3-1-26 “Born Again into a Caring Community” (Membership Caring Month #1)

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“Born Again into a Caring Community”

(Membership Caring Month #1)

 I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I’ll give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in heaven.”

“Okay,” the man says. “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her—even in my heart.” “That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter. “That’s worth three points!”

“Three points?” the man replies. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.” “Terrific!” says St. Peter. “That’s certainly worth one point.”

“One point?!”

“I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”

“Fantastic—that’s worth two more points.” “Two points?!” Exasperated, the man cries, “At this rate, the only way I’ll get into heaven is by the grace of God!”

“Bingo! 100 points! Come on in!”

There was a man—a rustic, itinerant preacher. He changed water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. He healed many illnesses in Jerusalem. Many people saw the miraculous signs he performed and believed in his name. News about him spread everywhere.

Guess who that is?

Yes, that man was Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, crowds followed him. Surely these events became common talk on the streets of Jerusalem. If you heard about a man who healed people in miraculous ways, what would you do? You would probably go to him to be healed—or at least to see him out of curiosity.

Like us, there was a man named Nicodemus who had heard about Jesus. He was a Pharisee—a religious leader and teacher who knew the Scriptures well. He had status. Education. Respect. Authority. Power. And yet, he came to Jesus at night. Why did he come at night?

In the Gospel of John, night is not just about time. Night represents uncertainty, questions, searching. Night is where doubts and shame live. Nicodemus seemed to have everything outwardly. He had religion—but he still needed renewal. So he came to Jesus quietly and cautiously.

He said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.” He called Jesus “Teacher,” believing that God must be with him because of the miraculous works. Yet he was not fully sure. So, he came at night to confirm whether Jesus truly was from God.

Jesus does not dismiss him. Instead, Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (John 3:3) Nicodemus is confused. “How can anyone be born after having grown old?” He is thinking biologically. Jesus is speaking spiritually.

“You must be born of water and Spirit.” How can this happen? Like Nicodemus, we also have questions: How do we know whether we are born again? How can we see the Kingdom of God?
How do we feel the presence of God in our daily lives?

We are curious about what “born again” means. Most Christians think they know what it means. Sometimes we even pretend we understand it fully when we do not. Yet we should not avoid the opportunity to explore it—just as Nicodemus did.

When we hear “born again,” we often think of a personal spiritual experience. Yes, that is part of it. Salvation is relational—between you and God. It is something deeply personal. But birth is never solitary. No one is born alone. Every birth places a child into a family. When Jesus speaks of new birth, he is not talking only about personal salvation. He is talking about entrance into a new household—the family of God. To be born of water and Spirit is to be born into a caring community. It is like being baptized by water and the Spirit and committing yourself to worship, ministry, and mutual care within the household of God. Think about baptism—it may seem personal, but it is also communal because it is performed before the household of God.

Salvation is personal—but it is also communal. In Methodist understanding, personal salvation is justification by grace—you are confirmed as a child of God. As you grow in faith, you move toward sanctification—extending love and care to your neighbors in the community and beyond.

First, we are transformed by Jesus. Then, through Jesus’ love, we participate in transforming the world. Our attitude changes—from selfish to selfless, from self-centered to God-centered. That is the new life of being born again, given by God.

We see examples of being ‘born again’ in Scripture. The Apostle Paul is a powerful example. He was once a fierce persecutor of Christians and approved of the killing of Stephen in the early church. But after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was completely transformed. He changed from a persecutor of Christians into a bold and influential Christian leader. He became the one who spread the Good News beyond Israel to Asia Minor and even to Rome through several missionary journeys.

We see it in Christian tradition as well. John Wesley, though an excellent preacher and missionary, felt something missing in his spiritual life. He wrestled inwardly until one evening on Aldersgate Street, as he listened to the reading of Romans, he felt his “heart strangely warmed.” He realized that salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ through the grace of God. That experience changed his life and shaped what became Methodism.

“Born again” is like Paul’s transformation. It is like John Wesley’s heart strangely warmed.
It is new life given by God. Jesus explains further: “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” How can be happened? The word for Spirit in Greek is pneuma, and in Hebrew it is ruach. Both can mean breath or wind—the intimate breath of God. We see this in Genesis. When God created humanity, God formed the human from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the human became a living being (Genesis 2:7).

We live because God breathed into us. Unless we remain connected to God, we grow spiritually lifeless. Like Nicodemus, we can become imprisoned in the flesh—limited by what we see and understand. Unless our hearts and minds are open, we cannot perceive the presence of God. New birth is a gift—given in God’s own way and time. The breath of God brings life according to God’s gracious purpose.

Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, yet he struggled to grasp this mystery. No one can seize heavenly truth by effort, learning, or strict obedience to the Law. It is received by grace. For God’s love is not selective or limited. It is universal.

“For God so loved the world that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus came in love—to save, to heal, and to offer spiritual birth. God saves us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ—not only for ourselves, but so that God’s love may flow through us into the world.

Therefore, our salvation is for one another in the household of God. Check in on one another.
Make sure everyone is well—spiritually and physically. We are one family in Jesus Christ. This week, I invite you to practice being a caring community: Call one person. Write one note. Pray intentionally for one member by name. Sit next to someone you do not usually sit with. Small acts of care become holy moments. Every time we care for one another, we participate in God’s work of new birth. Thanks be to God. Amen.