2 Lent 2011

The Rev. Julia W. Messer3.20.2011
Second Sunday in Lent-- Year A-RCL
Genesis 12:1-4a, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17,
Psalm 121, John 3:1-17

Nicodemus and Jesus
“What do I do when my faith seems to be slipping and I’m not connecting with my faith?”
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      I love staring into the night sky on a clear night… and I love meeting God there. It amazes me that when I am looking up I’m starting at a zillions of stars, millions of galaxies, and when I’m starring at a star I am looking into the past of that star’s life. It all leaves me in awe of the sheer power of God. It is moments like when I am under the starry heaven that I can meet God there and feel connected to something greater than myself, the ultimate truth, but it also leaves me humbled.

I admit, that there are times when I struggle with connecting this powerful and ultimate truth that is God with the God of the scripture—especially with text that I wrestle with. I can feel disconnected with my faith and my ways of worshiping.

Nicodemus in today’s Gospel reading, I feel was in a similar place… struggling to connect his faith with the ultimate truth that is God. It is in his wrestling with his faith that Nicodemus may have asked himself an important question:
                    “What do I do when my faith seems to be slipping and I’m not connecting with my faith?”

I feel that is the question Nicodemus asked when he went to talk with Jesus late one night.

The Gospel reading is a great one. Nicodemus was a man in the later years of his life. He was distinguished, accomplished, and viewed as a leader in a field. He was a legalist in that he followed God’s laws to the letter.  He was, after all, a Pharisee. Yet with all that he had, things were not perfect in his life; this was made clear when he sought out this man named Jesus. Even though Nicodemus practiced and believed in his faith, he knew there was something about Jesus that he couldn’t put his finger on, yet felt himself drawn towards Jesus.

While Nicodemus might have learned about Jesus during the day, he did not go to meet with Jesus until well into the dark hours—he didn’t want to be seen.  Thus ensues one of the great conversations that occur in this gospel. But it is in the 1^st two statements between Nicodemus and Jesus that really struck me this Sunday.

Jesus welcomed this man into his tent. Nicodemus probably could not believe HE of all people found himself in this tent and was talking to this crazy person that everyone not only whispered about but shouted against in every way. Yet Nicodemus found himself in the dark talking to this man Jesus, because he found himself in the dark questioning his faith and seeking answers.

Jesus engaged Nicodemus, as we would say today, “where he’s at” in life and told him that life was a little different than he thought. Nicodemus didn’t ask Jesus a question; he made a statement. And in reply, it seems as if Jesus knew that Nicodemus knew the truth about who Jesus truly was.  Nicodemus recognized that God was with this man through Jesus’ signs. Jesus affirmed this but challenged him further by explaining God’s grace to Nicodemus, which didn’t seem to immediately click with Nicodemus. Yet while it may not have seemed to click with Nicodemus, Jesus recognized Nicodemus knew in his heart the unchangeable truth but his head hadn’t embraced it, he connected with this truth yet.

 This part of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus was a common Jewish practice. They talked about how the scripture spoke to them. Jesus continued to stretch Nicodemus, revealing more truths. Jesus It is important to note that it all began for Nicodemus when he was willing, even if he was embarrassed to, to step out in his questions and was willing to go to God in his confusion saying, “Help me to understand.”

Nicodemus wasn’t the only one who has come upon times in his life when things just didn’t click. Whether we are 85, 35, or 15 there are times when we may find ourselves drifting away from God and when we find ourselves going through the rituals of faith or life but the heart and power seems to be missing in our faith or in our lives. Something in our worship, prayers, or even in our lives may not be clicking with us. We all need to be renewed, to find ways to continue to engage our minds and hearts in our faith and desire to be the people God calls us to be.

THIS is the time when we may find ourselves in the shoes of Nicodemus, and we are called to go to God and say, “I’m stuck, I’m in a rut, my heart just isn’t in it right now. Things aren’t quit clicking for me.”  We may think that we, like Nicodemus, have faith, even be spiritually curious, but yet are not willing to step fully out of our comfortable circle of “what we know.” 

The truth is: some come to faith quickly, while for others, it may take a long time. But no matter how faith comes, it will surely go through mountain tops of pure joy and understanding, and it will also go through valleys of despair and not knowing. Faith is not a once-and-its-done action of the believers once they accept God’s grace.  Rather it is an ongoing relationship that takes work and often time from the believer. It’s how we handle the moments of wrestling with our faith that is important.

There are several choices people can make at this point when they find themselves wrestling and even struggling with their faith:
1. They can give up, saying “It’s never going to get better.”  Or 
2. they can look towards their heads (their intelligence), saying, “I can figure things out on my own.”  They can also leave the church. Or
3. they can continue to go through the rituals hoping that somewhere in that ritual the spirit may move them again (and God truly does work at those moments). Or if they truly are willing to honestly put themselves out there…
4. they can recognize where they are in life, continue to have faith and keep going through the ritual but REENGAGE the ritual and faith.

How can we do this? Faith is personal to each person but one way would be to ENGAGE even more with the church or outreach programs. Listening to faith may be enough but finding ways to engage our souls and minds in activities of faith is a more active and participatory way.  This is where Nicodemus found himself that night.

Even Nicodemus left his first real encounter with Jesus one night not seeming to fully understand Jesus, and Nicodemus probably found himself still wrestling with his faith even more than when he had come. Yet God saw that Nicodemus knew the truth deep in his soul and at the end of the Gospel of John, we hear from Nicodemus again…this time a man who has recognized God’s grace through Jesus, and he has been changed by it forever.

And this is what takes us into Lent. The Lenten season is a time the church has set aside as a time of concentrated penitence and reflection. Lent can be a time to take on or give up. We can take on an action that will draw us closer to God, through more devotion to prayer, or to consciously perform acts of charity, or to even take up some action or behavior that will improve our relationship with God.  Lent is a season of challenge, to honestly and truly look at ourselves and the areas in our lives and our faith and to consciously be aware of how we worship. 

It is a time to ask ourselves “What do I do when my faith seems to be slipping and I’m not connecting with my faith?” And then we must be willing to engage with God through scripture and our traditions and not be afraid to really wrestle with the harder parts of the Bible and our faith.  It is through this self examination in Lent that we might draw closer to God, just as Nicodemus and so many others in the Bible did. They struggled and wrestled with their faith and through this came to a deeper understanding and relationship with God.

+ In the name of GOD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit +