St. Paul’s United
Church
Sunday, February 17, 2007
Lent
2
Wind-Swept
Christians – Rev. David Mundy
Genesis 12:1-4a
John
3:1-17
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are tens of thousands of
cargo vessels which ply the waters of the world and all of them depend on
fossil fuels for locomotion. Not only is that fuel increasing in cost, it
contributes significantly to greenhouse gases and global climate change.
Engineers have developed a way
to reduce the use of fuel for these ships of the high seas and augment them
with a power source which is clean and free. If you’re wondering what that
might be I can offer a clue. It can be found on
Canadian currency – the lowly dime. The answer is the sail, which captured wind
as a power source for centuries until it eventually gave way to coal and then
oil. Of course our ten-cent piece features the iconic ship, the Bluenose, in
full sail.
The twenty-first century sails
do not look at all like their forebearers. They resemble a cross between a kite
and a parachute and they are extremely sophisticated, using computers to alter
their position. The first cargo ship to use one sailed from Germany to
Venezuela and saved about ten percent in fuel. The designers are confident that
as they refine their techniques and the navigators onboard become accustomed to
the sails the savings will become even greater–as much as twenty percent. Isn’t
this amazing? Who would have thought that something old would become new again,
that an ancient technology could become a hope for the future? Granted, wind is
not always as dependable and predictable as we would like, but it is a powerful
force which can be harnessed for good. And as we realize that the wind can be
channelled if not controlled through innovation there is that hope.
This morning we listened that
passage of scripture which gives us what is probably the best known New
Testament verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have
eternal life.”
It is also the source of the phrase which
unfortunately has become the code for a “true” Christian experience in the eyes
of some. As you probably know there are Christians who figure that if you can’t
name the time and place when you were “born again” or “born from above,” as we
heard it in the New Revised version today, then you probably aren’t a Christian
at all. Because of this, one of the most intriguing and mysterious stories of
our scriptures becomes rather hackneyed and divisive.
A religious leader by the name
of Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night for reasons which are not explained in the
story. Did he wait until he could have Jesus’ full attention or was he
concerned that others might criticize him? Whatever the impetus, Nicodemus has
obviously listened to Jesus and as a deeply spiritual and Godly man he wants to
hear more of Jesus’ message. Nicodemus even gives Jesus respect by calling him
rabbi or teacher, although Jesus didn’t have any advanced formal religious
training, as far as we know. He obviously senses in Jesus, both in his words
and his being, an authenticity that is worth notice.
As is so often the case in
John’s gospel, Jesus doesn’t make it easy for those who seek him out to
comprehend what he says to them. Not only does Jesus use the image of a second
birth, a spiritual birth, he speaks of the wind which is the Spirit of the
living God. For some reason we have not been nearly as keen to speak of
ourselves as windswept Christians, as some are to describe themselves as born-again
Christians. It’s too bad really, because there is a powerful mystery in the
wind which is
Jesus is drawing on a long
tradition of windy biblical imagery which Nicodemus would have undoubtedly
known as a religious scholar. In the first verses of Genesis the God of
creation moves across the waters as wind, or breath or spirit because the
Hebrew word connotes all three. In the story of the Exodus strong winds sweep
the waters back in the Sea of Reeds so that Moses and the other slaves in Egypt
can make their way to freedom.
Then there is the powerful
vision of the prophet Ezekiel who is told by God that a valley littered with
skeletons can become living, breathing people – “dem bones, dem bones gonna
rise again” as the old chorus says. The people of Israel had been put into
shackles and taken into exile in Babylon. Ezekiel is commanded “prophesy to
the breath, prophesy , mortal, and say to the breath:
thus says the Lord God: come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon
these slain, that they may live. Ezekiel 37:9
Although there is no specific
reference, Jesus alludes to these ancient images and breathes life into them in
his conversation with Nicodemus. There is the sense that the winds of the
Spirit will be winds of change in Nicodemus’ life. If he chooses to follow Jesus his life will
not be the same.
Isn’t it wonderful to be
windswept? Okay, not always! At this time of the year we tend to trot out that
dreaded phrase “wind-chill” which describes what it feels like outside when the
frigid temperature is combined with the wind.
