On this second Sunday of Lent, we continue our Lenten series on “Seeking” by exploring the question, “How do we begin again?” We’re looking at two characters in the Bible who asked questions of their own, Abraham and Nicodemus. And we’ll pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern where God is calling us to follow.
This week’s Scripture readings are Genesis 12:1-4a and John 3:1-17. This sermon is of course influenced by the reflections in the Seeking Lenten theme from A Sanctified Art. Here’s the sermon audio from Christ the King and the video from Living Hope.
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Have you ever had to start over? Have you ever found yourself going down the wrong track and had to turn around?
You can take that literally—a few weeks ago I went to the open house for the new Port Light shelter, and I knew basically where I was, but I thought maybe there’d be a shortcut to get home, so I pulled up directions on Google Maps.
Sure enough, it told me to turn right where I would have gone left. After about 3 miles, I checked and realized I’d tapped the button for directions to Living Hope, not to home. I turned around and started over. And then I explained to my wife that I managed to get lost between Port Washington and Saukville.
Or perhaps less literal, some of you might know that in college, I majored in both religion and computer science. The summer before my senior year, I interned at Thrivent in software development. Thrivent does have religious roots, but they’re a Fortune 500 financial services corporation. I had a cubicle and everything.
It was a great experience and paid really well, but I distinctly remember one day that summer sitting in my cubicle realizing this is not what I want to do with my life, and downloading seminary applications and the ELCA’s pastoral candidacy manual.
I’d kept both options open as long as I could, but it still felt like starting over when I realized what I was saying no to.
In our Lenten series focus on Seeking, we’re looking each week at a question arising from the readings, and this week’s question is, “How do we begin again?” How do we start over? How do we go down a new path?
In the first lesson from Genesis, we meet a man named Abram. Abram is a farmer, living in the land of Haran, in the place where his family had settled. He’s established. He has a wife named Sarai, he has lots of possessions, he has other family living nearby, this is his home.
And then the Lord shows up and calls him. God says, “Get up and leave your home. Leave your country. Leave your kindred and your father’s house, and go to the land I will show you.”
And in an amazing act of faith—at least I think it’s amazing—Abram does what God tells him. He gets up and leaves, not knowing where he’s going. No wonder the book of Hebrews uses him as an example of great faith!
Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going.”
Of course, if you keep reading the story, Abram doesn’t just have one moment where he figures out everything and it’s all good from there. Instead, he spends years questioning God’s plan.
He tries to do things his own way, because he just can’t quite trust God’s got it under control. He tries to pass Sarai off as his sister because he’s afraid God won’t protect him; he conceives a child with his wife’s servant because he thinks his wife is too old, he repeatedly doubts God’s plan.
Abram has to begin again not just once, but over and over. God even gives him a new name, Abraham, as a reminder of his new purpose in life, to be the father of many nations and a blessing to the world.
But most importantly, when God calls him to go, he goes. Even at the age of 75, as end of verse four says, it’s not too late for him to begin again, to set out in faith.
In the Gospel reading, we meet another man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus is nowhere near as famous as Abraham, but he’s an important character.
John doesn’t tell us much about Nicodemus. We don’t know his life story, how he became a religious leader in his community; we don’t know what he’s been through or what exactly he sees in Jesus. But we do know he’s intrigued. He’s wondering what God is up to in this Jesus fellow. He understands Jesus has come from God, and is doing God’s work, and so he wonders if Jesus has anything to say to him.
And yet, his fresh start, his new beginning is tentative. He approached Jesus at night, secretly, discreetly. Once he engages Jesus in conversation, I think he’s probably even more confused than he was before. Jesus tells him he must be born again, born from above. I’m not sure Nicodemus was looking for that much of a new beginning! He’s not Abraham, ready to uproot everything and leave, but he is curious.
Nicodemus asks this great question about how exactly he’s supposed to follow Jesus’ instructions. How can he enter into his mother’s womb and be born again?
It’s a great little reminder to not be overly literal with everything in Scripture. No, Jesus does not mean to enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born.
I wonder, though, if Nicodemus already knows that. I wonder if Nicodemus knows exactly what Jesus is saying, but is maybe engaging in a little willful ignorance, not ready for quite as much of a new start as Jesus is offering.
Because if Jesus is the Son of God, as he claims in this conversation, then Nicodemus needs to rethink an awful lot of his life.
His power, his position in society, his status as a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin council, even his self-identity as a faithful follower of God are at risk. His whole understanding of God’s work in the world is shifting.
And it’ll take him a while to process. Nicodemus shows up two more times in the story. Once, he’s arguing on Jesus’ behalf with his fellow religious leaders, and finally, Nicodemus helps with Jesus’ burial, providing the spices, the myrrh and aloes to anoint the body.
We don’t know what happens to him after that, but we can see that his encounter with Jesus changed his life.
In this season of Lent, we are invited to encounter Jesus. We are invited to begin again on the path of faith. We don’t get to just come and chat like Nicodemus did that night, but we are here today to encounter Jesus. We meet him in prayer, at the table in communion. We listen to his word through Scripture and song.
How does encountering Jesus change you? Where does Jesus invite you to begin again?
One of the key words for Lent is “Repentance.” We began our service with confession, apologizing for our sins, but repentance is more than just saying we’re sorry. Repentance literally means to turn around. When you find yourself going the wrong way, repent. About-face. Turn around.
As our Psalm said, look to God for help. Our help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and earth. The Creator of the cosmos is on our side, calling us to follow, offering a fresh start.
The promise of the Psalm is that God is with you in all of the endings and beginnings, in your going out and you’re coming in, from this time on and forevermore. God is with you. The Holy Spirit is surrounding you on your journey.
Even if you find yourself going down the wrong track, even if you’ve missed your exit by hundreds of miles, even if you’ve spent your whole life up to now ignoring God’s call, God is still with you. God has never left your side.
God does not grow tired or weary. The One who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep. God continues to call you to return, to return the Lord your God, return to your true identity as God’s beloved child. God invites you to begin again.
If that’s you, if you’ve ever gone down the wrong path, or if there’s an area in your life that you’re heading the wrong way right now, would you stand and pray with me?
God of new beginnings, you pursue us when we go the wrong way. You stay with us through our questioning, through our wandering, even when we try to run away from you. Thank you for the chance to start over, the opportunity to follow you.
Stir up your Holy Spirit in our hearts and inspire us to live as your people, to share the good news of your love, to receive your grace and forgiveness and be born again, born from above, born anew as your beloved children.
Thank you for being with us on the journey. In Jesus’ name we pray, and let all God’s people say: Amen