Pastor’s Message 3/8/2020

We’re going to suppose that on the particular night we just read about Nicodemus couldn’t sleep because he was so moved by his thoughts. Anyone here ever lose sleep because of what you think?

In many cases, when we have restless thoughts, it’s a call to action. But at other times, it just means we are full of emotion and feeling insecure. I would text my adult children late at night and express heartfelt feelings. One night, my son texted his sister and said, “Do you think Mom’s all right?” She reminded him, “Yes. It’s just that thing she does late at night.”

Sometimes when we can’t sleep, it’s important to get up and do something. If you think the person on your mind is awake, perhaps you should text them, or at least write yourself a note. Stuck to the side of my nightstand, it read, “Nancy, stop texting Simon and Bess. They know you love them.”

But sometimes you have to go where you think they are. That’s what Nicodemus did. He had a notion that Jesus and his disciples were still up, debating scripture. He figured out where to find him almost as if he too read Psalm 121, knowing that the Lord never sleeps. Except he didn’t realize Jesus was the Lord.

The psalmist asserts trust, speaking what was true for Israel collectively and also what could be true for an individual. Many parts of Lutheran liturgy use corporate language. Plural pronouns allow acknowledgement of corporate deeds. We say the Lord is ours, that we belong to him and he to us.

Many psalms combine plural and individual identities and speak to God using both we and I pronouns. That’s why you’ll notice that during Lent right after we read, “We confess,” our corporate confession takes a more personal tone. We enter worship under the claim that Christ is ours collectively just like the Israelites. The Lord first belongs to a people, not any one person. We are not independent contractors of our faith, and yet we can each make the claim that Christ is mine, and I am his. Say that with me, “Christ is mine and I am his.”

So Nicodemus begins his conversation with Jesus in the same vein. He hides behind a collective we and makes statements similar to those made by groups of like minded thinkers. “We know something about you. We’ve decided you must be from this place, because you behave this way. I’m here to demand some answers.” Jesus finds such statements interesting and troublesome. Even though the two of them continue to speak in generalities using pronouns like one and anyone, Jesus knows it’s about to get personal.

Jesus knows exactly what woke Nicodemus up and kept him from sleeping, a nudge from God. Jesus knew that any insight or knowledge Nicodemus had been received as a spiritual gift. None of what we have or use as ours, even our intellect, is ours to claim. Being clever, having opportunity, studying or working hard, being determined…are all gifts. Consciousness, trust and faith all come from God. Who we are and what we have have been as much bestowed upon us as salvation itself.

Nothing Nicodemus knew as a religious teacher or lawyer completely answered his questions. He was drawn by God toward Jesus, who led him to believe. And like us, before he could get to the point of believing, he received grace. As if during sleep, we receive through no effort or striving of our own. No learning, no practicing, no hanging out with the right people or seizing opportunity will do it.

The Holy Spirit has to come to some people when they are asleep because when they are awake, they won’t listen. When ill, vulnerable or unconscious in the normal sense, we don’t think normally. Don’t fuss, rationalize, and argue so much. We are more supple and pliable to the work of the Spirit. Desperate to not spend another night wondering about Jesus, Nicodemus surrendered and did something. But, some people just can’t surrender under normal circumstances.

A young man lay in a coma after nearly dying. He was one of many, yet another victim of an accidental incident. He occupied his bed alongside others hooked to ventilators in intensive care. As a chaplain, I visited their rooms. Soon, having one-way conversations and walking around with my long list of unanswered questions became unbearable.

I wanted to understand what might be happening during this time when they appeared lifeless. I might never know who they were or how they ended up the way I first met them, but I would appreciate the fact that for some reason, they were not dead.
So, I began reading Carl Jung, an Swiss psychiatrist who founded analytical psychology. He believed that meaning arose as unconscious thoughts became conscious ones. This made sense to me because from my earliest days of helping hospice families, I believed that some kind of necessary work happened as people appeared to exist neither here nor there. Were not mentally cognizant, nor brain dead, but somewhere in between.

What was it that stirred Nicodemus to rise up in the middle of the night and go meet Jesus? The same thing that had been stirring in him: The inadequacy of his profession to explain a path to God. A spiritual awakening had already occurred and a spiritual rebirth was in process. Nicodemus didn’t know what to call it. Jesus let him know that any knowledge about the kingdom of heaven came from only one source.

Nicodemus thought his knowledge came from putting heads together and forming a collective opinion. He approached Jesus with surety like a know-it-all spokesperson. “We (the network, the paper, the agency) know this….” It’s tempting to say that knowing you know is obnoxious. But, it can equate to having great faith. Saying you know says more than, “We believe,” which is a media disclaimer equal to don’t quote me.

So, I ask you, “As a Christian, do you make statements of belief or knowing? Can you say, “I know Jesus is from God, because this is what he’s done and I’ve seen it myself.” Our church newsletter is called, “The Witness.” Is that an accurate moniker to represent the church, or should we change our newsletter to The Silent Observer?

Do you know that Jesus is from God based on what you’ve seen him do? I’ll start. I know Jesus is from God because I’ve felt him put his hand on me, place a halter on my neck and bring me home time and time again. He never let go. Without Jesus being from God and doing what he did, I’d never have made it this far. Anybody ready to go next?

“There, but for the grace of God, go I,” is nearly true for all of us. When we see a person easy to judge for losing their family, their freedom, their home, or importance, we shouldn’t call names or throw sarcasm. Like Nicodemus, we ought to lose sleep and run to Jesus looking for answers. Ask more questions, and try to find answers.
Jesus said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless born from above. My interpretation of Jung is this: the kingdom of God is revealed through spiritually awakening. Through a sub-consciousness of God locked beneath the intellect. You see, it was Nicodemus’ intellect that argued with Jesus about how impossible it is to be born again. His creative subconscious might’ve entertained the thought, but his conscious self couldn’t envision it.

God knows that when we are vulnerable, less defensive, less under the influence of stress and caffeine, we are more open to the Spirit. Inhibition might keep us from doing bad things, but it can also keep us from spiritual encounters. Like the wind, the Spirit comes from places we don’t know and people we don’t expect. The Spirit ends up in places we can’t predict or control.

The readings balance today. Even though Abraham believed, and it was afforded to him as righteousness, we also hear that nothing we do can save us. Belief is not a condition that keeps human beings from perishing. That God gave his only Son, sent him into the world not to condemn, but save it is the only fact. The guy in the sports arena would’ve done a better job if he’d held up a sign that said John 3:16-17. Then, the burden would have been placed back on God’s Son and not God’s children.

Are you willing to take action and speak up? To leave the comfort of what you are used to, risk exposure, perhaps even embarrassment? I ask us to take a minute of silence right now to see if the Holy Spirit is giving you the courage to say something. If it doesn’t happen this week, you have an open invitation from me to do so at any time from here on out. Raise your hand, or give me a nod. I’ll stop what I’m doing and let you say a sentence or two.

Let us pray. Holy Spirit, wake us up, give us what we need, courage, forgiveness, energy, faith, humility whatever we lack to see the kingdom of God. Help us know beyond belief and speak what we know. Help us offer testimony that supports the fact that all things and all people are ever watched and guarded by your loving presence. Amen.