Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Recently I have had conversations with a number of other pastors, and even pastoral students, about reaching others with the love of Jesus. These conversations could just be theological and academic discussions. But, there is a very personal component to these questions as well. How do I share the love of Jesus with a spouse, or with one of my children? How do I help a friend see the love of Jesus for their pain? What words do I use? How can I help someone I care about come to faith in Jesus and receive His blessings of salvation for this life and for eternity? Helping someone I love and care about know Jesus’ love - that is personal!
Actually, from years of trying to share Jesus’ love, and from years of studying Scripture, and from years of watching God work, I have come to believe that, while God has answers for our questions, His answers are not always cut and dried. There is no “magic pill.”
I was telling a “local joke” at our third Lenten worship service on March 15. It went like this. “Do you know what Lent is?” I asked. When no one answered I informed them, “Lent is when the wind blows in Palmer.” As most of you are probably aware, the wind started blowing on Tuesday, February 28, the day before Ash Wednesday, and the wind was still blowing on Wednesday, March 15. So, the Palmer winds howled out of the northeast, down the Matanuska River Valley, for 16 days according to my count. I heard many comments or complaints about the wind. One friend told me that the longer the wind blew, the more his wife talked about moving to Arizona!
Therefore, it is perhaps a little ironic that on Sunday, March 12, in the middle of the wind, the assigned gospel lesson was from John 3. Nicodemus comes to visit Jesus and Jesus surprises Nicodemus by stating, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3) Jesus tells Nicodemus that the people of this world need the new life we find by faith in the grace of love of God in Jesus. But Jesus’ statement also confuses Nicodemus. He asks Jesus basically the same question that others have asked me about reaching others with faith. Nicodemus asks Jesus, “How can I find this faith, this new life?” Nicodemus exact words were, "How can a man be born when he is old? . . , Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4) How IS faith created in a person’s heart?
Jesus again answers Nicodemus, but not necessarily with an easy answer. "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8) Jesus answers speaking about . . . the wind. Jesus is saying that God’s Spirit brings faith. The working of God’s Spirit is a mystery, like understanding the wind.
Actually, we can understand, somewhat, why the way that people come to faith in Jesus is a mystery. Every person is different. We have different personalities, different families, different bodies, different experiences. Each of us is a unique child of God. This individual difference is part of this mystery of how faith is created.
But the other side of this mystery is that God works through His Spirit to create faith. The working of God’s Holy Spirit is beyond the understanding of humans born of the flesh. Again, if I have a loved one whom I want to know Jesus, there is no pat answer for how to bring faith to that person. Everyone is unique, and God’s Spirit works in ways we don’t understand.
Nevertheless, Jesus does give us some direction in this reading from Scripture. He tells Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” In other words, God uses means, or tools of the Spirit, to work in peoples’ lives. God works through the waters of baptism and by His Spirit to create and strengthen faith.
We are also told in Romans 10:17, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. God also promises to work through His Word to create faith in our hearts. But, even knowing God’s tools of His Word and the Sacraments, the working of His Spirit is still a mystery.
During the blowing of the winds there was one question on everyone’s lips. “When will the wind STOP?” But no one knew the answer.
Do you have a friend or a loved one who need the love of Jesus? I personally have a list of people for whom I pray. Remember, each person is a unique child of God. Not everyone responds in the same way. Also, remember, God works by His Spirit, through the Word and Sacraments, to bring people to the blessings of His saving love. But, just as we don’t totally understand the Palmer winds, we don’t always understand the working of God’s Spirit. So, keep sharing God’s Word and Jesus’ love. Pray for the person you care about. Put the results in God’s hands. Our Heavenly Father loves that person even more than you do. He sent Jesus!
A Child of God, Praying for others to Know God’s Love,
Pastor Rockey
P.S. I had planned to take all 6 of my grandchildren fishing on Finger Lake on Monday, March 13. But the wind was blowing so hard I decided they would not enjoy being blown across the lake. We didn’t go fishing. They were disappointed, and so was I.
P.P.S. Here are pictures again from the surprise moose harvest by our men’s group. Only this time there are also a few pictures added of the butchering and processing. https://goo.gl/photos/SN1VhjXnxzin6MFT7
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