Born Again?

(I posted this on my other blog, but it speaks to me so I posted here too. I will get back to the other story soon.)

What does John 3 mean when Jesus says, 'You must be born again?'

After struggling with this passage for years and still realizing that I don't fully get it, I hope to present a possibility.

"The Story ~ Nicodemus, a religious leader in Jesus' day, comes under the cover of darkness to discuss spirituality with Jesus."
Nicodemus: "Rabbi, we all know that God has sent you to teach us, Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You."
Immediately Jesus says: "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."

Jesus has a habit of taking things to a deeper level. Most of the time, I am only scratching the surface like Nicodemus, yet, Jesus is operating at a whole other level.

What is the Kingdom of God, biblically speaking? The place, the time and the people where things are happening according to how God wants things to work. Some people might want to shut me off at this point, because I am putting God's sovereignty in question. God has created a creation outside of himself. Meaning this creation can operate either according to God's way, or in rejection of God's way. The above statement assumes that there are places where things are not happening according to God's intentions and desire/will ~ meaning that God has somehow limited his own soveriegnty. The job or work of those who connect with the Kingdom of God are to live according to God's intentions in this time, in the place where they are, among the people with whom they find themselves. (Sorry for the aside but I think it is necessary.)

Anyway, I was reading Rob Bell's book Sex God. He speaks about how radically disconnected humanity is ~ Disconnected from God, from self, from others, from creation.

I have been wondering about the Holy Spirit. What is it/he? I have been told tons of things but what is it? (I will speak more on this in a future blog).

Back to John, Jesus says to Nicodemus that he must be born again. Nicodemus naturally wonders and questions, "Say what? I can't enter in my mother's womb again."

Jesus continues to speak, "Unless you are born of spirit and of the flesh, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." Is Jesus saying that unless Nicodemus is connected both to his spirit and his flesh he cannot connect to the Kingdom of God?

Here's what I am thinking:

Nicodemus is a Pharisee. He's part of the 'religious elite' those who want to take the law to the max in order to maximize life on earth. However, following the law doesn't fulfill the human need. It's only outward striving and tends to become legalistic and detached from personhood. Nicodemus was part of a sect who believed that if everybody would just live by the rules everything would be better. However, in believing this they inflicted their rules on others, putting people under a heavy burden of trying to work one's way to peace with God.

And Jesus says, unless you are connected with the physical and the spiritual, you cannot experience the Kingdom of God. Pharisees had disconnected the two. Pharisees were operating on the physical level. Jesus seems to be getting to the heart of Nicodemus. Nicodemus has spent so much time on the physical - looking like a religious person, that he has missed the real connection between himself and God. It's interesting some of us are like Nicodemus in this passage. We've tried to do things on the physical level but it has left us empty and disconnected. There are also some of us who focus on the spiritual and disconnect ourselves from the physical. We search for spiritual highs and think that that is what it means to be fully alive.

I think Jesus is saying that these two need to be fully connected, made one with the other, held in tension with one another. And Jesus' way fulfills this... how well it's very mysterious.

Here is an example of a time when I experienced connection. I was sick, dreadfully sick with a bronchitus or some other type of respiratory illness, coughing, sneezing, running nose, head-aches, fever, I felt horrible. And one of my students calls me up and says, "hey, ben, me and a friend need someone to talk to..." I look at my watch its about 9pm and I've already put in long day and let me remind I was sick. I mentioned that I was sick, but would 'love' to talk with them if they came knowing that I was sick and tired...

The two came over, it must have been around 9:30 pm or so... we began the discussion... they poured out their hearts to myself and my wife. And although I didn't feel like had anything left to give I gave all that I had to listen and encourage...

Something happened that night that I can't fully explain. All I know is that in those moments of honest connection with one another, that we recognized that God was among us. We felt both the spiritual and physical become one -- we were connected, we were real, and life changed. And I felt real. And though I was sick, I felt alive. But it wasn't about me. It was a time when the Kingdom of God expressed itself on earth, in my home, on my couch, with my two cats and these three other people, and we opened ourselves to be connected in authentic community.
We cried, we confessed, we shared, we laughed and were connected. And the connection wasn't with just each other, it was so much deeper, we were connected with how God intends things to be.

Did all of the circumstances disappear? No. But we had partners for the journey.
Partners who respected and honored one another.

May you be spiritually and physically connected to the realness of God in your world, where you are, among the people whom you are with, and if you are searching for a place and people to be connected seek out a group of people who love you, accept you and encourage you to be the best you that you can be.

Loving God, Loving People, Following Jesus,
Ben

You Never Let Go - song by Matt Redman

Taking a short break from the story, but this is still relevant.

CRISIS

Previously I shared about Creation. God created the heavens and the earth and he called it good (It's interesting how dualism has set into the western Christian faith despite the fact that scripture tells us point blank that God has created of everything and he calls it good. There is no divide between spiritual and physical. Both are good. But this is a topic for another time).

