In this second week in Lent, we consider the story of Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. He visits Jesus late one night so that no one will see him, and he appears to be really struggling with Jesus' description of the faith in God as being "born again." In response, Jesus patiently goes to great lengths to explain, even as he wonders how a "respected teacher of Israel" doesn't seem to know these very basic ideas. And he closes with these beautiful words of hope: "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (John 3:16-17, The Message.)Click here to listen to the message, and access related resources. |
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