Born from Above    February 17, 2008

Does it make a difference if you were born in New Jersey Vermont, New York, Arkansas, or Texas? Those are the states where I have lived. I want to ask you, does the place of your birth give others essential information about your character? Even more, is it important for others to know who your mother and father are? Does that tell us something about you and your essential character?

Most of us would answer this question, "Yes, of course it does." We often use a person's place of birth as a kind of tag, a handy label. We notice where a person was born, and we label her a native Texan, or native of New Jersey. In my heart, I don’t believe that a persons’ essential character or spiritual persona is determined by our family of origin, or the place where we happened to be born.

Since I’ve lived in several states, the issue came up in everyday places. For instance, in 1993 when we moved to Jonesboro Arkansas, the local newspaper wrote a pleasant article about the new pastor is town. The article was kind and innocuous except for one thing. The first paragraph identified me as a "native of Philadephia."

When I read that, I was disturbed. I am a native of New Jersey, southern New Jersey to be more specific. We make that distinction with the food we eat, and by how we talk. Now, I don’t have anything against people from Philadelphia; I went to the seminary there, but I was not from there. The city of Philadelphia is a world far away from the South Jersey shore.

Do you know what I’m talking about? People from Texas are proud, and I don’t think there’s a thing wrong with that. I remember Betty Edburg once told me, I’m Texan and Lutheran, and I’m proud! I’ve seen this regional pride in every place I lived in Vermont, Upstate New York (which is not to be confused with New York City.), Arkansas, and now Texas. In each state, the folks were proud of their nativity.

So what do you make of this pride in our state or region? In my heart, I don’t believe that a persons’ essential character or spiritual persona is determined by our family of origin, or the place where we happened to be born. Do you know what I’ve found? They certainly have different accents, they even eat different foods in each region. Texans would probably be disappointed if they tried to eat Tex-Mex in Upstate New York. I can attest that the wings are much better in Buffalo. But in spite of those differences, the essential character of the people is about the same wherever you go.

We may eat different foods, but we all get hungry. We might live in a place that has high mountains or flat plains, it may be dry and arid or a steamy jungle, but we all need to have a safe place to live. We may live in the south, the north, east or west, but we still pay taxes to the same government with the same soldiers fighting for us. We might have different ethnic backgrounds based on our place of origin, but we all have mothers and fathers and are born into families. I refuse to believe that the place where I was born has any effect on my essential character.

Of course, the place we were raised does have an effect. The way our parents raised us certainly has an effect. But I regard our place of origin as a kind of accident. We could debate the whole question of predestination, but as for me, I think our origin was simply an accident or the luck of the draw. What I can say with complete confidence is that where we were born does not matter to God.

The story of Jesus advances that even further. Confirmation students studied the basic life of Jesus. In what town was he born? Bethlehem, of course! In what town did he grow up? Was he known as Jesus of Bethlehem? No. He was known as Jesus of Nazareth, because he was raised in Nazareth, which is in the region of Galilee.

Where Jesus came from informs us about him, and helps us understand why they crucified him. Bethlehem was in Judah, not very far from Jerusalem. Nazareth was a world away in the region of Galilee, and there was considerable animosity between the two. When Jesus was crucified in the south, many Judeans regarded him as just another trouble make from Galilee. But when he was resurrected, Jesus told his disciples to go to all nations and tell them that God’s kingdom was for all people.

Throughout the gospel accounts, Jesus reached across man made boundaries and ethnic cultures. Next week, we’ll hear the story of the woman at the well. That well was in a whole other country called Samaria, who were staunch enemies of Judah and Galilee.

In today’s lesson, Nicodemus, one of the respected leaders of the Pharisees, came late one night to talk to Jesus. He had a hesitant curiosity about his teachings and message. The Pharisees were also like a great family. They all shared a common genealogy that began hundreds of years ago with Abraham and Sarah. Nicodemus don’t even ask a question. He simply remarks that Jesus comes from God.

Jesus responds to his curiosity with a retort. He says, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Most of us today have heard the phrase translated as being born again. "You must be born again." It could mean that, or "You must be born anew." But, fundamentally, the Greek word means "from above." You must be born from above, which includes, of course, the necessity that you're going to have to be born again.

Now when we hear that kind of talk, we might imagine big, revival tents and slick preachers who end with an altar call to “get saved.” We Lutherans usually don’t think “getting saved talks” are our cup of tea. But please don’t dismiss the words, born from above, and born again. Jesus is talking about defining our identity not by earthly country of origin, but by spiritual origin.

Jesus is challenging Nicodemus, and Nicodemus takes it personally. How can be born from above once he is already born by his own mother and father? He knows his heritage, and he was proud of it!

I think the subject of genealogy is fascinating. When tracing one's lineage, one has sixteen options after a few generations of research. Then one has thirty-two, then sixty-four choices, from whom one can claim kinship.

Recent scientific DNA studies are revealing new ways to think about our origin. These DNA studies tell us about our true linage, what country, what race, and even the region our ancient ancestors came from. It is of great interest to African Americans. Indeed, these studies have found that African Americans are on average 30% Caucasian. So we know that Thomas Jefferson was not the only one produced ancestors who crossed racial barriers. As more DNA samples are gathered, they can even find what region all descendants came from, even thousands of years ago. To me that’s fascinating, but I understand why many would not want to investigate their ancestry in that kind of detail.

This sheds light on folks like Nicodemus, who bases his whole identity on his heritage and genealogy. He could not even grasp what Jesus meant when he said, “you must be born agin from above.” Why be born again, why change something deep inside ourselves, when our present lives and present situations are just fine? It suggests that we might have to give up something. But if he would be born entirely anew, from above, he would see the kingdom because he would have a new spiritual identity from above. That new identity is shaped by God’s promise of the kingdom, not just who our ancestors were or the place he was raised. Jesus gave us something greater when we were baptized!

When we were baptized, we were given a whole new DNA in the Spirit, which is much greater than our human DNA. When we take the DNA of our baptism seriously, that means we are free to go where ever God is calling us, and what God wants for our lives. Life in Christ is a life of true freedom, but it’s also risky.

It’s hard to tell where the Spirit of Christ will lead you. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Begin born again from above gives a certain freedom the world cannot give. And that’s a huge risk!

As for me, I've been born again many times in life. And I hope to be re-born, from above, many more times. It is that verse, John 3:8, which I always remember speaking to me in those situations. "The wind blows where it chooses." Our NTNL Synod has coined a new word, disciple-life. Following Christ is disciplelife, which is listening for God’s wind in our lives. The wind of the Spirit is strong. It has the power to fill our sails, but we’re never quite sure where it will blow us. Listening the wind of the Spirit is our disciple life what we can do during the season of Lent.

The Spirit wind is stronger than the place where we were born, stronger than our ancestry, stronger than what Jesus calls the flesh. So, even though it may blow us to new places, we are in the Spirit-more stable than ever. I can attest it has blown me from Atlantic City to Vermont, to Philadelphia, to Buffalo, to Pennsylvania, to Arkansas, and now to Texas.

Our baptism means that we are ultimately not natives of the world we came from. We are natives of what Jesus called the kingdom of God, where we find eternal life. It is a kingdom which we enter simply by being born into the death of Christ, so that we will be born again into his resurrection. Letting our identities be shaped and reshaped by this marvelous wind, this powerful breath, the spirit of the living God.

Have you been born again from above? Any time we let ourselves follow the wind of God, the Spirit of God, we let go of our earthly bonds, are born again from above. This will direct our position in our family and community. It has the power to lead us in a life of forgiveness and grace.

Nicodemus asked, can a man enter his mother's womb and be born again? He might have asked, can a couple get married all over again? Can a father give birth to his daughter again? Can a mother give birth to her daughter again? Can people from the north and south, east and west live in peace together? Yes! Can a church that was once torn by division come together reclaim the promise of their baptism, and live in Christ? Yes! This rebirth can happen in our families, nations and communities happen whenever we let the Spirit of God blow through us. The power of the Spirit can reform and give a new birth with true freedom.

My last thought is this. As young boys, we made a raft, and went out on the water and put up a sail. The only problem is, we didn’t put in a rudder. You know what happened? The boat would only go where the wind blew the boat. Dangerous? Yes, for young boys in boats. But for wind of the Spirit, God controls the wind. All we have to do let God’s wind blow us.

Here’s my prayer for you and your life. Put up the sail, and let God’s wind blow you wherever it will. It may take you to all kinds of places, in a whole new direction. Let the Spirit of Christ blow your life today. Put up that sail, and you will see that your human identities will take on a whole new direction, too. It could be that your marriage will be born again. It could mean that your family can be born from above. Your attitude to your job and the people you work with might be born again. Having trouble with the finances? Your finances can be born again when you are born from above.

This is the promise of God, and why John 3:16 is so popular. God so loved the world-the world of flesh and blood, of human families and human finances -God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son so that all who believe in him will have eternal life. That life starts each time we are born from above again, and again, and again. Amen.

Amen!