John 3:22-36

"He must become more important while I become less important." (3:30)

We live in a world today that emphasizes self-reliance and self-importance. Success is valued over service. Through websites, myspace, and yes, even blogs, we are encouraged to brag about our accomplishments and achievements. We are taught to be the centre of our own universe.

But John realized that he was not the centre of any universe. He clearly understood that he himself was not the Son of God. His role was to be a messenger, to spread the word of the Good News of Jesus.

We often hear horror stories of people who start out with a good and honest ministry, but somewhere along the way, they lose sight of God. They let ego and money and fame blind them to the original goal of their ministry. Some get caught and are forced to reconcile on national television. Others go their whole careers living secret lives of dishonesty and faithlessness.

I sometimes sing background vocals for my husband. Even though I love being in the spotlight, on those nights, it is my job to support my husband's performance. The better I can sing my part, the better his performance is, and the better he can communicate his message to the audience.

I think John serves as a great example of humility in action. He recognizes that the message of Jesus is far more important than anything he could say. In everything he does, he makes himself less important, so that all the glory, the whole spotlight, can shine on Jesus.

John 3:1-21

In today's reading, Jesus is visited by Nicodemus, who is seeking guidance. Jesus tells him he must be "born again" (3:3)

I struggle with the concept of "born again".

Many people identify themselves as "born again Christians". They can tell you the exact day that they were saved. They can tell you where it was, who was there, and what they felt. It is usually described as a very powerful experience, resulting in profound changes in their practical and spiritual lifestyle.

I grew up in the Anglican Church. We never talked about being "born again". We were encouraged to have a very private relationship with God. Our parents committed us to God when we were babies, and at the age of 13, we, by our own choice, rededicated ourselves to God through the sacrament of Confirmation.

But for me, the actual act of committing my whole self to Jesus wasn't a one-time deal. I committed myself to Him when I was a very little child, but my faith wandered in university. Later, I came fully back to God. Then my life turned upside-down, and I pushed God away again. But once more, God proved faithful and, yet again, I recommitted my life to Him.

Perhaps I've been born again and again and again?

Most Anglicans, and I'm sure many other Christians, probably can't tell you the single day they committed their life to God. Maybe, like me, it happened several times. Maybe it was a gradual process, like many of our human relationships, building over time and experience.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that we must be "born of water and the Spirit" (3:5), but He's not specific about how that needs to happen. He doesn't say it has to happen on a Tuesday at 3 p.m. He doesn't say it has to take 10 years for it to stick. He doesn't even say it has to happen in a church, or in a crowd, or in a revival. He just says that it needs to happen.

John 2:13-25

We live in a visual society. Through magazines, computer images, television, and cell phone cameras, we build an impression of the people around us. I've never met Tom Cruise or Nicole Kidman, but I felt I knew a little about their life together because I saw photos of their wedding, their smiles, their glamorous clothes.

But then they got divorced, and suddenly these photos I'd seen didn't match up with the reality of who they were as a couple.

In 2:23-25, we hear about the people who were willing to follow Jesus when they saw His miracles, yet Jesus himself was unwilling to trust in them "because He himself knew what was in their hearts."

There is nothing we can hide from God. He is not distracted by our new shoes and the raise we got at work. He sees past our religious posturing and our false attempts to impress Him.

God sees the reality of our hearts - the generosity and the selfishness, the purity and the impurity. God requires us to be authentic. This can be frightening because it requires an honesty that most of us are not willing to try. But on the other hand, it means we can let go of religion's ideals and society's glamour. We are simply asked to love God "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

John 2:1-12

In today's reading, we hear the story of the first public miracle of Jesus - turning water into wine.

I've often wondered why Jesus would choose this as His first miracle. After all, as his ministry progressed, He did some pretty amazing stuff - curing illness, making the lame to walk, and even raising people from the dead. Mixing drinks just sounds a little lame compared to these miracles.

As Christian comedian, Mark Lowrey, says, Jesus's first miracle was "...just to keep the party going!".

So why this one? Was He nervous about how to use His miracle-working-powers, and He wanted to start on something simple? Maybe He thought people would be too frightened if He started with raising up the dead. Maybe this was a 'warm-up' miracle?

I don't think Jesus was ready to do a miracle that day. I think He was waiting for something bigger, something more important. When Mary tells Him that they are out of wine, He responds with, "My time has not yet come." (2:4) But clearly, God was ready to use Him.

