Open The Gospel – 1 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, John 3.1-17

1 March – The Second Sunday of Lent, John 3.1-17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ ³Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’⁴Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ ⁵Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.”⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ ⁹Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ ¹⁰Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Things to think about with the child at the centre:

Activities

Make your own Wind Chimes so you can hear the wind as well as see it

Response

This passage can have us diving straight to John 3:16, or the concept of being born again – and whilst these are both important Christian concepts, they might assume some deep theology that new Christians haven’t grappled with, or lead us into conversations about penal substitution we can’t easily navigate!
Maybe this time, focus on Nicodemus grappling with a God he can’t see (with thanks from Gary Neal Hansen) :
Late into the night, Jesus and Nicodemus talked.

One thing they talked about was how hard it is to know God when we can’t see God.

Jesus told Nicodemus that God’s Holy Spirit is kind of like the wind that blows all around us.

Like seeing the trees move in the wind, or trying to walk against a gale, we see the affects of the wind rather than the wind itself. Here’s how Jesus said it to Nicodemus:

“The wind blows where it chooses,

and you hear the sound of it,

but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.

So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8 NRSV)

Jesus was telling us that God is around us all the time, moving like the wind. And just like the wind, we can’t see God. But just as we see the trees move and know the wind is blowing, sometimes we can see how God moves things in the world.

Whenever we see things happen that are the same kinds of things Jesus did, we can know that God’s Spirit has been blowing through.

Prayer

You can encourage people to move their arms like they are being blown by the wind as you pray!

I wonder if when you’ve been sick and got better, if maybe God’s Spirit was blowing through to heal you. Ask the Spirit to move in people who are sick at the moment.

I wonder if when you felt hurt or sad, and your favorite grown-up gave you a big hug, if maybe God’s Spirit was blowing through to comfort you. Ask the Spirit to comfort those who are sad at the moment.

I wonder if when you saw someone at school who was lonely and you talked to them, and were kind to them, if maybe God’s Spirit was blowing in you, and through you, to help them know they are okay. Ask the Spirit to help us be better friends to other people this week.