We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, who are still here, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

Ben Hicks

Nicodemus in Art – Lent 2

Nicodemus is connected with Lent 2, Year A. John 3:1-17

The readings in Lent 2 are all about signs and promises. Nicodemus was both a pharisee and a member of the Jewish Council Sanhedrin. It may have seemed that Nicodemus had everything–money, prominence, and power. However Nicodemus needed something else; he was a seeker of truth. He addresses Jesus as “Rabbi”, recognizing him as a new teacher of the Law.

Nicodemus was aware that Jesus had come from God because no one could do the signs/miracles that Jesus did if he weren’t from God and shows his significance. Unlike the other Pharisees who scoffed or plotted against Christ, Nicodemus went to meet with him defying social prejudice. It was at night so it could be secret . The night may be symbolic with Nicodemus cast in darkness, in ignorance, in unbelief.

Nicodemus discovered that eternal life was his for the receiving. Eternal life is not something attained on the other side of the grave. Eternal life is something lived in the continuous present of the here and now (eternally), living freely in the fullness of faith in God over and above all else.

The second time Nicodemus is mentioned (John 7: 50 -52) is when Nicodemus confronts and questions his fellow Pharisees about arresting Jesus without adequate proof that he had broken the Law. Nicodemus’ own journey was to give Jesus a chance.

The third time (John 19:39) he is noted in the Gospel of John as having assisted Joseph of Arimathea in Jesus’s burial. We can surmise that Nicodemus has become a devoted follower of Jesus as he brings myrrh and aloes to anoint Jesus’ body for burial.

Here are some of the artistic depictions of Nicodemus, mostly around the first appearance of Nicodemus in John 3:1-17:

1. “Head of a Bearded Man (Nicodemus)”, (1577–1660) Giacomo Cavedone The Metropolitan Museum of Art

He was a Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. His career as a painter was cut short by a set of misfortunes; these included a 1623 fall from a church scaffold and, in 1630, the death of his wife and children from the plague. He lived until 1660, and died in poverty.

His principal works are the Adoration of the Magi, the Four Doctors, Last Supper; and his masterpiece, the large altar painting in the Pinacoteca di Bologna, Virgin and Child in Glory with San Petronio and Saint Alo (1614).

2. “Christ-instructing-Nicodemus” – Jacobo Jordaens (mid 17th century)

He was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading Flemish Baroque painter of his day. Unlike those contemporaries he never traveled abroad to study Italian painting.

Like Rubens, Jordaens painted altarpieces, mythological, and allegorical scenes, and after 1640—the year Rubens died—he was the most important painter in Antwerp for large-scale commissions and the status of his patrons increased in general.

3. “Nicodemus Visiting Jesus by Night” – Henry Ossawa Tanner (1899)

Tanner was the first African American artist to attain a reputation abroad. Tanner’s renders Nicodemus and Jesus on a rooftop.

The setting is authentic. Tanner travelled to Palestine to study its landscape and ways in order to be true to it.

Tanner unites the prologue of John (‘what has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.’) with Nicodemus’ deep conversation andwith Jesus’ declaration ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). It may well also allude to his death and burial. The large urn standing near Jesus could refer to his entombment as John says that Nicodemus brought a large portion of spices to anoint Jesus’ body.

4. “Interview between Jesus and Nicodemus” 1886 and 1894 – James Tissot

Tissot was a French painter and illustrator. He was a successful painter of Paris society before moving to London in 1871.

In about 1863, Tissot suddenly shifted his focus from the medieval style to the depiction of modern life through portraits. During this period, Tissot gained high critical acclaim, and quickly became a success as an artist. He quickly developed his reputation as a painter of elegantly dressed women shown in scenes of fashionable life.

In 1885, Tissot had a revival of his Catholic faith, which led him to spend the rest of his life making paintings about Biblical events. Many of his artist friends were skeptical about his conversion, as it conveniently coincided with the French Catholic revival, a reaction against the secular attitude of the French Third Republic. At a time when French artists were working in impressionism, pointillism, and heavy oil washes, Tissot was moving toward realism in his watercolors.

Widespread use of his illustrations in literature and slides continued after his death with “The Life of Christ and The Old Testament” becoming the “definitive Bible images.”

5. “Christ and Nicodemus” – Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn, (1604-1645)

He was a painter at the height of the Dutch golden age in painting.

6. “Christ and Nicodemus” – Fritz von Uhde (1886)

von Uhde (1845-1911) was a German mid-19th century painter. His style lay in-between Realism and Impressionism and was once known as “Germany’s outstanding impressionist”. A journey to the Netherlands brought about a change in his style, as he abandoned the dark chiaroscuro he had learned in Munich in favor of a colorism informed by the works of the French Impressionists.

7. “Visit of Nicodemus to Christ” – John La Farge (1880)

La Farge (1835-1910) was both a painter and a competitor to Louis Tiffany for stained glass windows in the late 19th century.

In the 1870s, La Farge began to paint murals, which became popular for public buildings as well as churches. His first mural was painted in Trinity Church, Boston, in 1873. Then followed his decorations in the Church of the Ascension (the large altarpiece) and St. Paul’s Chapel, New York.

In 1892, La Farge was brought on as an instructor with the Metropolitan Museum of Art Schools to provide vocational training to students in New York City.

La Farge experimented with problems of shifting and deteriorating color, especially in the medium of stained glass. His work rivaled the beauty of medieval windows and added new resources by his use of opalescent glass and by his original methods of layering and welding the glass.

Opalescent glass had been used for centuries in tableware, but it had never before been formed into flat sheets for use in stained-glass windows and other decorative objects. For his early experiments, La Farge had to custom-order flat sheets of opalescent glass from a Brooklyn glass manufacturer. La Farge apparently introduced his competitor Louis Tiffany to the new use of opalescent glass sometime in the mid 1870s, showing him his experiments.

Both came up with patents for opalescent glass. The major difference in their patents is that Tiffany lists somewhat different technical details, for instance relating to the air space between glass layers. La Farge’s patent focused more on the material and Tiffany’s more on its use in construction.

8. “Jesus and Modern Day Nicodemus – Richard Hook (1970’s?)

We used this image for our bulletin in 2020. Hook (1914-1975) married artist his wife Frances who was from Ambler, Pennsylvania. Richard must also have come from the same part of the country, since the couple met as students at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) in Philadelphia.

After their marriage, Richard found work in an advertising agency and provided illustrations for popular journals like Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. When the demand for original commercial art waned in the 1960s, the couple turned their attention to the growing inspirational art market. Hook met the need for a more masculine Jesus with his own rugged, sunburned (somewhat Semitic-looking).

9. “Born Again” – Lauren Wright Pittman

Comments by the Author “In reading this text, I felt the kind of dizzying brain space that I think Nicodemus is reeling in at this moment. Jesus lists metaphors that swirl around and fly over Nicodemus’ head, such as, “the wind blows where it chooses.” Jesus’ words create a halo of confusion around Nicodemus’ head. I imagine Nicodemus faced away from Jesus with his eyes closed, grappling for answers by playing the metaphors in his head like little vignettes on repeat. While Nicodemus spins in his searching, Jesus says simply, “We speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony.” In Jesus’ perspective, his explanations to Nicodemus are as real and tangible as earthly things, but for Nicodemus, Jesus’ words seem so distant, so celestial. Nicodemus is a leader of the Jews; he has all of the knowledge of the law and of doctrine, but he doesn’t know Jesus. He’s not even really listening to Jesus. Jesus is right in front of his face. He can reach out and touch him. But they are light years away from one another. I wonder how things would shift for Nicodemus if he would just look at Jesus…”

One more look at Nicodemus – from a sermon in 2011

“Nic was a big guy in many ways.  He was tall, and even though he had put on a little weight in middle age, he still had a certain youthfulness and confidence that other men envied.  Nic was a big guy at work too, having successfully risen to the top of his profession, known as a leader, not only in the local company, but also at the corporate level.  People listened when Nic spoke.  They paid attention, sought his guidance.

Black Escalde“Nic drove a large black Escalade. He loved the way the Escalade roared to life when he turned the key in the ignition, the way he sat up high above the rest of the traffic, barely having to press the accelerator to gun past anyone in his way and to get to his destination in record time.The Escalade suited Nic, summed up who he was, really.Big, bold, in charge.”

Read more of the 2011 sermon

Yet another look at Nicodemus.. getting back up again and being constantly reborn

Source:  South West Presbytery Lenten Block Party

“In most cases we become experts at doing things we’ve never done before by using the skills we have and working with them. We learn more by doing. In the cycle of reflecting, acting and reflecting we are being constantly reborn, born anew.

“Skateboarder Rodney Mullen in Ted Talks looks at the process of constant reformation from the perspective of skateboarding, which not only taught him about the sport but gave him an approach to life, a language that can inspire others to break through to their new birth.

“In skateboarding, like life, there are challenges, there are obstacles. Mullen observes, ‘In order to achieve success you are going to have to push through.”

“Pushing through is not one heroic act, it is made up of many little steps that we chain together until we ‘get it’ and which we keep performing until they become natural, unthinking, automatic.

“Can you think of examples in your life where you have had to break through? Challenges which you overcame by chaining together smaller steps (for example, learning to ride a bike, play an instrument, or a particular game)? What were the challenges along the way? What did it take to get to where you wanted to be?”

Two quotes to share – “The biggest obstacle to creativity is breaking throught the barrier of disbelief, especially when no one else is doing it.”

“Getting up again is what shapes and forms the engine.”

What is TED ? TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation. The slogan – “ideas worth spreading.”

Lectionary, Lent 2 Year A

I.Theme –   Signs and promises, signs requested, signs given, and signs difficult to discern. 

 “Christ Instructing Nicodemus” – Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm – Psalm 121
Epistle –Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Gospel – John 3:1-17 

Today’s readings are all about signs and promises, signs requested, signs given, and signs difficult to discern.  Lent is a time to ask God to help us to be more loving, remembering that God is always ready to strengthen us.    The thrust this week is to believe and be reborn.

Abram is covenanted by God; he is given the promise of a being a leader of a great nation, when he was beyond the years of having children. Abram trusted God to chart a path for him into the unknown, leaving his people and country and venturing into a new life.

In contrast, Nicodemus, certainly better educated, never understood the significance of Christ beyond the miracles.  Nicodemus comes to Jesus looking for a sign – and when he is given it, he cannot understand it.  

The issue is how you can be reborn at his age.  The meaning of being “born from above” begins their discussion. The first is ‘anew, again’ on the physical level, which is what Nicodemus understands; the second is ‘from above’ spatially, which is what Jesus seems to intend. Jesus contrasts the realm of the Spirit, which is eternal and heavenly, with the realm of the flesh, which is earthly, weak and mortal (but not necessarily sinful).

