Scripture:
John 3:1-17
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.”
Reflection:
Lenten Reflection-John 3:1-17
The first scripture I ever memorized is John 3:16, part of the passage about which I write. In the faith tradition in which I was raised, memorizing scripture was a big part of our formation: in Sunday School, Training Union (Sunday night services), Wednesday night services, and Girls’ Auxiliary (a girls’ study and service group). To this day I can hear a portion of scripture, and I’ll play out the rest of the verse in my mind in King James style.
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse was the basis of just about every sermon I ever heard while growing up. We didn’t have a lectionary like the Episcopal Church that laid out verses throughout the Bible to be read throughout the year. Instead the minister preached on whatever passage he felt called to use. Because there was great urgency for each person to make a public profession of his or her acceptance of Christ as Saviour, most of the sermons came from the salvation texts in the New Testament, especially verses like John 3:16. I probably made my public profession of Christ as my savior when I was about ten years old and was baptized by being fully immersed under water in the baptistry. Now you would think that I would have felt a relief, a lightness for being forgiven of all my sins and being eternally saved. However, what I felt was fear and guilt. How could I live up to my promise? It’s one thing to say you accept this gift; it is another to feel worthy of it.
Much later in my adult life, I began attending an Episcopal group in Saudi Arabia where we lived at the time, and I thought, “When does the guilt start? When do I start getting shamed? When do I start thinking I’m unworthy?” To my infinite surprise and delight, those negatives never came. I felt uplifted and positive when I listened to the message of God presented as joy and not guilt. As peace and not fear. As grace and not worthlessness. Yes, I was hearing the same scripture, but I was hearing a different tone. That lightness I had missed on my initial salvation experience had finally come. At last I understood God’s gracious gift as it was intended. That’s when I moved from darkness to light.
-Pam Piedfort