Sermons

“John 3:16”

Isaiah 6:1-8; John 3:1-17 – Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn

Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, California – May 31, 2015

Holy God, bless the speaking and the hearing of these words that our faith might be sure and strong and your presence a guide as we make our way in your world. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

It’s such an interesting story. Nicodemus, a prominent man – a Pharisee and a leader, John tells us – comes to Jesus under cover of night, full of questions. What was it he was risking? Was he taking unnecessary precautions? Who was going to have a problem with him talking with Jesus, and what would they have done about it? And then his almost comically literal interpretation of Jesus’ words! Was he being purposefully obtuse? And finally, of course, the point of the story – the necessity of second birth, the re-birth engendered by the Spirit, the one that gives not life, but Life – capital-L Life.

Such an interesting story, and yet, in our times, Nicodemus and his convoluted conversation with Jesus have been almost entirely obscured by the ubiquitous citation of chapter and verse: “John 3:16.” The story is left behind, and often even the content of the verse itself, in favor of the shorthand reference. This may be the oddest example of Christian interaction with culture in recent years. And yet, it’s seemingly everywhere. On the one hand, it may seem like effective evangelism, leading, as the verse does, with the idea that God loves the world. And perhaps the reference, without the content is meant to pique curiosity and get people actively involved in seeking out scripture to better understand. And perhaps there was a moment when that is what happened. But times have changed, and repetition sometimes leads to burn-out rather than strength. It seems to me that signs simply stating “John 3:16” these days are highly likely to be experiences of double exclusion, rather than invitation. First of all, we have to acknowledge that there is a large portion of the population these days who won’t even realize this is a scripture reference. Their lives are so far removed from the Bible that they won’t get it. And once it’s explained, that will just make them feel dumb and outside of things. And then, if they actually read the verse, though it does start with “For God so loved the world…” I’m guessing they may get stuck on the part that makes clear that those receiving eternal life are “everyone who believes in him.”

In the end, I’m afraid that a non-Christian reacting to such a sign in 2015 is more likely to see it as a declaration about the sign-holder’s exclusive status as heaven-bound, rather than as an invitation to become part of the family of God. And that’s if they even get past their initial reaction, which is likely to dismiss the sign-holder as a crazy, religious fanatic. It’s hard to see how any of this effectively shares God’s love for the world.

The issue of interacting with the world comes up in our story from Isaiah also, if only just in hints. “I am a man of unclean lips,” Isaiah protests, “and I live among a people of unclean lips.” He’s worried, you see, because he’s suddenly in the presence of the Living God, and being as unclean as he is, how could that mean anything but destruction? But it turns out that annihilation is not what God has in mind, at least not in the immediate future. Isaiah is, indeed, unworthy, but God’s angel purifies him, removing his sin by touching the live coal to his lips. However that affects him – he makes no mention of pain, mind you – Isaiah is suddenly ready to step up to the plate and go wherever God sends him to spread whatever message is required of him.

And yet, even then, we’re not looking at a happy ending. If you read farther in Isaiah 6, you see that the message God wants Isaiah to share isn’t a positive one. Isaiah is to be a prophet of confusion and misapprehension, for God is apparently intent on punishment that he doesn’t want to be talked out of.

In all of these situations – Nicodemus in John 3, the cultural phenomenon that John 3:16 has become, and this story of the call of Isaiah, there is a tension that points to an age-old question: How should Christians relate to the world? We have heard that we should be “in the world, but not of the world,” but that’s much less clear than it seems. Throughout Christian history, there have been movements and groups that have tried to remove themselves from the world as much as possible, to differing degrees of success. But the discussion comes up even among those of us who aren’t Amish, when we try to find the appropriate balance of cultural relevancy or fluency that will enable us to share the gospel without compromising it. What do we engage? What do we resist? What do we use? What do we protest? How do we decide?

Jesus didn’t really help with the confusion here, with his comment about how those born of the Spirit are like the wind, which blows where it chooses and we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. What does that mean? Is this all just a mystery? Should being a Christian make us feel like we’re all alone in a crowd? Should we feel different and separate from “the world”? Or would that put up barriers, making it harder for us to love the world?

These are questions that have real-life consequences. If you’re at work, and less-than-ethical things are being done, how and when do you decide to intervene? If it doesn’t involve you, do you just keep quiet? If you’d lose your job if you spoke up, is that a good enough reason to go along? What about when your friends are making jokes at the expense of some other group of people? Do you let it slide if it’s not about anyone you care about? Or do you say something because you know that all people are God’s children?

What about how we spend our money? Do we allow ourselves to get caught up in the materialism of our culture, or do we try to resist it? What practices do we institute in our families to help ourselves remember that our resources are gifts from God, and should be used to build up the kingdom of heaven? How do we keep from feeling dorky if we aren’t wearing the latest fashions? Do we have to take things to extremes in order to be faithful? What kind of extremes?

Some wise person once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” It’s pertinent here, because the lines aren’t as clear as we might hope. Yes, we live among a people of unclean lips, in a world of the flesh that does not understand heavenly things. But we also live in a world created by God in love, a world of wonder and beauty that God loves so very, very much. If we are going to successfully negotiate when we are called to engage and when we are called to resist, we must cultivate a living faith. We have to get clear about what we stand for. We may start with something clear and simple, even something derived from John 3:16, if you will: God loves us. But we have to spend some serious time spinning out the consequences of that. God loves us, and so… So, what? What does that tell you about how you should behave at work? What does that tell about how you should use your spare time? What does that tell you about how to relate to your family, or your neighbors, or people on the other side of the world?

If we’re going to live by our convictions, we need to know what our convictions are. And that’s not as simple as the sign-bearing sports fans would have us think. If John 3:16 isn’t just about getting an exclusive ticket to heaven, then what does it mean for our lives? If living among a people of unclean lips doesn’t mean we avoid talking to them, what should we be saying? How should we be saying it? Do we want them to hear about a God coming to punish, or a God of love, gentle and powerful as the wind, who is not eager to condemn, but instead offering abundant life? If we want to share good news about God, we need to know that God intimately, and that knowledge comes from spending time with God, listening to the voice of that Spirit who offers us new life.

If our faith is rooted deeply in our experience of the God of love, it will be fruitful, in all aspects of our lives. If our convictions are clear, we will find our way through confusing situations without much trouble, for the priorities of the gospel will be foremost in our minds. Our minds will continually be being re-born by the Spirit, as we accept the guidance of Christ in our lives each day. It will be almost as though someone is holding up a sign saying “Do this. Go here. Say that.” In the end, maybe we will discover that what we need is a little sign on the bathroom mirror, or the steering wheel that says “John 3:16” so that we can go out into the world remembering that God loves the world, and that we are called to reflect and share that love, a love that comes to redeem and save, rather than condemn. It’s not sufficient unto itself, this sign, but if it can serve as reminder to us, rather than a warning to others, it might actually be part of a fruitful life of faith. Alleluia and Amen!