John 3:1-17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no 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, "You must be born from above.' 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."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just 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. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Ah, John 3:16 – the most infamous passage in Christian scripture. We see signs at sporting events with John 3:16 in big letters. We can buy gold jewelry and rubber wristbands with the verse inscribed on it. And if the average Christian has memorized any verses in the Bible, this one would be it.

If we had to boil the entire Christian scripture down to one verse, this would be the best option. After all, we as Christians are called to proclaim the good news. And John 3:16 is good news. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes may not perish but have eternal life.”

Of course, if there’s one thing we as Christians should not do, it is to try and reduce the Bible down to only one verse. One verse is not a theology. One verse is not a complete picture of God. One verse cannot describe how crazy in love God is with us. One verse cannot really answer any of our questions. One verse cannot influence how we relate to others. One verse is not fertile soil for deep spirituality.

When we look at John 3:16 by itself, we get the impression that faith is about our choice to believe. If we believe, then we will have eternal life. The responsibility is on us. So, I ask you, is this good news? Is it good news if our salvation depends entirely on our decision to believe or not?

Personally, I don’t hear this as good news. In fact, it’s terrifying. What if I screw up? What if I keep making poor decisions? What if I doubt God’s grace or question God’s activity in the world? Am I risking my salvation?

These questions frustrated Martin Luther, also. He never felt that he nor his faith were good enough. His faith always needed one more coat of paint; it was never clean enough; it was too messy. You live like that long enough and it severs the relationship with God that you were so concerned about in the first place.

Luther was a victim of one-verse Christianity. His first several years as a monk were spent believing that God demanded perfection from believers. It wasn’t until Luther read the entire New Testament for himself that he began to hear a new message – the message that the Christian faith is all about what God has done for us; and not what we do for God. Such a revelation was only possible when he began to look at the context of the verses.

It’s amazing how the focus shifts even when you add only one verse, like John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” I’ve often wondered why people don’t hold up signs that at least say John 3:16-17. Maybe they just always run out of room on the sign. When we add verse 17 the emphasis completely shifts. The verse underscores that it is God, not you or I, who has decided our salvation. This is the good news that Luther was waiting for. This was the type of good news that ultimately freed him from the clutches of a fictional abusive God and allowed him to embrace God’s very real love.

Now, of course, a two-verse faith is not that much better than a one-verse faith. There’s more we need to look at. So, we look at what else the gospel writer has to say.

John 3:16-17 is set up by the story of the pharisee Nicodemus, the one who can’t get his mind around the idea of literally being born again from his mother’s womb. Nicodemus is a religious teacher who approaches Jesus and calls him teacher. This is a term of respect that falls short of the mark, for Jesus is more than someone who is teaching about the way, the truth, and the life; He, of course, IS the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus has a fundamental problem with Nicodemus’ assertion that teaching about God is the primary function of one who professes to follow God. The primary function is, as Jesus states, to live the kind of life he lives, which is only possible if one is born again. That is, one who invites and cooperates with the Holy Spirit’s work of forming one into a Christ-like life. Or, in other terms, the waters of baptism sweep us away from the mundane surface-level, run-of-the-mill, just like everyone else, way of life and carry us into a life oriented around concern for higher things.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus looking for something. We’re not told exactly what he’s looking for, but he’s curious enough about Jesus that he sneaks off to see him alone at night; which means he’s looking for something beyond what his intellect or his religion or his peers have brought to his life. He needs more than one verse. He wants to understand the whole story. So Jesus tells him the whole story. God is love, that love is being lived out in real time through the words and actions of Jesus, and the Spirit will help Nicodemus live a life fueled and directed by that same love.

Nicodemus must have accepted this invitation and believed Jesus because the last we hear of him, he comes to help Joseph of Arimathea properly care for Jesus’ crucified body. He could have looked at Jesus’ gruesome end and said to himself, “Well, I guess that guy did not actually know what he was talking about.” But instead he was able to look at Jesus’ bloody body and see that Jesus was right all along. That is a gift of the Spirit; that is an action that springs from a loving heart; that is a faith that is willing to stare death in the face and declare it is powerless in the face of God’s love. If that’s what it means to be saved by God’s love, may we all be swept away by the waters of the Spirit, for that is where the only true hope for our world resides.

Amen.

John 1:35-42

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed ). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

Today’s gospel tells of a pair of John’s disciples who leave their teacher behind in order to follow Jesus, the new rabbi on the scene. One of these new disciples is so moved by his first day with Jesus that he goes and recruits another disciple to follow Jesus. The gospel’s message for us today is right there on the surface: our call as disciples is to be drawn so deeply into the loving presence of Christ that we go and share that invitation to others. That’s my whole sermon, summed up, so you can tune out for the rest if you desire; but you’ll probably want to hear the case study I’m going to share with you.

I’ve managed to experience a lifetime in a Lutheran congregation, four years at a Christian university, and four years of seminary without hearing the name Julian of Norwich. Through my spiritual formation classes I have recently been introduced to her and I am excited to tell you about Julian this morning because she provides a fascinating entry to explore just what it means to desire and follow God.

Julian of Norwich lived as a Benedictine nun in the late-14th and early-15th centuries. Much of her life was spent as an anchoress, meaning that she lived outside the church in a tiny stone structure that was completely sealed up. There was one opening to the outside through which items could be passed and people could come and converse with her. There was also something called a squint--a narrow vertical opening that permitted a view of nothing but the altar, which is a powerful image of how one can focus one’s life on God alone. I realize this might not be the best way to describe someone who we are to emulate, as I don’t know how many of you find this lifestyle appealing, but hear me out.

When Julian was six years old the Black Plague made its way to England for the first time. Entire communities were decimated. The first epidemic lasted three years and claimed the lives of 3/4 of the population of Norwich. The plague was a brutal and disgusting disease. Everyone who survived was traumatized from the experience of witnessing the disease decimate their families and communities. Through this time Christianity remained the primary religion in the region. Think for a moment what you would believe about God if you were raised in an environment filled with that much suffering, death, and destruction. Most believed that their suffering was brought on by the actions of a wrathful God. The people assumed that God meant to wipe them out due to their sin, just as in the days of the Biblical flood.

Out of this environment Julian felt a desire to know God better, which I think is a miraculous sentiment. I can’t imagine desiring to become better acquainted with a wrathful God who was presumed to be responsible for the death and destruction that literally plagued the world. Specifically, Julian desired three things from God: 1) to understand the cross; 2) to overcome her fear of God’s judgment; and 3) to trust God more. Julian served as a nun and waited for ten years before receiving a revelation from God that would address her questions and situate her as one of the most cherished Christian mystics.

“On May 13th, 1373, Julian was succumbing to a disease thought to be the plague. Her breathing became ragged; she was barely alive. Julian asked her mother to help her sit up to ease her breathing. When the priest arrived, he held up a crucifix for Julian to gaze upon for comfort as he administered Last Rites and prayed for her soul. With effort, Julian focused on the cross. Then her sight appeared to be failing; she could see nothing but the cross alone. A bright light shone on the figure of Jesus, like sunlight through a window, but she could not identify its source.

‘This is death,’ she thought, as a great weight seemed to press upon her chest.

Then, in an instant, the pain vanished like the lifting of a curtain! And the figure on the cross before her started to bleed! It bled freely, as the image came alive and Jesus looked at her. And thus began a ten-hour conversation with Jesus which addressed humanity’s deepest questions about sin, suffering and grace.“*

She would fully recover from her illness and set to work writing down everything she experienced during her ten-hour revelation.This would end up as the work Revelations of Divine Love. Her experience deserves more than a one-word summary, but I don’t think she would mind if I summarized her experience as joyful.

Her experience of God was joyful because she received insight into God’s sufferings and his love for us. “Julian’s message remains one of hope and trust in God, whose compassionate love is always given to us. In this all-gracious God there can be no element of wrath. The wrath — ‘all that is contrary to peace and love — is in us and not in God. God’s saving work in Jesus of Nazareth and in the gift of God's spirit, is to counteract our wrath in the power of his merciful and compassionate love'. Julian did not perceive God as blaming or judging us, but as enfolding us in love.”**

Julian writes that at one point during her experience of God’s revelation God showed her a hazelnut. “In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third is that God preserves it.” This vision showed Julian God’s identity as Creator, protector, and lover. She goes on to write, “For until I am substantially united to him, I can never have perfect rest or true happiness, until, that is, I am so attached to him that there can be no created thing between my God and me.”

In the context of abhorrent death and destruction, of a wrathful God determined to destroy humankind, and of her very own demise, Julian received a vision of God’s goodness and love. Through the vision God taught her that sin would not have the final word. This led her to write down a sentence that I hope you will cherish: “Though sin is inevitable, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

I began this message by telling you where I would end up: that our call as disciples is to be drawn so deeply into the loving presence of Christ that we go and share that invitation to others. If our heart's desire is to know God better, it will happen. Christ will be revealed to us. The revelation of God in Christ will change the course of our lives. And people will desperately want to know more about the God of grace, love, and truth whom we have encountered.

Julian of Norwich has been someone who points me toward the loving presence of Christ. Her testimony makes me want to encounter God in new and profound ways, so that I can come to believe for myself that “though sin is inevitable, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Amen.

* Mimi Dixon, “The Contemplative Stream: Julian of Norwich” (lecture, Renovaré Institute of Christian Spiritual Formation), November 19, 2020.
** http://juliancentre.org/about/about-julian-of-norwich.html