The Circle of Life

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

John 3:1–17 ESV

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, 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 the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And 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, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Romans 8:12–17 ESV

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Circle of Life

Today, even more than most Sundays, we are aware of the presence of changing seasons in our lives and in the life of our congregation and even of the world. Baptism is a celebration and remembrance of beginnings in faith, while in the same breath, we acknowledge the closing of Ashley’s time here as our ministry intern.

This is the time of year during which we celebrate the newness of life in the bright flowers and greenery all around us, while acknowledging that in our culture, this is also a time to say goodbye to another school year. Even those who aren’t teachers or students feel the shift in this season.

In the church, we move from the meat of the liturgical year: Advent, Lent, Christmas, Easter, Epiphany, and we move on to a more relaxed pace, liturgically speaking. We enter into a long stretch of the year called “ordinary time”.

Today in the scriptures are stories of call, response, moving on, beginning again. Every season brings with it a new call from God, a new reminder of where we are meant to be. Even as one season falls behind us, we enter into a new and fresh one.

We have in the Scripture passages today three very different stories of call and response: Isaiah - the most well known of the Old Testament prophets, Nicodemus - a religious leader questioning what he knows about Jesus, and us - the church today.

Call

Isaiah

In one of the most dramatic call stories in all of Scripture, Isaiah’s vision is vivid and terrifying. God’s presence fills an entire throne room and God is surrounded by strange angels who are calling out in this call to worship shouting, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of all! The whole earth is filled with God’s glory!” Not only is the throne room filled visibly with God’s glory, the angels say, God’s glory fills the entire earth!

And when the angels shout out, the ground rumbles! Can you imagine? Before God even spoke, Isaiah was quaking in his sandals. He seems to know, though that he’s been called to say something to someone. He immediately worries about his unclean lips - he’s worried about the ways he and the people he’s from have used words. So the angel comes and cleanses Isaiah’s lips. Once Isaiah has been made ready, God speaks.

“Whom shall I send?”

This is even a general call - Who shall I send? ME! PICK ME! We are all invited.

And now, having confessed and been made clean, Isaiah is ready. “Send me!” He shouts.

Nicodemus

What a different call story we see in . Where Isaiah’s call is a distinct moment issued to him in a vision, Nicodemus’ call is more of a process. Nicodemus gradually realizes that Jesus is calling him to challenge the status quo. While Isaiah sees God in a glorious throne room, Nicodemus comes to God in the quiet of night. Perhaps Nicodemus is afraid to see Jesus in the daylight. There may be something deep down inside telling Nicodemus that he’s about to be turned upside down. I wonder - does Nicodemus come at night because he’s afraid to really really see Jesus? Does he have a sinking feeling he knows what Jesus is going to ask of him and he is hoping to dampen that somehow?

With Nicodemus’ call, as with Isaiah’s, comes a challenge to be made new. “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” says Jesus. But Nicodemus wrestles with this idea more than Isaiah does. He wants to take it more literally, for starters. Sometimes, taking things literally is easier because then we can discount them by saying things like, “You can’t ACTUALLY be born a second time, Jesus!” instead of taking on the challenge that Jesus is really issuing us.

I once heard a pastor read this passage from John about being “born again” and illustrate it by saying it’s like getting a golden train ticket to heaven. He said all you have to do is say this particular prayer in this particular way and you’re born again and good to go. For many people, like Isaiah, conversion or calling is a very distinct moment. That’s not what I take issue with. The problem is the idea that everyone’s conversion experience is a distinct moment or that once that moment has past or that prayer has been prayed, we’re done. Baby Leah, who we baptize at St. Andrew’s this morning, is not going to remember today. She’s not. Her baptism today is not a “golden train ticket to heaven.” It’s a seal of God’s grace in her life and it’s a sign that we make to promise to help her learn and grow in faith. When we remember our own baptismal vows, it’s not as some nostalgic celebration of what holy parents we had when we were a baby like Leah. It’s a time to remember that our baptism is still a work in progress as long as we’re still alive and that we are called daily to continue living as people called to a life led by the Spirit.

While Isaiah is immediately ready to shout, “Here I am! I’ll go!” it’s more of a slow burn for Nicodemus. But that’s ok. This is not the last time we’ll see him in the gospel.

The church

In , we see another call to repentance and new life: we see our calling as the church - the people of God. Like Isaiah and Nicodemus, we are called to be new. Our tradition likes to refer to ourselves as “the church reformed and ever reforming.” We’ve been changed, and we allow the Spirit to continue changing us. We’re called not to one confession and turn around, but to a lifetime of repentance and renewal.

Don’t live according to the flesh - we tend to equate this solely with very physical sin like sexual sin or gluttony, etc. But this isn’t a very faithful interpretation of the Greek. These are certainly included, but are too narrow a reading. Some translations use “corrupt nature” or “selfishness”.

Let us read this as the flesh being the pragmatic, the ordinary. Let us see the world in a NEW WAY!

For many people, like Isaiah, conversion or calling is a very distinct moment. That’s not what I take issue with. The problem is the idea that everyone’s conversion experience is a distinct moment and if you haven’t had that “magic prayer moment” you’re not actually a Christian yet. Because while Jesus says that you have to be made new, the person he says it to takes a while to get on board. We don’t see Nicodemus responding to any emotional altar call moment, so that cannot be the only sort of experience Jesus is talking about here.

I also take issue with the idea that once that moment has passed or that prayer has been prayed, we’re done. Baby Leah, who we baptize at St. Andrew’s this morning, is not going to remember today. She’s not. Her baptism today is not a “golden train ticket to heaven.” It’s a seal of God’s grace in her life and it’s a sign that we make to promise to help her learn and grow in faith. When we remember our own baptismal vows, it’s not as some nostalgic celebration of what holy parents we had when we were a baby like Leah. It’s a time to remember that our baptism is still a work in progress as long as we’re still alive and that we are called daily to continue living as people called to a life led by the Spirit. This is not a “golden train ticket to heaven”: It’s a call to be a renewed people who are willing to constantly be renewed.

Response

We should response to God’s call accordingly. Not all will receive the same type of call as Isaiah. But all are called to be changed in the way Nicodemus was. All are called to be changed in the way that the church in Rome was called to change. And so the first step of our response to God’s call on our lives is to figure out what it is that God is saying.

Isaiah

Our calls are all both very much the same and very much different.

Isaiah is called to a vocational transformation. This is what we usually think of as a calling. We often think of “calling”, in regards to Christian life, as being something that pastors and missionaries have. Sure: not all people are called to vocational ministry. That doesn’t get ya’ll off the hook. We each still have a calling. Remember that as today we celebrate and thank God for one person who has been called to a life of ministry and care. As we send Ashley off on her way, we honor the calling that God has put on her life. And we honor the season that God called us to this past year of being a part of her development as a pastor.

Today we celebrate and thank God for one person who has been called to a life of ministry and care. As we send Ashley off on her way, we honor the calling that God has put on her life.

And even though not everyone here is called to a career in the church, we can all still glean some important things from the story of Isaiah’s call. There is something in Isaiah’s calling that we are all called to respond with: confession. Isaiah cannot be ushered into the next steps of restoration and full worship without first recognizing his uncleanliness and being cleansed. He can’t move on to live his special place in the world without first addressing his personal calling to holiness. A call to holiness, as we see in , is one placed on all of us. It doesn’t matter what we are called to be, we are all called first to constant confession and renewal.