A couple of weeks ago I spoke with one of our former members, now a
resident of Saskatchewan who informed me that the previous morning it had been
a balmy -52 degrees Celsius, “with the wind-chill.” We all know that the winds of winter can be
dangerous as they combine with snow to obscure our vision. This past couple of
months have brought reports of multi-car pile-ups on our highways because of
white-outs.
We can have mixed feelings
ourselves about the winds of God’s Spirit in our hearts and minds. As
individuals we may want our Christian faith to be a comfort rather than a
challenge and we’re not sure if we are willing to be pushed outside of our
familiar patterns and level of commitment.
We may feel that we are just
too old for risky faith which takes us where we haven’t been before.
Sometimes people are
enthusiastic about new beginnings as they discover a life-giving relationship
with Christ. They are like Nicodemus, coming full of questions and touched by a
message which seems unique and world-changing. Tell me more! What can I read!
How can I be involved! Then that first blush of the new relationship passes and
the enthusiasm wanes.
As a Christian community we can
go through similar experiences. We have our comfort zones into which we don’t
want to allow too much that is unfamiliar. We argue that we don’t believe in
change for change’s sake, which is, of course, a good approach to take as long
as it isn’t code for saying “over my dead body” about different approaches and
possibilities.
Sadly we get stuck in familiar
patterns which keep us from heading in new directions. I spoke with a colleague
in ministry earlier this week who is going through the
challenging process of going for interviews to find a new church home to serve.
She finds it curious that while the written expectations are high – every
congregation wants a dynamic preacher who can motivate people of all ages and
generally walk on water – when she speaks with search committees there is the
feeling of extreme caution about anything that has to do with that dreaded word
“change.”
Sometimes the Christian church
appears to be running on fossil fuel and some of us are the fossils! The notion
that we can reinvent ourselves and allow the fresh breeze of the Spirit to blow
through us may be a little scary but it is the only way we can be the church
for our time.
When we lived in Nova Scotia,
we saw the Bluenose II sailing ship fairly often, both in Lunenburg and in
Halifax. Usually it was at dock with sails furled, but it was on the occasions
when it was gliding through the waves with the crew scurrying around the deck
that she was a joy to see. She was made to be at sea even though that is always
the riskier place to be.
If we pay attention to our gospel
story we will appreciate that the life of faith is not meant to always be safe
and secure. We can be open to our own “Nicodemus moments” which are moments of
truth in our encounter with Jesus, the Christ. Actually, we don’t know the
outcome of the conversation between Jesus and this Pharisee. Did Nicodemus
become a disciple or did he simply listen and leave? The only clue we are given
is later in the gospel of John where we are told that Nicodemus brings
expensive spices to embalm Jesus’ body after his crucifixion.
How is the wind of the Spirit
stirring within me as at this point in my life? Have I become complacent in my
faith journey, or am I willing to move forward? Some of us may feel we are too
old for adventure but remember that when Abraham and Sarah whose story was told
in our other reading today were called to pick up and move when he was 75-years
young! We never stop learning and growing in our relationship with Christ.
This is just as true for us as
a congregation, the gathering of Christ’s people. As important as it is to know
our history, we can’t get stuck in the past. At our next board meeting we will
be discussing three important questions for any faith community:
Who are we now?
Who is our
neighbour?
What is God
calling us to do?
There can be a sense of excitement about what
is in store for us because God still loves the world so much that he sent his
Son that anyone who believes in him will receive abundant life and eternal
life. When the wind of the Spirit is at work we can be a new creation in
Christ. We can move from slavery to freedom. Our shackles can be cut away and
we can be restored to our own land. All the images are there for us to draw
upon if we are open to them.
On the back of our bulletin
this morning there is a reflection written by Sharon Moon, a United Church
minister. Part of it invokes the Holy Spirit which is the source of new
beginnings. It is a good way to end my message:
Spirit wind, blow your new beginnings into my cobwebbed life.
Spirit wind, blow your cleansing power into the violence of this
world.
Spirit wind,
blow where you choose.
There is so
much that needs rebirth,
so
much that yearns for new beginning,
so
much that longs for the freedom of the wind that blows where it chooses.
We are windswept Christians.
Thanks be to God!