Tag Archives: John 3:1-17

Born A Second Time? #Lent2

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John 3:1-17

I must be born Again?

Born a new way,
come to life God’s way.

Not a magic formula,
but letting God
create and form me.
As my parents genes
once dictated my make up,
how I look,
those family traits
– now I must allow God
to shape my life.

Lord,
may I allow myself
to become a product of your love
for me.

May I allow you to create,
mould,
form
and guide me.

May I become
all that you have planned for me,
may your breath
breathe in me,
your love
beat through me.

May I be born again,

this time in and through you.

John 3:1-17 Good News Translation (GNT)

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”

3 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”[a]

4 “How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!”

5 “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. 7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again.[b] 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” asked Nicodemus.

10 Jesus answered, “You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don’t know this? 11 I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. 12 You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”[c]

14 As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.

Footnotes:

  1. John 3:3 again; or from above.
  2. John 3:7 again; or from above.
  3. John 3:13 The quotation may continue through verse 21.

Good News Translation (GNT)Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

Second Born

bible, faith, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lectionary, Religion, theology,

I must be born Again?

Born a new way,
come to life God’s way.

Not a magic formula,
but letting God
create and form me.
As my parents genes
once dictated my make up,
how I look,
those family traits
– now I must allow God
to shape my life.

Lord,
may I allow myself
to become a product of your love
for me.
May I allow you to create,
mold,
form
and guide me.

May I become
all that you have planned for me,
may your breath
breathe in me,
your love
beat through me.

May I be born again,

this time in and through you.

Sculpture “Born again” Artist: Michael Printschler

John 3:1-17 (CEV)

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said, “Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!”

4 Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”

5 Jesus answered:

I tell you for certain that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6 Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7 Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8 Only God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied:

How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11 I tell you for certain that we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12 If you don’t believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?

13 No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14 And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. 15 Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.

16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!

Born Again – Newsboys

A Faithful God i

bible, faith, God, Jesus, Lectionary, lent, love, Religion, theology, , ,

John 3:1-17 (CEV)

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said, “Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!”

4 Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”

5 Jesus answered:

I tell you for certain that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6 Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7 Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8 Only God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied:

How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11 I tell you for certain that we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12 If you don’t believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?

13 No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14 And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. 15 Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.

16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!

Being born
isn’t something you do for yourself.
Being born is the work of others,
hard work.

To be born again
is not my work,
but the work of God.
He is the one that gives life,
birth to his Spirit
to live
and breathe
afresh in me.
Nothing is required of me
than to allow it to happen.
The hard work has been done,
in creation,
in crucifixion,
in resurrection.

But why would God want
to live in me?
This broken vessel?
This wanderer from the way?
This person
who so often
fails to understand,
and when I do
often fails to do it?

Yet God whispers those magic words,
“I love you”,
you are important,
special.
You alone are worth everything
I have given,
the work I have done.

Yet it is not just for me.
That depth of love,
that care,
that work
of creation
and re-creation
is for every person on this earth.

Such is the faithfulness of God
to each one of us.
May I
allow it to be born,
grow
and live
in me.
May I show it
to those who need to know,
those who need love,
those who need life,
to every person
in this world.

Such Love