Nicodemus

Nicodemus is called to personal, internal transformation, not a vocation change. We are not shown how he responds to this call in this passage, but later in John (chapter 7), we see Nicodemus defending Jesus and again in chapter 19, he brings burial spices. The response is sometimes a slow burn and that’s ok. Some of us just take a little longer to really pick it up. Nicodemus begins to question his faith, he goes to Jesus, and his faith grows. Nicodemus learns to challenge the status quo. It just takes him a while. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “But how?” a few times before we finally understand what it is that Jesus is saying. Sometimes, we need to hear Jesus say it, then hear Jesus say it again, then see Jesus doing it, then see other people doing it, then we might finally start to catch on. God didn’t send Jesus to condemn us, sisters and brothers, and what good news that is indeed for we are a slow and unclean people!

Allowing the Bible to be confusing and complicated and not always black and white - not taking it literally - can be scary. We are afraid to actually see Jesus. It’s possible that Nicodemus went to Jesus in the dark because he was afraid of Jesus.

This is not an easy calling that we are given.

The church

gives us the picture of what a changed, renewed people might look like. There is some confusing language in it that we must first address, though. When we hear phrases like “live according to the flesh”, we tend to equate this solely with very physical sin like sexual sin or gluttony, etc. This isn’t a very faithful interpretation of the Greek. Sins like overindulgence, frivolous wealth, promiscuity, those are certainly included, but to limit it to that is too narrow a reading. Some translations use “corrupt nature” or “selfishness”. The reason those sins are sin is because they are symptoms of letting the world rule us. We overcome those sins, and other sins that come about by placing the world’s ways first, by seeing the world in a new way, not by sheer will power. There must be a transformation of our hearts in order for us to respond fully to our calling to live as renewed and holy people.

Let us read this as the flesh being the pragmatic, the ordinary. Let us see the world in a NEW WAY!

We are called to communal and social transformation by . We, like Nicodemus, are called to challenge the world’s status quo. Our own confession and renewal and transformation are evidenced by the ways we interact with others. We are called to be family. “you have received the Spirit of adoption. . .” We are asked to participate in God’s relationship with us and with others. We are called to live in relationship with and unity with all those around us as a family. If we are to really change the world, we are called to live WITH one another, not BESIDE one another.

One of the things that we heard time and time again when meeting with peacemakers in Israel and Palestine was this: “The governments and politicians aren’t going to solve this. They have proven that they care more about their own power than they do about peace. So we have to make peace from the ground up by getting to know each other and through education and art and culture and telling our stories.” Friends, that is exactly what is calling us to do. We aren’t called to fear - we’re called to renewal. And that might make us unpopular in some circles. So what? Jesus isn’t about winning popularity contests.

What do we have to let go of to be adopted?

One of the places we went when we were in the Galilee region was a place called Sindyanna. Sindyanna is a collaboration of Israeli and Palestinian women who make olive oil together. Their olive oil is wonderful, for the record, and you can get it in the US at Whole Foods or on Amazon for a very reasonable price. But what they make is far less interesting than why they make it. These women have come together across cultural lines, across language barriers, and in spite of the puzzlement and even opposition of their friends and families. They are passionate about creating jobs for women in their area - many of whom have lost husbands, fathers, or sons to war - and about getting to know one another. They believe that the only way to real peace and healing in the world is by learning one another’s stories and getting to know people who are different - including and especially those we are afraid of.

http://www.sindyanna.com/

What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom of God!

As we move into what the church calendar calls “ordinary time”, let’s remember this: the changing of seasons is a reminder that no matter how far we’ve come, there is still always something to learn. No matter how many seasons we have been through, every change of season is an opportunity to reassess our calling and our place in ushering God’s kingdom of healing and peace into this world. Each new season of life is an opportunity to repent, to seek, to listen, and too see the world with new and fresh eyes.

Each time we say hello or goodbye is a reminder that our call as Christians is not one sentence set in stone, but it’s a living, breathing, ever growing way of life. As we remember our baptisms, let it serve as a reminder that we all started somewhere. And as we say farewell to a faithful budding minister, we remember that God is always carrying us each off in new and wonderful directions.

Isaiah 6:8 ESV

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Related Media

Related Sermons