Lent 2: Nick @ Nite
John 3
1There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
7evens in John
7 Titles: (proclamations)1:19-51
Lamb of God
Son of God
Rabbi
Messiah
Son of Man
King of Israel
Jesus of Nazareth
7 Signs:
Turning water into wine – John 2:1–11 (Wedding at Cana)
Healing the royal official’s son – John 4:46–54
Healing the paralytic at Bethesda – John 5:1–15
Feeding the 5,000 – John 6:5–14
Walking on water – John 6:16–21
Healing the man born blind – John 9:1–7
Raising Lazarus from the dead – John 11:1–44
7 I am's:
I am the Bread of Life – 6:35
I am the Light of the World – 8:12
I am the Door (Gate) of the Sheep – 10:7
I am the Good Shepherd – 10:11
I am the Resurrection and the Life – 11:25
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life - 14:6
I am the True Vine - 15:1
Night Faith Is Still Faith
- Nicodemus comes at night
- curious
- cautious
- private
- Jesus meets him there...
- Still in the dark?
- give a nod to your shadow...
Information or Transformation
- Nicodemus seeks knowledge; Jesus offers transformation
- belief = surrender (not memorization) Jn 20:31
- where are you informed but not transformed?
Curiosity to Courage
- Belief grows over time (John 3 → 7 → 19).
- journey, not instant enlightenment.
- Life comes through belief, not performance.
Lights On
- Jesus is the Light entering the darkness (Jn 1:5)
- step into the Light
- Spiritual practices are about creating space for life, not punishment
- inward (meditation, prayer, fasting, study)
- outward (simplicity, solitude, submission, service)
- corporate (confession, worship, guidance, celebration)
Find Life
- Meeting Jesus at night is a start.
- believe… and by believing, have life.
- shadow → light → life.
Day by Day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
John 20:31
But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
A Lenten Litany of Trust
Leader:
God of love,
you meet us in the wilderness and call us your own.
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay present to the needs of others.
We will notice what we might usually pass by.
Leader:
When questions rise and answers are unclear,
People:
We trust your love.
We will pause before rushing to solutions.
We will pray and listen before acting.
Leader:
When following Jesus asks us to take risks,
People:
We trust your love.
We will speak the hard truth with care.
We will choose integrity over convenience.
Leader:
When we are seen more clearly than we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will bring our full selves honestly to God and others.
We will resist hiding behind excuses or masks.
Leader:
When our vision is limited and our faith feels fragile,
People:
We trust your love.
We will keep showing up, even in small ways.
We will practice patience with ourselves and others.
Leader:
When grief lingers and hope feels delayed,
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay with those who mourn.
We will care without needing immediate results.
Leader:
When Jesus is not what we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will follow without insisting on comfort or control.
We will look for him in surprising places and people.
Leader:
When temptation whispers that love is not enough,
People:
We trust your love.
We will resist shortcuts that harm relationships.
We will act with honesty and patience.
Leader:
Shape in us a holiness
that is not about rules,
but about loving in practical ways, day by day.
People:
We trust your love.
And we will walk in this way.
Amen.
Questions to Consider:
- Do you ever have secret meetings with Jesus?
- Is there something you are hesitant to bring to light?
- Where are you trying to maintain control instead of trusting Jesus?
- How is your faith shaping you daily life?
- Where is God calling you from curiosity to full participation?