Isn't that like us sometimes? We feel very safe in our comfortable places, doing the things we know, talking to the people in our inner circle. And then God calls us out to do something else. Maybe it's as small as talking to a new neighbour. Maybe it's as large as a complete career change.

Jesus followed the call of God that day, and did a miracle that began a ministry that changed the world forever.

God is calling us daily to step outside ourselves and trust in Him. Perhaps, if we trust in God's timing and not our own, we will do something today that will change the world forever.

John 1:35-51

Verse 46 - "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

This is Nathanael's reaction when he hears that Jesus, rumoured to be the Messiah, comes from Nazareth.

Isn't it amazing how little we've changed in 2000 years? None of us like to admit our prejudices, but we all have them, and we all know it. If you heard the news that Jesus was arriving on Earth today, wouldn't your reaction be different if you heard He was arriving in Jerusalem, versus, let's say, arriving in Las Vegas?

But Nathanael completely makes me smile in the end. It takes so little for him to put all his faith in Jesus. Jesus simply recognizes him, and Nathanael is ready to call Him the "Son of God" and "King of Israel".

So many times, we ask so much of God. It's not enough for God to simply recognize us. We ask God to know it all, and do it all, and support it all, and be it all... and then we'll put our trust in Him.

If my family asked me to provide evidence and complete tasks just to prove my love for them, I would be hurt and insulted. And yet, we, as members of God's loving family, constantly ask God to prove His love for us with miracles and concrete evidence.

Nathanael is so open and ready for Jesus, that it simply takes a statement, a simple recognition, and he's ready to trust and be a follower.

Sometimes, we need to be a little more like Nathanael...

John 1:19-34

Verse 26 - "...among you stands the one you do not know"

This verse just sticks with me, because it implies that Jesus is already living and moving amongst the people, but they just can't see that He is different from anyone else.

Just imagine if, tomorrow, your childhood buddy, or the guy next door, or the woman who works in accounting, suddenly became the next American Idol. Wouldn't it shake you up a little? You'd be wondering why you didn't notice their unique talent before. Maybe you'd question whether or not they deserved their success. Maybe you'd get excited and join their fan club. Or maybe you'd be jealous of their new-found fame, and you'd try to cash in on it for yourself.

I think Jesus might have experienced some of this when He first started His ministry.

We're told that Mary kept the special memories of Jesus's childhood in her heart. I like to think that His family recognized that Jesus was different from other children and young men. Anne Rice's book, "Christ the Lord", is a fictionalized account of a childhood year in the life of Jesus. In her telling of the story, the young Jesus was able to do miracles, but not necessarily able to control these abilities. In her story, everyone in Jesus's family knows He is 'different', and they all have unique reactions to this.

But what about the ordinary crowd? How would they react to Jesus - their neighbour, their friend, the guy who built their table and chairs - How would they react to this 'everyday guy', suddenly being proclaimed the "Lamb of God"?

In verse 30, John tells us that Jesus "... existed before I was born." Maybe John sensed hesitancy in the crowd, and this was his response? In this statement alone, John is telling us that this 'everyday guy', this neighbour, friend, guy-who-built-their-table, is not in the least ordinary or everyday. He wasn't simply born... He existed. This is no everyday prophet.

John 1:1-18

The opening lines of John contain thoughts and ideas that I just can't wrap my head around. My limited mind has trouble imagining that something was here before the world began. Maybe that's the ego of the human brain.

But I am also comforted by knowing that the Word...Jesus... was here before the world began. Think about it: He has seen every moment of life here on Earth. God created everything in our universe. God made every rock, every bug, every lion, every lamb. He created solar systems. He created the little hairs that make up my eyebrows. This is a God of grand concepts, and small details.

Our God has been present since the very first moment of creation. He saw the dinosaurs and the ice ages. His hands caused the continental drift. His breath made the winds that formed the mountains and the deserts.

And our God has witnessed every moment of human existence. The discovery of fire. The invention of the wheel. The discovery of penicillin. The invention of the microchip.

Through wars, peace, birth, death, love, music, and every day living, God has been present with us.

And yet, with that omnipresent view on the world, it still wasn't enough.

God loved us so much, wanted to understand us so much, wanted to be with us so much, that He left the safety of His own world, and came into ours. This is, truly, an act of love.