loyalty?  Will we live a new life, or condemn ourselves in the living of the old one?

God has gone to extraordinary lengths to give us new life and salvation from the old one.  God does no condemn us.  Will we persist in condemning ourselves?

Well, Nicodemus?

Pastor Jamie