"Am I Ready to Start Over?"

Pastor Laura Guy

January 31, 2010

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We listened to our traveler read John 3:1-8 and wonder if she is really ready to start over, to be born again and become dependent on God.
We heard a story about a woman who was seeking the meaning of life. After studying everything she could find, she went to a wise man. He poured her a cup of tea but kept pouring even when it was full. When she complained that the cup was full, there was no more room, he pointed out that she also came to him with a full cup. He could not give her any wisdom until she was willing to pour out her cup.
We saw how Jesus said a similar thing to Nicodemus. He came to Jesus full of spiritual knowledge, but Jesus told him that the only way to truly understand was to pour out his cup, be born again, so that Jesus could fill him with true spiritual wisdom.
We thought about how difficult it is for us to give up control. Some people are terrified of surgery, not because of the actual procedure, but because of the general anesthesia. They don't want to give up control of their body, even to trained physicians. For many travelers, people seeking Jesus like Nicodemus, this is the point when they abandon their journey. To actually give up control, to be born again and let God direct our lives, is too scary for them. So they walk away.
We recognized that Nicodemus makes two more appearances in John's Gospel. Once he is speaking in defense of Jesus, and the other he is preparing Jesus' body for burial. John never actually tells us if Nicodemus made the decision to be born again, but his actions probably give us the answer.
We prayed with our hands open, surrendering ourselves to God.
We celebrated communion around the table of hope.