Not only did God create a good creation, God created humankind, male and female together in God's own image. And this deposit, whatever it may be, is still in all humanity. This is the image God continually calls us and encourages us to bring out in everyday life.

This humanity is good, and God gives humanity the keys to the earth so to speak. God has not created slaves to do his bidding. Instead he has created a masterpiece and gives humanity the great honor to care and tend to this beautiful place. Humanity has the privilege of learning about it, experiencing it, and naming it.

In the midst of all this goodness, God, creating a real world that in part has the ability to choose it's own destiny, creates one boundary of respect within this good world. The first humans have the ability to respect God's boundaries or step over God's boundaries. The first humans have good intentions and avoid crossing this boundary for a time; however, something enters the story. Adam and Eve, as the Genesis narrative shares, are confronted with the idea that God is withholding something from them.

For them it is like God withholding part of his godlikeness from them. The serpent in the story presents the glimmer of distrust that Adam and Eve focus on. The fruit seems good. The fruit looks good. The fruit smells good. And the serpent promises that it will give them 'god-like' power to discern, to know good from evil. This tree has been called the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent focuses in on something humans want... they want to be like God.

Most children I know want to be like their parents. Teenagers especially... younger children put on mom and dad's shoes and jewelry and try to run the sweeper or push a fisher-price lawnmower, but teens they want parent-like power ~ the ability to chose their own destiny and make their own rules.

Similarly, Adam and Eve see god-likeness something to be had... and, of course, God doesn't want to keep 'god-likeness' from us does he? Adam and Eve take of the fruit. They cross the boundaries. They take for themselves what isn't theirs.

It's interesting, for people to trust one another, there has to be respect for one another's boundaries. When someone does not respect your boundaries, trust is hard to come by. One night my wife and I managed to leave our garage door open all night. My wife was the last one out three, so I assumed she had shut the door. Well, the next morning I woke, went to prepare my coffee and looked out the kitchen window... The garage door was wide open. I became angry... why? Not because the door was left open, but because I felt vulnerable. I felt the pain of the thought of having something of mine stolen. Why? because, although I want to trust my neighbors and there are many whom I do trust, there have been occurrences of missing items, bikes stolen in broad daylight... there is a bus stop less than thirty feet from my garage... I am in a sense fearful of someone crossing my boundaries and taking what is mine.

And humanity is the culprit. Humanity has crossed the line. Rob Bell (in Velvet Elvis) wrote, "the greatest truth about Adam and Eve is not that they existed; the greatest truth is that their story is our story, it still happens..." People still cross the boundaries. People still take what isn't theirs. People still live to fulfill their selfish desires, and it wreaks havoc in all kinds of ways.

Relationships are broken. Distrust is born. We are left isolated, detached.

Not only does crossing the boundaries mess up Adam and Eve's relationship with God... they can no longer face God without shame, they are fearful God will dislike them and destroy them, so they hide.

They also, begin to hide from each other. The once completely vulnerable, open, authentic (naked and unashamed) couple now cover themselves. They hide their differentness. They begin to protect themselves and build up walls of indifference to avoid the possibility of pain because deep within they can't fully trust one another.

This breach in relationship has devastating effects. Adam names Eve (in other words he objectifies her and treats her as an animal). Cain (son of Adam and Eve) murders his own brother. Lamech (son of Cain) boasts of how quickly he will kill a person for looking at him wrong. God laments... "What have I done? These people's hearts are on evil all the time." God plans to destroy the earth, but before he carries out his 'appropriate' judgment, he sees Noah. And God begins the plan of redemption... He rescues Noah and his family. And God in many ways begins anew. But it's only a few verses later when the breach continues and Noah crosses the boundaries...(read about it in Genesis)

Today, we don't have to look very far to recognize the 'fall of humanity'. Read the newspaper, watch the news... many of us have experienced theft and violence. All of us have experienced the deep hurt of someone crossing our boundaries in all kinds of ways. Many of us (if not all) have added to the hurt and harm. We've done our share of crossing boundaries. As Brian McLaren said it, "This is the crisis we find ourselves in" (The Story We Find Our Selves In) .

The Biblical story does not cover up human evil--the harm we do to society, self, creation, and against God. The Bible honestly shares the story of a God who seeks to redeem (to make something worthwhile again) his creation.

My coming blogs will seek to tell the story of God's plan and work in redeeming creation.

I guess at the end of all this... the only question I have... Are you perpetuating evil in the world you live, or are you partnering with God to bring redemption/reconciliation?

In my best times I am a partner with God... in my worst times, I perpetuate evil. "O Lord have mercy."

Books that Have Helped me: The Story We Find Ourselves In by Brian McLaren, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, The whole Bible, most specifically informed by Genesis (I encourage you to read Genesis).

