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CREATING COMMUNITIES OF WHOLENESS WITH CHRIST AT THE CENTRE
Being a Christian - Discussion Notes of 01.07.2007 & 04.07.2007
John 3.1-11, John 11.17-27
BEING AFRAID
Again and again God says to us, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ But all too often we’re still frightened. Nicodemus was afraid, coming to Jesus by night, so that no one would see him and so that he, a powerful Jewish leader, would not loose credibility with his peers through meeting with this upstart preacher from Galilee. Martha and Mary were afraid and angry and grieving. Their brother was dead and they couldn’t understand why Jesus hadn’t saved him. They were afraid of the future without Lazarus and didn’t know what to do or where to turn.
We all spend so much time being afraid.
What makes you afraid? Can Jesus help calm your fears? And if so, how?
What do you make of the statement that ‘perfect love casts out fear?’
QUIET TIMES
Nicodemus came to visit Jesus by night – partly because he was afraid, but also because that was when you studied the law, that was when you sat down and thoughts and read and talked and prayed.
When do you take time out to think, talk, read and pray?
BORN AGAIN
Nicodemus has so many questions to ask, he is astounded by the miracles and wonders of Jesus, and wants to find out more. And then, almost out of the blue, Jesus comes out with one of his greatest statements. However hard it is to understand, it’s incredibly important. Jesus says ‘No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.’
There are [at least] three different ways of reading and understanding this statement.
BORN FROM THE BEGINNING: It’s about being completely and radically new, going to a place where no one knows you, where you can start again, go back to basics…
BORN AGAIN: It’s about starting again, but in the same kind of mould, almost as if it were possible to simply be born from your mother’s womb a second time and then try to avoid all the mistakes you made first time round.
BORN FROM ABOVE: It’s about giving yourself and your life to God and allowing God to give you life in all its fullness.
Children of God
Perhaps another way of looking at it is to say that it’s about being a child of God. Jesus says that unless we come to him as children we’ll never understand who he is [or perhaps who he calls us to be] Matthew 18.3.
What does it mean for you to be a born again as a child of God? Has this been a part of your life? Would you like it to be?
LIFE AND DEATH
Martha greets Jesus with everything, her grief, her anger and her faith.
‘If you had been here my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’
She believes that Jesus could have helped, that he can still help, nothing can shake her faith, not even her grief and fury that Jesus wasn’t there when she so desperately needed him.
Jesus responds to Martha ‘Your brother will rise again.’
‘I know’ she says, but that’ll be on the last day, and there’s a clear subtext of ‘But I want him here now! Why weren’t you here earlier?
And then we have another of Jesus’ astounding and almost incomprehensible statements.
‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'
Jesus is talking about far more than physical life and death. This goes to our very souls. Jesus is allowing us the chance to die to all that is sinful and broken and to live for all that is good; here and now, and for ever and a day, for all eternity with God.
And then he asks Martha the really crucial question: ‘Do you believe this?’
And she answers: ‘Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’
Jesus comes to give us the chance to believe in him, to turn away from sin, from everything that hurts and harms us and our neighbours and God, to live the abundant life of the love of God that he wants for us, and not just here on earth but for all eternity with God in paradise [AKA heaven].
And all that he asks of us is that we can say with Martha ‘Yes Lord, I believe…’ and turn and follow. Well, there’s a lot more, but that comes later. To start with we just need to say yes to God as he, always, says yes to us, because he loves us.
If you’ve never said that yes, try praying this prayer, and then tell someone you’ve prayed it and all of the angels in heaven will know and will pray and party with you. And if you'd like to find out more email mike.haslam@nschurch.org.uk.
PRAYER
Look at your hands, see the touch and the tenderness,
GOD’S OWN FOR THE WORLD
Look at your feet, see the path and the direction
GOD’S OWN FOR THE WORLD
Look at your heart, see the fire and the love,
GODS OWN FOR THE WORLD.
Look at the cross, see God’s Son and our Saviour,
GOD’S OWN FOR THE WORLD.
This is God’s world,
AND WE WILL SERVE GOD IN IT.
May God bless us and may we lead our lives with love.
AMEN