Nicodemus never understood that Jesus’ teachings were for more than the Jews and that he would have to abandon his older understandings. His knowledge was a barrier trying to understand. God ultimately gave us his Son for stengthening us and the community.

Paul discusses Abraham’s ‘wages’ which he says are a gift when the promise comes true.  Paul explains how Abraham’s faith, revealed in his willingness to believe and act on God’s promises, makes him right with God.

Who is driving your car ? You or God ?


II. Summary

Old Testament

In a time of migration of peoples about 4,000 years ago, Terah has travelled west with his son Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai ,and his grandson Lot from Ur, near the delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Terah and his family settle for a time in “Haran” (11:31), where Terah dies. Abram now comes to centre-stage.

This is the call from God to Abram”

God makes a pact with Abram: if Abram will leave behind his land and kin (and his pagan past), and live in “the land that I will show you” (12:1, cease to be semi-nomadic), God will honor him in seven ways:

-make of him “a great nation” (v. 2), (2) confer favor on him (“bless you”),

-make his name renowned (“great”)

-make him a vehicle of good fortune (“be a blessing”),

-show favor to those who show him favor (“bless”, v. 3), (6) exclude those who show him disrespect (“the one …”), and as other peoples come to trust in God, they will find themselves similarly blessed.

In doing “as the Lord had told him” (v. 4), Abram shows his trust (faith) in God. This covenant marks the start of communal relations with God. Being blessed seven ways is being blessed totally: he, his family and his people. In v. 5, “the land” is identified as Canaan.

At Shechem, when Abram erects an altar at a pagan shrine (“the oak of Moreh”), God promises the land to his descendants. At “Bethel” (v. 8), Abram builds another altar. God is god of the whole land. Abram and his family continue southward in stages and, due to famine, go on to Egypt – to return later.

All this at age 75, when most folk stop wandering or are unable to do so due to age. This is a covenant, an agreement between God and his people, and is something God carries out throughout the history of his people. The covenant with Adam and Eve – with Noah and the rainbow – and later with Moses – God promises great things to those with whom he covenants and his word is his bond.

There may be a feeling that God cannot use us as we get older. We may not be able to do the things we once did but there is always something we can do, encourage, watch and pray – these things we can all do.

Abram steps out in faith and sometimes we too can do no other, frightening though it may seem but resolute in the knowledge that God can do more than we could ever ask or think.

Psalm  

Psalm 121 is a Psalm of the Ascents; this was probably sung by the Hebrew Pilgrims as they climbed the steps to the Temple at Jerusalem. Psalms 120 – 134 were the fifteen psalms of ascent and this particular psalm is a hymn of trust.

The opening imagery can be interpreted in two ways; either that the mountains represent God, who made them, or that they represent the alternative source of hope.

Perhaps a pilgrim asks the rhetorical question in v. 1, as he journeys through hill country, where pagan gods were once thought to dwell. He begins to answer his own question (v. 2): his help is from God, the creator. Then another voice, perhaps a priest, continues, telling of God’s protection of Israel: God is always vigilantly protecting the way of the pilgrim (v. 3). God is “your shade” (v. 5): he protects him from sunstroke and from moon rays (then thought to be harmful). He protects the faithful “from all evil” (v. 7), throughout their lives. 

Epistle

Paul has written that one can attain a right relationship with God through faith, without living by Mosaic law. Now he takes Abraham as an example; he asks: what can we conclude about faith vs. Law by looking at Abraham’s life?

Judaism claimed that Abraham kept the Law before it was given, that he was godly (‘justified”, v. 2) because his “works” were in accord with the Law. Paul rejects this claim; rather, it was, as Genesis shows, Abraham’s faith which counted for him (“reckoned”, v. 3) as godliness. God “justifies the ungodly” (v. 5). For the worker, “wages” (v. 4) are expected, but for one who trusts (with no certainty of reward), such trust counts with God.

In vv. 6-9 Paul quotes from Psalm 32 and Genesis, interpreting the verses jointly as showing that those who trust in God obtain his favour, whether they be keepers of the Law or trusters in God. Paul then argues that, because Abraham trusted in God’s pact before he was circumcised, Abraham’s faith (and not his keeping of the Law) was what counted for him with God (v. 10). Indeed, he says, circumcision was a confirmation of the right relationship he had attained through faith. It made Abraham “ancestor” (v. 11) of all who trust in God, both Jews (v. 12) and non-Jews (v. 11).

So the “promise” (v. 13) that Abraham would be father of many nations (“inherit the world”) came as a result of his faith and not his law-keeping. If the only way of achieving union with God is through keeping the Law, faith is irrelevant and the promise to Abraham is nonsense (v. 14). Because it is impossible to keep every law, sin is inevitable; God’s response to sin is punishment, breakdown of human relations with God: “the law brings wrath” (v. 15). But for those living by faith, transgression (“violation”) of the Law is irrelevant. So a right relationship with God “depends on faith” (v. 16), resting on God’s “promise” of “grace”, his gift of love – made not only to Jews but also to all those who trust in God, “of many nations” (v. 17). God spoke these words to Abraham; God gives spiritual “life” to the unbeliever; he restored Isaac’s life when he was as good as dead; he brought a son “into existence” to Abraham and Sarah, in their old age. They were “fully convinced” (v. 21) that God could do it. If we trust in God and have faith in the power of Christ’s resurrection, our trust will count with God too (vv. 24-25).

