Nicodemus

LET ME START BY TELLING YOU A FEW STORIES

THE WORD CALENDAR
COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD CALENDS
WHICH MEANS THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
SO A CALENDAR
IS A DEVICE
THAT HELPS PEOPLE
FIND THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

THE WORD CALENDS
ALSO MEANS
THE COIN PURSE OF THE MONEY LENDER
WHO WOULD COME BY
ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
WITH HIS PURSE OPEN
TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENTS DUE HIM

OFTEN WE FEAR THAT GOD WILL COME
UNANNOUNCED
TO COLLECT OUR DEBT TO HIM

THAT HE WOULD COME WITH AN OPEN PURSE
LIKE A MONEY LENDER DEMANDING PAYMENT

AND BECAUSE WE ARE IMPOVERISHED
AND CANNOT PAY
WE WOULD BE PUNISHED

NOT A NEW IDEA
OUR FOUNDER
MARTIN LUTHER
LABORED MUCH OF HIS LIFE
UNDER THE IDEA
THAT TRY AS HE MIGHT
HE COULD NOT PLEASE GOD


AND AS A RESULT
AN ANGRY
MEAN SPIRITED GOD
WOULD PUNISH HIM

NICODEMUS
COMES AT NIGHT
TO MEET WITH JESUS

HE WAS AN IMPORTANT RICH MAN
A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY
HE CAME AT NIGHT
HIS COMING AT NIGHT
DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN
HE WAS AFRAID TO BE SEEN
WITH JESUS

A JEWISH PROVERB OF THE TIMES
SAID
IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO A MAN DEEPLY
COME TO HIS HOUSE WHEN THE CHILDREN
WERE ASLEEP

SO NICODEMUS
CAME TO JESUS AT NIGHT

WHO WAS THIS NICODEMUS

A PHARISEE
A LEADER OF THE PEOPLE
AN OBSERVER OF ALL THE LAWS
THAT MUST BE OBEYED
TO PLEASE GOD







JUDAISM HAD DISINTEGRATED
INTO A SERIES OF MAN MADE LAWS
CREATED BY A PROCESS CALLED PILPUL

WHICH WAS A STUDY OF THE LAW
TO DISCOVER ALL ITS SHADES AND MEANINGS

AND THE ONES WHO PROMOTED THIS STUDY
WERE THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

SOME EXAMPLES
YOU COULDN'T WORK ON THE SABBATH

SO A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
COULD NOT WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE LEG WAS A BURDEN
AND THEREFORE WALKING WAS WORK

IF YOU WERE HURT
YOU COULD BANDAGE THE WOUND
BUT YOU COULDN'T PUT MEDICINE ON THE WOUND
BECAUSE THAT WAS WORK

ALSO IF A GENTILE WOMAN WAS HAVING A BABY
YOU COULDN'T HELP HER
BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT ONE OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
TO WHOM THE LAW HAD BEEN GIVEN

THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES
WERE CONSTANTLY STUDYING THE LAW
ADDING SOME REQUIREMENTS
TO DAILY LIVING

OR FORBIDDING
SOME ACTIONS
IN DAILY LIVING




YOU REMEMBER THAT JESUS WAS ACCUSED
OF BAD CONDUCT
WHEN HE HEALED PEOPLE ON THE SABBATH DAY
BECAUSE HEALING WAS WORK
AND SUCH WORK ON SABBATH WAS FORBIDDEN
BY THE LEADERS
A DISTORTION OF THE LAW

THEY OPPRESSED THE PEOPLE SO MUCH
WITH THESE LAWS
THAT JESUS CRIED OUT
YOU MAKE UP HEAVY BURDENS
FOR MEN TO CARRY
BUT DO NOTHING
TO HELP THEM CARRY
THEIR BURDENS

OR AGAIN JESUS CRIED OUT
THE LAW EXISTS FOR THE PEOPLE
NOT THE PEOPLE FOR THE LAW

SO NICODEMUS
A GOOD MAN
BURDENED DOWN BY LAWS
HE COULD NOT KEEP

OR FOUND DIFFICULT
COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO FIND THE LIGHT

WHO COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO HAVE HIS BURDEN LIGHTENED

AND JESUS SAYS TO HIM
JESUS SAYS TO HIM
BE BORN AGAIN




HOW MANY TIMES
HAVE WE SAID
IN OUR OWN LIFE

I AM TIRED OF THE WAY THINGS ARE
I AM GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE MY LIFE
I WILL BE REBORN


BUT HOW WE SAY
WITH NICODEMUS
HOW CAN WE BE REBORN

AND JESUS SAYS
BY THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT
OF YOUR OWN BAPTISM
BY THAT BAPTISM
YOU HAVE RECEIVED
REBIRTH

YOU HAVE BEEN REBORN

BUT
HAVING BEEN GIVEN SUCH A GIFT
WE FEEL UNWORTHY

WE CANNOT MEASURE UP TO THE MARK
WE CANNOT FILL THE MONEY LENDER'S
PURSE

UNWORTHY OF THE GIFT OF REBIRTH
WE FEEL THAT WE WILL BE CRUSHED
BY ITS WEIGHT
BY ITS OBLIGATIONS

BUT JESUS SAYS
MY FATHER SO LOVED THE WORLD
HE SENT ME
HE SENT ME
TO SAVE IT
AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME
BELIEVES IN THE FATHER
AND WILL RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE

BUT THE GIFT IS TOO GREAT
TOO GREAT FOR US
WHO ARE TOO SMALL
HOW CAN WE EVER REPAY YOU

BELIEVE IN ME
IS ALL I ASK

BELIEVE

AND LET YOUR LIFE FLOW
FROM THAT BELIEF

BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE SHALL STUMBLE
BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE ARE WEAK
BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE ARE UNWORTHY
BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE ARE SINNERS
I HAVE FORGIVEN YOU

SO WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES
AS COME HE WILL
TO MAKE YOU DOUBT
YOUR BELIEFS





TO MAKE YOU FEEL
UNLOVED AND UNWANTED BY GOD

TELL THE TEMPTER
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
TELL THE TEMPTER
MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID

MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID BY JESUS

WHO DID NOT PAY
THE GREAT PRICE HE PAID
SO THAT LATER HE COULD DESTROY ME
AS YOU ARE TRYING TO DESTROY ME

TELL THE TEMPTER
WHEN HE COMES
TELL THAT MONEY LENDER
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE

CLOSE YOUR PURSE
AND MARK MY BILL
PAID IN FULL BY JESUS


FRANK A VOLLMER