Torridge Coastal Mission Community

Reflection from Rev Paul Smith

John 3:1-8

There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. One night he went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher sent by God. No-one could perform the miracles you are doing, unless God were with him.”

Jesus answered,” I am telling you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“How can a grown man be born again?”, Nicodemus asked, “He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!!”

“I’m telling you the truth,” said Jesus, “No-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the Spirit. Do not be surprised that you must all be born again. The wind blows wherever it wishes, you hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

From the Good News Bible published by the Bible Societies and HarperCollins Publishers, © American Bible Society 1994, used with permission.

Reflection:

When I was a parish priest, many of the adults who came to faith, decided to be baptised by total immersion in water. When the time came for the baptism, we went down together into the pool full of water and then they allowed themselves to let go and entrust themselves to me, so that the water closed over their head (unless, of course, it was medically unsafe for this to happen.) I declared they had been baptised in the name of the Trinity.

This usually gave them a powerful sensation of being born again and for all those present, it was an occasion of joy and happiness, we all clapped and sang a song or hymn together. A closure and a new beginning with Christ, that is adult baptism, that is resurrection.

The Revd Harry Williams, a priest of the Community at Mirfield, once wrote a book called True Resurrection. In it he described experiences in life which can be called “resurrection” or being “born again”, i.e. in it he described experiences in life which can be called resurrection, or being “born again.” Not only baptism, or coming to faith in Christ, but everyday events, such as when someone forgives you, or befriends you; a small improvement in an illness; a sunny day; a smile: when that happens, our response to it could be called a resurrection, born anew.

So the question we could ask ourselves…..am I able to turn or to respond to a change of this sort? To turn from negative experiences which could happen to us in all kinds of life situations, both large and trivial; we could be active and energetic or elderly and living a quiet life. Whatever it is, “true resurrection”, as Fr Williams puts it, or “born again”, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, can be a day-to-day experience for any of us.

Let us pray

God of life, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy: grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Torridge Coastal Mission Community

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