Gospel

This story, like several others in the fourth gospel, is primarily addressed to persons living c. AD 90 who were flirting with joining the John’s community, but were reluctant to come forward publicly and do so

Nicodemus was an important and wealthy man in the city of Jerusalem who was both a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. It may have seemed that Nicodemus had everything–money, prominence, and power. However Nicodemus needed something else; he was a seeker of truth. He addresses Jesus as “Rabbi”, recognizing him as a new teacher of the Law.

Unlike the other Pharisees who scoffed or plotted against Christ; Nicodemus went to meet with him defying social prejudice. It was at night so it could be secret . The night may be symbolic with Nicodemus cast in darkness, in ignorance, in unbelief.

Verses 3:1-17 contain 3 questions / statements by Nicodemus, and 3 responses by Jesus – each beginning with Jesus giving his word of honor to his response, “Very truly, I tell you:”

1_ 3:3, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above; (born anew).

He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God, a teacher, for no one is able to do these signs which you do except God be with him.”

Nicodemus was aware that Jesus had come from God because no one could do the signs/miracles that Jesus did if he weren’t from God and shows his significance

However, Jesus wasn’t simply a great teacher, but the one who reveals God’s essential character of love for the whole world (3:16). A person can see signs and miracles and still not have genuine faith. He is still not quite what faith in Jesus must be.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (v. 3). Only here and in verse 5 is the kingdom of God mentioned in John. The faith that Nicodemus and his group affirmed is not adequate for seeing the kingdom of God. He needs a spiritual rebirth

Jesus responded that the ties of “flesh,” though real, were spiritually meaningless. These words are the first words directly spoken by Jesus in John’s gospel about transcending the strictures of tribe

One cannot experience the kingdom of God simply by virtue of the miracles of Jesus. Nicodemus and his group are looking at things only from a human perspective. What is needed is new life, new sight. The real birth was a new birth through Spirit, “from above.”

The kingdom of God cannot be seen, observed, or experienced simply as a human phenomenon, legitimated by miraculous signs. It is a gift to be received.

Being born of the Spirit is talking not about a new mystical height of experience but about a way of living out the life of God in the world. When you see like this, you see the connection between Jesus and God and you see God in Jesus not trying to compete for adoration but seeking to establish a relationship of love and community. The focus is life. The means is relationship. The motive is love. This is the emphasis of 3:16.

2_3:5, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit; and,

What does it mean to be born of the water? To have our sins washed away. We never outgrow the need for having our sins and imperfections washed away daily and continuously. The water in baptism reminds us of our need for daily cleansing and washing.

Water is a major symbol in the opening chapters of John.

John baptizes with water (1:26, 31, 33). Jesus has the purification jars filled with water (which become wine) (2:7, 9).

Water is connected with nature and earth. It knows no obstacle. Going around, under, and through, it always attains the lowest level. Water is the great decomposer, ultimately more powerful than any other form of matter.

What does it mean to born of the Spirit? To have the Spirit of Christ living inside of us. It mean to have the love of Christ, the joy of Christ, the peace of Christ, the patience of Christ, kindness of Christ, the goodness of Christ, the faithfulness of Christ, the gentleness of Christ, the self control of Christ living inside of us. It is having the Spirit of Christ taking up residence in us and living within us.

The wild and free spirit, unlike the water, is airborne, blowing where it wills. It has a trajectory. It’s going someplace, though it’s not at all clear where. Spirit is both creative and chaotic, unpredictable and dangerous, inspiring and irrational–the masculine.

To be “born again” means to hear thell of God and throw our lives into his service.

And so, salvation lies in being born anew; in being born from above – in re-defining one’s “family of origin.”

3_3:11, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

Nicodemus apparently, at this moment, did not comprehend Jesus and what Jesus was talking about. He doesn’t have faith.  Jesus says: you, Nicodemus, don’t comprehend what can be told in analogies (“earthly things”, i.e. “wind”, v. 8), so how can you possibly believe mysteries?

The story of the Bronze Serpent in John 3:14-15 can be found in Numbers 21:1-9. Specifically, he recalls the story of the plague of venomous serpents that were threatening the Israelites (Numbers 21:6-9)

Christ is the antitoxin to the “snake” released upon our world (Satan). Christ would be “lifted up” in what Satan thought was his triumphant moment. All are bitten by sin, yet those who gaze upon Jesus will be healed.

In this Gospel, it is Jesus’ being “lifted up” on the cross that is the moment of triumph for the one who is God’s own presence among us.

In John, the Son of Man is “lifted up” (on a cross), whereas in Matthew, Mark and Luke the Son of Man is killed. Indeed, in John, Jesus is not said to die, but rather he gives up his Spirit. (Verse 19:30) Instead of this being a shameful, brutal death, “being lifted up” reveals God’s glory, for it is from on high – where God resides – that God sees the world, and so loves the world as to send his Son.

Jesus, like the serpent, will similarly be lifted up (gloried), and this sign can also easily be misunderstood as a mark of the defeat rather than perceived as the place where Jesus accomplishes the mission entrusted him by God (19:30). Only those who can look beyond the material referent of the sign (flesh) will perceive and participate in God’s redemptive work (Spirit).

The phrase, “believes in him,” occurs here for the first time in this gospel, When we believe in Christ, we are given eternal life.

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Neither are Jesus’ followers to condemn the world that we live in either.

At the same time, we disciples know that we are to be “in the world but not of the world.” Followers of God and God’s ways are forever tempted and enticed to follow the values of the culture around us.

We human beings are not to judge or condemn any person of any religion, denomination or belief system that is different than ours. We may disagree with their religion, their denomination and their belief system, but we are not condemn that person to hell or everlasting death. We love that person as another child of God. At the same time, we share with them the love and knowledge of the true God, revealed through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17 clearly states that the purpose of God’s sending his Son was not to condemn the world but to offer it eternal life. He has come to offer it freedom, preservation from obscurity (or worthlessness). The selfish life leads to death.

The incarnation, life, death and exaltation of Christ are all rooted in the love of God. In John the death of Jesus is never viewed as God’s outpouring of punishment on Jesus in our behalf, but as a revelation of God’s love for the world and the glorification of the Father and the Son

God’s love means attaching himself to the world. God sent his Son. The Word became flesh. Love is not necessarily an inward emotion, but outward actions — a theme that reoccurs throughout this gospel.

God loved the whole world including people who don’t like him, who don’t believe in him, who could care less about him. God loves the world, and the world does not love God.

However, the next statement (v. 18) makes it clear that salvation is conditioned upon believing in him. This is most clearly stated in 3:18-21. In effect, it is not God or Jesus as such who judges or condemns, but it is the human response to what God has done in Christ that has within it the makings of human destiny, whether eternal life or eternal judgment (note particularly verse 19).

This passage is about the life which his coming brought as it opened our eyes to a new way of seeing and engaging with God through Jesus. Jesus feeds 5000, but this is a pointer to that deeper reality: he is the bread of life. He heals a blind person; but the truth that matters is that he is the light. So he is also the life, the truth and the way.

John 3:15 is the first time “eternal life” is used in the gospel. Every time the phrase is used in John, it is with a present tense verb — usually “have”. It is something believers have now, and perhaps should be translated “unending life”.

Eternal life was not a concept of time. It meant “perpetual” and, even more, “abundance.” To plunge into the love of Jesus means to finally know perpetual and abundant life.

To have eternal life is to live life no longer defined by blood or by the will of the flesh or by human will, but by God (cf. 1:13). “Eternal” does not mean mere endless duration of human existence, but is a way of describing life as lived in the unending presence of God

So, life eternal is a gift of God’s grace. We apply that grace to ourselves by trusting Christ. It is when we reach out to him as the only ground for our eternal security, that we receive, as a gift of God, eternal salvation. “Ask and you shall receive.”

In summary – To stand accepted before God requires a conversion of one’s whole being. It requires being born from above, washed new by the Spirit of God. Such a dynamic life-change demands a total renewal of our being. For our frail humanity, such a spiritual change is impossible. Our only hope lies in the hands of God. Only the Spirit of God can renew our beings, only he can give eternal life as a free gift.

God has no particular designs or plans for our punishment or rejection. Instead, God only plans and works for our salvation and health. God desires for us only life, life in all of its abundance here and now as well as in the age to come. 

III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:

Old Testament – Genesis 12:1-4a

Psalm – Psalm 121

Epistle – Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Gospel – John 3:1-17 

Art for the 2nd Week in Lent, Year A

Commentary is by Daniella Zsupan-Jerome.

“From James Tissot’s famous Bible illustration series, the Interview between Jesus and Nicodemus strives to depict with careful attention to period detail the scene from John’s Gospel in which Nicodemus seeks out Jesus at night to learn more from him about his teaching.

“Tissot researched his Bible series by traveling to the Holy Land, and the details in clothing, furnishings, and domestic life all help transport the viewer into the world of the Bible, or at least the Middle East at the turn of the 20th century. Even more compelling than the setting, though, is the intimacy between the figures of Jesus and Nicodemus. The image communicates the hospitality, warmth, and friendship that are available to us no matter who we are or when we arrive at Christ’s door.

“Jesus and Nicodemus are seated close to one another. One can almost hear their hushed tones, their low voices so as not to disturb the sleeping world around them. Jesus embodies hospitality—he looks squarely yet kindly at Nicodemus as he explains to him what has become the most quoted passage of the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” Jesus reaches over with one hand to reassure Nicodemus and invite his friendship. There is no sense in Christ that Nicodemus is intruding at this late hour, but he welcomes him and meets him where he is with kindness and truth. Nicodemus leans in and looks down; he is listening intently and seems deeply moved by the words.

“For today’s viewer, the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus might bring to mind the contemporary Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially the moment when the penitent, having confessed his sins, now listens intently to the counsel of the confessor. The candle-lit setting is reminiscent of a retreat or a Reconciliation service, often the context of the sacrament. Jesus’ reassuring hospitality is powerful when perceived in this light.

“With this understanding, the removed shoes in front of the mat, a sign of domestic tradition, here become symbols of something more: the holy ground of encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a holy ground for friendship and reconciliation, for healing and finding truth.

The Psalms Study

Mondays in Lent, Beginning on Zoom, March 6, 7pm Zoom link Meeting ID: 873 0418 9375 Passcode: 092098

Every week when we meet to worship, we hear a Psalm.   The familiar words of the Psalms wash over and through us, a foundational part of our liturgies.  We hear these psalms every week because their  words  hold deep theological significance for each of us and for our lives as the community of God. 

The Psalms teach us about the life of God, and about the life that God intends for us and for the world, as J. Clinton McCann, Jr., suggests in his Introduction to the Psalms in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol IV. We will be using McCann’s commentary to guide us through our Lenten/Easter study.   The themes in the following paragraphs come from McCann’s  commentary. 

The psalms teach us about happiness, the complete orientation of life to God and perpetual openness to God’s instruction, and the joy we find in God’s forgiveness and God’s faithful love.   

We will learn more about taking refuge in God and trusting in God.  The psalms describe righteous people as those who acknowledge their fundamental dependence on God for their lives and for the future, the people who live by grace.

“Justice for all!”  God desires life and a future for all living things, for peace on earth.  So when we choose to live under God’s rule, we work for political and economic systems that provide just access to everyone.  If we are living in God’s reign, then we will want to live in partnership with all other species of creatures and in partnership with the earth itself.    The Psalms have a lot to say about justice for all. 

“The Lord reigns!”  This statement lies at the heart of the Psalter, describing not some far off future, but the present reality.  Much of our current reality seems to deny this truth.  But there it is!  The Lord does reign, even in the midst of opposition and suffering. 

And we people of God respond to God, even in the midst of suffering, with prayer and praise, as do the writers of the Psalms and all of the people who have sung, read and prayed the psalms down through the centuries. 

As the Psalms make clear, the character of God is defined by God’s steadfast love.  When Israel’s future hangs in the balance, God (as God does in the Torah as well)  reveals God’s self to be merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

God’s justice and God’s steadfast love come together in the person of Jesus, who knew the Psalms intimately.  The Psalms shaped Jesus’ life and understanding of the Reign of God.  Jesus is the ultimate example of God’s steadfast love for all of creation.

During our Psalm study, we will talk about how and when the psalms were collected, learn about different categories of psalms, how the Babylonian exile influenced the collections of Psalms, and most importantly, how the Psalms speak to us today about God and our relationship to God.  We’ll learn something about each of the 150 psalms and their value for us as we grow in faith in God.  We’ll learn how to apply the Psalms to our daily lives. 

 

Village Harvest, Feb. 2023

The pace has been slower in the first 2 months of 2023. The chart illustrates this summary over 3 years with fewer clients combined with a smaller food distribution:

Feb’s total clients were 77 above Jan 60. Food distributed was also lower at 836 pounds vs. 1,137 for Jan. Feb’s total represented the lowest pounds distributed since Sept. 2021

The Lenten service

“Lent is the season to prepare for the journey through Holy Week and the joys of the Easter season to come. The beginning of the service provides time for solitude, to seek and find God within ourselves. The Confession of Sin and the Absolution are both part of the Penitential Order and occur at the beginning of the service. Both the Trisagion, near the beginning of the service, and the fraction anthem, which immediately follows the breaking of the bread, emphasize the merciful nature of God’s love for us.”

A Prayer for Entering Lent

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.
It’s been a long way, already
sickness, worry, isolation, fear, waiting
our hearts are heavy
our souls are weary
our bodies are hurting
our hope is wavering
yet, you are with us.

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.
Show us your grace
in the small moments of silence
the prayers offered in person or virtually
the kindness of a stranger
the lighting of a candle
the listening to a friend
the care of neighbors,
you are with us.

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.
Settle our hearts
revive our spirits
increase our faith
spread our love.

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.
In ashes and dust
reading and listening
wandering and walking
praying and singing
eating and fasting
show us the way forward.

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.
As we walk to the cross
keep our eyes fixed
on you and your love –
caring for others
crossing boundaries
reaching out to the poor
taking our pain
transforming death into life
over and over again.

God of mystery and wisdom,
be with us this Lenten season.

 

By Kimberly Knowle-Zeller. She is an ordained ELCA pastor, mother of two, and spouse of an ELCA pastor.

Sunday Links, Feb. 26, 2023. First Sunday of Lent

The Beginning of Lent – Spring, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday

  • First Sunday of Lent Service 11am Zoom link Sun.,Feb. 26, 2023 Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

  • Lectionary for Feb. 26, 2023, First Sunday of Lent, First Sunday of Lent
  • Bulletin for Feb. 26, 2023, Bulletin
  • Morning Meditation , Mon., Feb. 27, 6:30am Zoom link Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929
  • Ecumenical Bible Study, Wed., March 1, 10am-12pm.
  • February, 2023 Newsletter

    • Coming up!!

  • Psalms Study, Mon., March 6, 7pm-8pm. on Zoom

    • The Book of Psalms is generally believed to be the most widely read and the most highly treasured of all the books in the Old Testament. It is a collection of poems, hymns, and prayers that express the religious feelings of Jews throughout the various periods of their national history. The Psalms contain wisdom that is eternal. “ “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:3,4. There are 5 ideas in this one passage that will help you lead a productive life.

  • Stations of the Cross in our churchyard

    • Meditate on the last hours of Jesus’ life by walking the Stations of the Cross. Mary Peterman’s moving watercolors and the text for each station are on a series of fourteen banners which you will find placed outside the church for quiet meditation either in solitude or in small groups.

