"Born of the Water and the Spirit" - John 3:1-17 - February 20, 2005

Several years ago a woman called the church because she had no record of her baptism. Fortunately, for her, our church keeps records of every baptism that happens here. The woman was getting ready to collect her Social Security but she had no record of her birth. Social Security will accept a record of baptism as proof of birth. Therefore, we photocopied the page that recorded her baptism, certified it and gave it to her.

She was very grateful for she had no idea that the records of the church could be so important. "I think I have been born again," she remarked. Why did she respond in that way. What did she mean?

She meant that she had new life. She could now receive her Social Security checks which enabled her to pay her bills in retirement. All was not lost because she had new hope. The baptism record at the church provided what no one else could provide, proof she had been born. And, at the same time, the baptism record gave her a second chance.

When Nicodemus encountered Jesus about the phrase, "born again," Jesus told him that to be born again means to be born "from above." In other words we must experience a time of second birth to fully become children of God.

For Nicodemus, the idea of a spiritual rebirth was totally foreign to his religious tradition. He was taught to obey all the rules, be faithful and observe certain prescribed practices. Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant so Jesus tried to explain. After he said one must be "born again" he went on to say that one must "be born of water and the spirit." But, Nicodemus still didn’t understand.

To be born of the spirit means three things: (1) to say "yes" to the presence and power of God in Christ, (2) to accept God’s offer of forgiveness and new life and (3) to acknowledge that God’s presence and power are beyond our human understanding and control.

Nicodemus wanted to understand the "born again" process. He wanted a concrete formula to follow. Jesus said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." The words "from above" come from the Greek word anothen. Anothen has multiple meanings. The word means "from above," "again" and "anew." All three meanings are possible.

Nicodemus wanted a simple formula, one he could control. But, being "born from above is not that simple. It is not something we can control. It requires a dependence on God. This morning we have baptized four infants. Through the sacrament of baptism these parents are saying "yes" to God. They want God’s blessing upon their children. They want the assurance of the presence of Christ in their lives. Just what is happening here is a mystery but I am convinced that these families will feel better because they are making this commitment.

No amount of preparation can prepare a parent for the future when it comes to raising a child. Things will happen beyond their control. Their children have left the womb, they cannot return to the safety and coziness of that protective shelter. They are now in the world and like all of us they are vulnerable. Besides using their parent skills, these parents will have to rely on the grace of God as their children grow and make their life’s journey.

I am sure that none of our young mothers wants their child to go through the process of a physical birth a second time. Jesus, however was not talking about a second physical rebirth, he was talking about a spiritual rebirth.

At some time in the future each of these young children will experience a rebirth. Hopefully they won’t have to wait until they retire to experience being born again, like the woman who needed the record of her baptism. Hopefully they will be "born again" over and over again. Each time they realize the presence of God in their lives they will be "born again." Any time they experience forgiveness they will be "born again." Whenever something happens in their lives that is beyond their understanding and they can attribute it to the creative power of God, they will be "born again."

In the year 2004, St. Paul’s Church had a born again experience. For the first time in several decades there were more babies baptized in the congregation than there were members who died. The trend this year seems to be the same. More families are presenting their children for baptism then families who are arranging memorial services for a loved one.

You can feel the energy. You can sense that the spirit of God is moving in our midst as young families make a commitment to God and pledge to raise their children in the Church. Not only does this give them hope, it gives hope to the elderly in our midst too. It assures them that their church will continue in the community.

We can also be "born again" as individuals. Just when, where, and how we are born again is very personal. There is no prescribed process that one must go through for we are all different and how we come to the faith is different. For me, to be "born again" is when I experience forgiveness. Another is when I realize that there are things that happen beyond my control. Those are experiences that I cannot explain but for whatever reason I have been a recipient of God’s grace.

I believe that to be "born from above" is when something happens on my behalf that is a total gift. It is when I am completely unable to associate what happens because of my own efforts and things happen that I can’t explain.

In November of 1971, I was an officer in the Navy, serving on the USS Saratoga in the Gulf of Tonkin. One afternoon, during a horrific storm, we were involved in an underway replenishment. A supply ship was along side and supplies were begin transferred to the hangar bay. The Navy uses span wire rigs that connect the two ships. Supplies are transferred across the wires in nets with a pulley system. The span wires are under tremendous tension and cables are attached to the decks. On the end of each cable is a brass fitting, called a spud.

During the underway replenishment, the seas suddenly became higher and the two ships were violently rocking back and forth. It was all the two captains could do to keep the ships at the same distance from each other. But, our ship needed fuel and supplies to continue our mission. We had to complete the transfer of supplies because we had a small window of opportunity. At one point, however one of the span wire rigs parted and everyone hit the deck. I heard a loud "pop" and a loud "zing." I was standing next to an F-4 Phantom Jet and the noise made me look to my left. About one foot from my head was a hole in the side of the fuselage. Like a small missile, a brass spud had parted from a cable and whizzed by my head. Fortunately it missed my head and lodged itself in the aircraft. For me, that was definitely a "born again" experience. Because of the grace of God I am still here to tell the story.

That experienced changed me. It opened my eyes to the presence of God. I can only attribute what happened as an act of grace and consequently I will never be the same. That day I was "born from above" or "born again." I am convinced that what Jesus told Nicodemus is true, just as one enters the kingdom of God by being born of water one also enters the kingdom of God by the spirit."

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio