Born Twice #3: Restarting...

CHRIST CHURCH NYC Sermon (From 18th of May 2008)
John 3:1-21 (Sermon is from the NRSV)

After examining Jesus words: it would seem being 'born again' is about a person's life being totally restarted in and by Jesus. And not just re-modelled with morality. It's about one's life being resurrected. Resurrected from the dead. Resurrected from sin. It's about being rebooted. Being rebooted from God. Re-starting.

Just as 'Junior' was born of Laurel (and not of himself), so a Christian is someone born of God (and not of him or herself).

And it's not about being moral. (In fact it's a challenge to morality.) And it's not about being religious (Being religious can be a way to avoid this 'restart'.)

Now, if that seems weird, or it is mystery to you, then Nicodemus is your man. For Nicodemus no doubt worked up a sweat trying to understand what Jesus was talking about. So let's see if we can too. The irony is that the first ever conversation about being 'born again' was a 'cultural divide moment'. It would seem that not a lot has changed.

More to come...

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Pic by Peter Kim.