2 Lent/ Year A/March 5, 2023
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; John 3:1-17
Questions, questions, questions…we all have them…throughout our entire lives…
But, children, are especially well-known for their curiosity, their minds full of wonderings and questions that are sometimes endless…
Children never seem to tire in wanting to know who, what, when, where, why…morning, noon, and night…especially nighttime… when they should be closing their eyes to finally get some rest…And for the most part, they trust in the answers that we adults give them…even when we just answer with…I wonder about that too… I wonder, too how these things could be….
My oldest son and I had a ritual every evening before turning out the light for sleep…I would be sitting on his bed, letting him know that the time had come to turn out the light…and that’s when the questions would begin…What are we doing tomorrow? What time will we have dinner? What will we have for breakfast the next day? Where will we go on Saturday? Will grandma and grandpa come to my birthday party (that was still 5 months away!)?
I allowed quite a bit of time for his questions every night…I felt like it was important to spend this time just listening and honoring his questions…and at the same time, building a relationship with him, based on trust….offering him assurance…that even in times of not having all the answers…he could still trust…that I was listening…and that I was there with him… and that I indeed loved him and cared about him…
I think there’s something to be said about night-time and questions…for children of all ages…but especially us adults….think about yourself for a moment…How many nights, do you lay your head down on the pillow, to finally rest after a long day…and in a matter of seconds or minutes…you are wide awake…your brain is fully awake and processing everything that happened in the past day, the past few months, the past year….while simultaneously thinking about the present moment, tomorrow, next month…later next fall….Our brains are an amazing thing…too amazing at times…
But do you know what is even more amazing…God’s love for every one of us…a love so amazing and wonderful…that God gave his only Son, Jesus, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life. A love so amazing and unconditional that… Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. A love so amazing and life-changing, that it has the power to save us and comfort us in times of trials and temptations, to give us hope, to give us peace of mind and heart, in times of uncertainty, in times of suffering, in times of unknowing, in times of question, after question after question… How can these things be?
I wonder if the questions seem to arise more in the night-time, because we finally rest from the busyness of doing things, whether it’s caring for loved ones at home, attending to the needs of one’s children, running all around attending to everything that needs to be done during the daylight hours…thinking it’s all on us…to do it all… and get it done today…
I wonder if the questions seem to arise more in the evening because it’s dark, or because we are fearful of something, or we’re anxious about many things, or because it’s quiet, or that we find ourselves feeling alone for a moment… and in that moment of quiet and stillness, an inner longing and hope swells up in us, telling us that there has got to be something more to this life than running around all day, in a state of worry, concern, and fear…there has got to be more than what we think we already know and allow ourselves to believe about God, ourselves, and one another…
IN our gospel reading today, I wonder if Nicodemus, a Jewish Scholar, who was very knowledgeable on matters of Jewish law and religion, was longing to believe that there was more to know about this life…more to understand about this Jesus who seemed to be stirring up so many questions wherever he went…and challenging all he thought he knew about God and himself…
IN those hours of the night when Nicodemus’ encountered Jesus…there were lots of questions that came up for Nicodemus…and Jesus offered responses that perhaps boggled Nicodemus’ mind…yet at the same time, seemed to slowly break open Nicodemus’ heart (and mind) to hear what the Spirit was trying to teach him anew…
Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can these things be?”
The short answer, here…Love…God’s love…
A love so amazing and wonderful…that God gave his only Son, Jesus, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life. A love so amazing and unconditional that… Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. A love so amazing and life-changing, that it has the power to save us and comfort us in times of trials and temptations, to give us hope, to give us peace of mind and heart, in times of uncertainty, in times of suffering, in times of unknowing, in times of question, after question after question… How can these things be?
I like to imagine Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night…as a young child again…allowing himself to ask questions through the heart of a child…a heart full of curiosity and wonder…allowing himself to grow closer to comprehending the mystery of God and God’s love for all people..
I wonder if we might try that? Instead of lying awake at night worrying and thinking we have to answer all of life’s difficult questions all by ourselves…we go to talk with Jesus with a seeker’s heart, as a child of God, curious and wondering….
But, not only at night time…but, in the morning, the day time…today, tomorrow, and the next day….go to Him, by spending time with Him, getting to know more…about earthly things and heavenly things…physical things and spiritual things…getting to know more about God’s love…God’s dream for the world, for you, for me, for our neighbors…
Do this, by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word, spend time in prayer, time in silence, time in worship and sabbath-keeping…
Do this, by striving to build loving relationships with one another, built upon the love of God that has been so graciously poured out for every one of us…
A love so amazing and wonderful…that God gave his only Son, Jesus, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life. A love so amazing and unconditional that… Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him… A love so amazing and life-changing, that it has the power to save us and comfort us in times of trials and temptations, to give us hope, to give us peace of mind and heart, in times of uncertainty, in times of suffering, in times of unknowing, in times of question, after question after question… How can these things be?
Let us pray: (Hymn: Lord of all hopefulness)
1 Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
2 Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
3 Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
4 Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK