2nd Sunday of Lent

February 17, 2008


Whirlwinds, Breezes, or Dry Leaves?


In one of my former congregations the greatest compliment the pastor could receive was to have someone say: “Why, you remind me of Pastor Bolieck.

I was told that in 1995.

How interesting that Pr. Bolieck founded the church in 1931 and passed away in 1959.

So, what does that tell us about life in the church?

Dear Hearts: We need to have a heart to heart about this morning’s lessons, for they cut directly across the comfort, the ease, and the resistance to change that are the constant stumbling blocks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is always the temptation of the church to remain status quo, to remain comfortable, and in doing so the vision is always focused on the rear view mirror of the supposedly good old days of the past.

But, Jesus of Nazareth was never still, he was always moving, and he said to his disciples; “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

The Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth is never still, is never stationary, never status quo, and those who have enough courage to follow God are always called out of their spiritual barcaloungers into new and unfamiliar places.

Take Abraham, for example.

He was obviously quite comfortably settled in Haran, when, at age 75, God said: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

Our Jewish theologian friend, Michael Kogan, tells us that the Hebrew Bible says: “Go out of your self.”

That’s a pretty big order, isn’t it. Would you or I have done what Abraham was asked to do?

Well, Abraham went as God had told him.

But, what if he had said “no way” and stayed in Haran.

Think about it: there would have been no Jewish nation, and with no Jewish people, there would have been no Jesus.

If there were no Jesus, we would be left to simply die in our sins.

Thank God for Abraham’s faith.

In today’s Gospel one of the religious hoi polloi, Nicodemus, goes to Jesus by night.

Why by night? Well, as we know Jesus was not particularly popular with the Pharisees, so Nicodemus sneaks to Jesus at night so no one would see him.

I wonder how often we, too, go to Jesus under cover when we are afraid of being seen and being considered too religious?

Anyway, Jesus talks to Nicodemus about the fact that in order to have our true identity, to become who we were created to be, we must be born again….we must be born of the water and the Spirit…we must be washed in the waters of baptism to become part of the kingdom of God.

That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Then Jesus says something incredible: “The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus is telling us that those born of the Spirit will, in fact be called by God to go out of themselves and to go into new places and do new things.

It means to be like the wind, to be unencumbered, free, totally free to move every moment with God - free to come and go as God wills - free to live a life we never dreamed possible - free of any restriction whatsoever that would prevent us from being disciples of Jesus Christ.

Just as it is impossible to contain the wind, it is impossible to contain those born in the Spirit of God.

But, dear hearts, are we willing to be God’s wind, or is it easier for us to just be still and silent.

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities for the mentally handicapped writes:

“The Spirit calls us to follow Jesus more totally and to become like him. The Spirit calls us to live in communion with God and with each other. We do not always know where the Spirit is leading us. We cannot control the Spirit, we must let ourselves be guided by the Spirit and this can lead us to take risks.” (Vanier, Jean. Drawn Into the Mystery of Jesus Through the Gospel of John, page 77)

On the night of his betrayal Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments and I will pray the father and he will give you another Counselor, even the spirit of truth.

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things.”

Then before his Ascension, Jesus said: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

And even, dear hearts to the corner of Moorpark and Leigh.

The gospel challenges us right here, right now, to honestly ask ourselves if we are willing to change, willing to go, willing to be the vibrant wind of God in this place.

Or, are we content to just remain still, remain quiet, and not even stir enough breeze to blow the dry leaves off of the courtyard.

Thomas Merton once wrote: “Every moment and every event of every person’s life on earth plants something in their soul.

For just as the wind carries thousands of invisible and visible winged seeds, so the streams of time brings with it gems of spiritual vitality, that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of people.

Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because people are not prepared to receive them; for such seeds cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of liberty and desire.

For how can I receive the seeds of freedom, and how can I cherish the desires of God if I am filled with another and an opposite desire.

If I were looking for God, every event and every moment would sow, in my will, grains of His life, that would spring up one day in a tremendous harvest.” (Merton, Thomas. Seeds of Contemplation, page 17,18)

Lent is a good time to ask ourselves how many of God’s seeds fail to be planted in our souls because we are too preoccupied with ourselves.

Let is a time in which we honestly need to ask ourselves if we are will to be like Abraham, to go out of ourselves, and to become whirlwinds for the Gospel of God in the heart of this city.

Dr. Martin Luther tells us that John 3:16 is the gospel in miniature: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

God loves - God gave His only Son to us.

God loves - God gave the Counselor, the Teacher, the Holy Spirit to us.

There is absolutely nothing more that we need.

He has given all. Now it is our turn. Amen