  • All articles for Shrove Tues, Feb. 21, 2023
  • All articles for Ash Wed., Feb. 22, 2023
  • All articles for Lent 1, Feb. 26, 2023

    • Art for Lent 1, Year A

    This Sunday’s first reading from Genesis invites us back to the beginning—to the creation of man and woman, and their original fall, succumbing to the temptation of the serpent. Ivan Kramskoi’s Christ in the Desert returns Jesus to this same beginning to face his own temptations before heading out to engage in public ministry.

    Christ is seated in a rocky, arid landscape. Seated in the dust from which we came, Christ is battling. His battle is intensely psychological. As the devil tempts him with thoughts of worldly satisfaction, power, and an easier way out, he recalls the original temptation, the one Adam and Eve could not resist. This time around, Christ knows what is at stake—the gravity of the difference between Paradise gained or lost is visible on his face.

    In the stillness of this arid scene, we see heaven and earth clash. In the distance we see a sky that is dawning, a subtle sign of hope that this New Adam will bring humankind back to right relationship with God. The bottom half of the image, though, is the rocky earth— a symbol of the human struggle, of the toil man has endured after the Fall, and of the unforgiving realities of human suffering if separated from God’s life-giving grace. Christ faces downward; he is embedded in this struggle, committed to enter into the depths of it. On his right, where the sky touches the desert, the background is the darkest—evoking these depths. Yet on his left, the rocky terrain reaches up to the brightening sky, seeking the light of a graced existence. And in the middle, Kramskoi places Jesus. He is the bridge between this darkness and light.

    But his bridge-building will not be easy. The burden of this process shows on his face, weighs down his shoulders, and pierces his bare feet. His resolve culminates in the center of the image, in his hands gripping one another, fused together in a gesture of prayer. Strength emanates from these hands, hands of prayer fusing heaven and earth together once again as he resists temptation and remains faithful to who he is and what he is called to do.

    On this first Sunday of Lent, Jesus’ strength in prayer is a gift of encouragement for our journeys as well—a gift to take with us into our own wildernesses where the voice of temptation utters false words. These hands fused in prayer remind us to resist the isolation that the devil’s false words bring, and to remain in the grip of grace—joined to God.

    Photos from Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023

    (full size gallery)

    Our first Shrove Tuesday at the church since 2019. We had about 20 people – a good recovery. We had pancakes and for the first time wafles! Of course sausage and fruit. We received a donation of King Cake which was eagerly anticipated. We had enough food for all. People came in waves between 5pm and 6:30pm

    The day was picture perfect. We need a separate gallery on nature outside of the meal.

    Lent begins Feb. 22, 2023

    Lent is a 40 day Christian festival beginning Ash Wednesday and concluding on Easter (Sundays are not counted).  The 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness was responsible for the number 40 being chosen .  It was said by Athanasius in 339 AD to be celebrated the world over.

    The word “Lent” comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word lengten, which means “springtime,” named so for the time of the year in which it occurs.   The five Lenten Sundays are followed by the Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, when we relive the events of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death.

    What we now call Lent was originally a period of fasting and study for catechumens who were to be baptized on the Saturday before Easter.  The purpose of this extended fast was to practice self-denial and humility. This was to prepare oneself for receiving God’s grace and forgiveness in baptism, given on Easter Saturday or Easter Sunday.

    Lent is…

    Lent is:

    • A time for looking at the things we do that are wrong or that tempt us, asking God’s and other people’s forgiveness;
    • A time for giving up things that keep us from being loving people;
    • A time for doing extra things that will help us grow closer to God;
    • A time to be more aware of what it means to love as God loves us;
    • A time to ask God to help us to be more loving, remembering that God is always ready to strengthen us.
    • A time to let go of our normal routine, try a new spiritual practice, to step out of our box, to reflect on ourselves, to reflect on a relationship with God. It can be a very creative time. At a later time these practices may help us endure trying of challenging times. Lent gives us a chance to practice facing our fears, journeying in the wilderness, confronting the dangers and difficulties we find there, and reaching out for Jesus’ hand for the entire trip.

    Videos, Last Epiphany, Parish Meeting, Feb. 19, 2023

    Prelude – Larry Saylor, guitar

    Hymn, “The Church’s One Foundation” (beginning 2nd verse

    Hymn, “I’d Love to Tell a Story”

    Gospel – Transfiguration passage from Matthew

    Sermon based on the Gospel

    Prayers of the People

    Congregational Meeting

    Distribution of Living Well in Lent

    Offertory – Larry Saylor, guitar

    Hymn – “In Remembrance of Me” – portion

    Sermon, Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb. 19, 2023

    John Meng-Frecker – “Transfiguration of our Lord”

    Jesus has traveled a long way since his baptism. 

    That day, when John baptized him in the Jordan River, Matthew tells us that just as Jesus came up out of the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

    Can you imagine what Jesus must have felt that day?  His skin tingling as the cool river water poured down his face and over his body, his eyes squinting as brilliant light poured out of heaven, and from that light, he saw a dove descending and alighting on him. 

    And in his ears, a voice ringing. 

    “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 

    It was after his baptism and his forty days in the wilderness that Jesus began to proclaim throughout Galilee, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 

    He called his first disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  And the disciples went with him as he taught and healed, restored a girl to life, and as he did all of this, people could see what the kingdom of God could and would be like on this earth. 

    The disciples watched and learned. 

    And then Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

    And Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

    Soon after this, Jesus started explaining to the disciples that he would go to Jerusalem, undergo great suffering, that he would be killed, and on the third day be raised. 

    Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him!

    “God forbid it, Lord!  This must never happen to you.” 

    Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 

    Jesus then teaches the disciples that if any want to become his followers, they must take up their crosses and follow.

    And then, only six days after Peter has said that Jesus is the Messiah, we come to today’s gospel. 

    Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, and leads them up a high mountain, by themselves. 

    Now it’s their turn to see light pouring out of heaven, Jesus shining like the sun, his clothes dazzling white.  Now it’s their turn to hear a voice ringing, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

    And an added phrase.  “Listen to him.”

    No wonder Peter, James and John fell to the ground in fear. 

    But Jesus came and touched them, saying “get up and do not be afraid.”  And when they looked up, they saw no one but Jesus himself alone. Moses and Elijah, the dazzling light, the bright cloud, the ringing voice—all gone.

    But Jesus was still there, with them! 

    Their skin must have tingled as Jesus touched them.  And the voice they heard was his, familiar, reassuring, challenging and strengthening.  

    “Get up and do not be afraid.”

    And then they went back down the mountain.

    We hear this story every year in church on the last Sunday after the Epiphany. 

    The transfiguration inspires the disciples in the moment, what some would call a mountain top experience, because what they see points beyond his death to what will happen to Jesus in the future—his resurrection. 

    When Peter, James and John see Jesus shining like the sun, and his clothes dazzling white, they are seeing a vision of the future, Jesus in his resurrection body, the one who will lead them “out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life”   as the words of Eucharistic Prayer B say. 

    And so the disciples would remember the transfiguration forever because this event proved to them without a doubt that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God, and that his reign stretches into eternity.    

    So no wonder that in the Second Letter of Peter, the writer says that “we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty” and we ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, saying “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 

    So, the writer goes on, “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your own hearts.”

    This story of the transfiguration can serve as a  lamp shining in a dark place for each one of us when we find ourselves facing into bad news, like the disciples faced the bad news that Jesus would suffer and die. 

    This story helps us to remember that beyond death is resurrection, and that Jesus goes with us through our lives, through our years of health, productivity and mostly stability.  But at some point, we all end up staring death in the face, just as Jesus did.  But Jesus knew, and told the disciples, and they got to see, that beyond his death was resurrection. This fact is true for us as well.  The light of the resurrection burns through and beyond the darkness of death for all of us who follow Jesus.   

    Today is the day of our congregational meeting, when we review the year just past.  

    This church has been blessed for the almost two hundred years that it has been in existence.  I have no doubt that God considers this church as beloved, and that God is well pleased with this church.  For here we are, moving forward, even as we face the challenges of illnesses, aging, deaths, and other changes and transitions that have been difficult.

    Like Peter, we may find ourselves saying, or wanting to say, “God forbid it, Lord!” when it comes to our individual challenges, and the challenges that we face as a small church in what seems to be a decline.   

    But the story of the transfiguration reminds us to hear instead the words  of Jesus and to heed them. 

    “Get up, and do not be afraid!” 

    Jesus has always been with this church!    Jesus is with us now!  And Jesus will be with us!

    When we are discouraged by our small numbers, discouraged by the accidents and illnesses that disable us for varying periods, when we want to do some work of God in the world that we feel might be impossible because we’re too small, or too old, or too isolated,  let’s turn to this story and not be afraid to proceed wherever it is that God will lead us.  Because just as Jesus led the disciples down that mountain back into ministry, Jesus leads us too. 

    Our job is to follow, knowing that as the followers of Jesus, suffering may be inevitable, but guess what, our resurrections are inevitable as well.

    So as this season after the Epiphany comes to a close, and we look back on 2022, and at all St Peter’s did last year, and as we look back at all that happened in our own lives,

    Remember.  “We are God’s beloved.  God is pleased with us.”

    For we are the light of the resurrection and the reign of God here and now in this time and in this place.  As God’s beloved sons and daughters,  our job is to continue to be resurrection light out in the world, so that the world can see that the reign of God has indeed already drawn near! 

    Jesus has touched us, and blessed us and God has blessed this church, over and over and over. 

    So get up, and do not be afraid.  Let’s head down the mountain and take up our crosses and follow Jesus wherever he will lead us, knowing that resurrection awaits.   

    The Transfiguration – Focus on the Disciples- and us

    Source – “Five Ways Into Sunday’s Scripture from Faith Formation and Education”, Trinity Church NY

    This week’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of the luminous transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of his close disciples, Peter, James, and John, on Mount Tabor. No one can see God and remain unchanged.

    As on the Baptism of Jesus, here, at the last Sunday of Epiphany, God reveals who Jesus really is: the Divine Son, the Beloved, truly God. Bright light is a symbol of divine presence and the presence of the great figures of Moses and Elijah also attest to Jesus’ divine nature.  Thus they are changed. He opened their eyes so that instead of being blind they could see.

    The disciples’ glimpse of this reality may have helped them (at least in retrospect — and with the eyes of their hearts) to deal with the abrupt and dramatic changes that would soon follow: Jesus’ turn to Jerusalem, his passion, death, and resurrection.

    For us,  as we face into the Lenten season, we hold an image of this mountaintop experience, knowing full well that we, like they, must come down from the mountain and move out into the world proclaiming Good News to the poor, learning how to welcome God’s Beloved amid change, challenge, disappointment, and sacrifice