Creation Narrative Part II

homeschoolingX4 wrote
Huh? I love mythology. Very interesting story but I find it hard to understand what you are implying. Are you implying that all religion was created to manipulate humans? Hmm. Also, you have some typos and missing words. This is coming from the homeschooling mom...LOL...Sorry.

Sorry about the typos and missing words... I do not have a proofreader and unfortunately as I read my own stuff, I think things are there even when its not... it's in my head... sorry, I will try a little harder to do better.

Well, this second part is about the implications and how the Enuma Elish and Genesis Creation Narratives bring into light some really cool things about Creator God.

When we begin to read the Genesis creation narrative (2 accounts are found in Genesis 1 and 2). We start to notice that the Hebrews are coming from a different perspective altogether. Yahweh or Elohim, which are Hebrew names for God, has something altogether different in mind for creation.

1. Creation is this beautiful poetic peaceful utterance of words. Creation is a calling (not forcing) of things into existence. More like a painter might bring a scene into focus with each careful stroke or a musician carefully and attentively breathes tones into existence to form a glorious melody. Here God, Elohim, is gently calling creation into being. With each new vocalization more beauty and tranquility can be beheld. Have you ever walked through a wooded area in the cool of the day, enjoying the freshness of Nature. Yes, there may be a rush of exhilaration in the beauty of the moment, but creation is not forced in the Hebrew scriptures. No, we have an artist diligently blending one movement into the next creating a masterpiece. A real world. With real water, real land, real trees, real animals and swimming creatures and birds of the air (even most insects have their own unique beauty although they make many of us squirm).

So here we see creation as part of an artist's dream coming to real life. Not the results of some bloody war between some unknown spiritual beings. Instead, God creates, gently calling things into being. I venture to say he caresses it into existence as two lovers may caress into existence a new life. Yes, full of passion and vigor and honesty and love. Yet full of peace as two hearts are made into one. (I believe this is the image that Rob Bell brings to life in his book Sex God, I haven't read but hope to read it soon.)

2. In Enuma Elish, the Mesopotamian Creation Narrative, Marduk creates humanity simply to make slaves. These slaves would carry out the wills of the gods. In other words, slaves of the state who would build pyramids or temples or cities or whatever the rulers thought would make their lives easier and the common folks more obedient. However, the Creator of the universe according the Hebrew Creation narratives creates people on purpose for relationship to participate in community so that God could lavish them with love and talk with them in the 'cool of the day'. God creates and calls these humans, male and female made in his image together, good.

3. But God doesn't stop there, Humanity are not simply slaves of God. No, humanity is something more than that. God entrusts to humanity all of creation. He gives humanity the ability name it (explore, seek to understand and to know it). Humanity partners with God in caring for all of creation. God doesn't leave it, no God continues to be present. God continues to call it into being all that it might be. This creation is a real working living breathing world. Full of life, not stagnant but good, growing, somehow expanding, and Humanity is given the great honor to be its caretakers, like the caretakers of a very special Garden (definitely not slaves).

See how different the God of the Hebrews is. The One God who is holy and creator of all that is.
God has created all that we see and it is good. Well, I know you want to jump ahead in the story but let us stay a little while longer in God's good creation.

Not only is creation good, but humanity is good. Humanity as God intends humanity to be is good. The first male and female are shown to be naked and unashamed. They can be 100% completely honest and vulnerable with one another. Each respects the other as they are and as equal. (Hebrew... Ezer Cenegdo... when God goes to create a helpmate for the Adam (lone human. Ezer Cenegdo speaks of one who faces the other as equal, a force to be reckoned with in a good way, not weaker, may be different but never the lesser, one who is equally worthy of respect and honor--- I may write about this again later, I must thank Chuck Coleson a professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary for sharing this thought with me). Each are honored and together (only together) are good.

What truth can one possibly glean from this:
a) God is good. All the Time. All the Time. God is Good. Or as Psalm 118 says, Give thanks to the Lord, He is good. His Love endures forever.
b) Creation and Humanity are Good originally. And Let us take out originally or change the wording a little. You, as God created you to be, are beautiful and good. God designed you to be an awesome, unique person in community with his good creation and himself. Today, is a day when you can begin listening to God's story about you, instead of the story so many others have told about you, or even the story you have created about you. You are beautiful and dearly loved by God. I know you want to say but... but hold off don't do it... Just live in the moment, imagine if you must the beautiful you whom God created. Let that good person live and be known with others. If you are looking for friendship, seek out a group of people who will affirm this about and help you be the good you that you want to be and believe God has created you to be. (Oasis Life Journey exists to be this kind of community.)

Stay there a moment longer... longer yet... a little longer yet let that thought penetrate your soul. God created you beautiful and good. Be continually becoming that beautiful good person. God is with you.

...

The next entry will be on Crisis... we all knew it was coming but hang in there for the exciting rest of our/God's story.

Please read Genesis.

May God bless you and the reading, studying and incarnating of his word.