Read: John 3:1-17

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world …”

Our focus this year is on community.

Did you grow up in a world of tattletales? In a family with multiple siblings, it was easy to note what sundry members of the family were doing wrong at any given moment, especially growing up in such tight quarters as we did. Mom had a rule of thumb that guided us: Is anyone in danger of dying? If not, she wasn’t interested. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, of course, but that she wanted us to develop a sense of working out our problems constructively. There was no hitting, fighting, or screaming. Just: Fix it! Don’t fight over the last piece of chicken. If you want it, offer it to others first. If there’s a spill, don’t call for room service. Clean it up.

Jesus reminds Nicodemus that it is God who gives birth to God’s children. It is very much an image of God our Mother (in whom we are conceived, carried to term, born, nurtured, and under whose wings we are protected). If we ever want to know what love is, Jesus points out the maternal side of God and says, “There it is. Her love is unmistakable. It is sacrificial every step of the way!”

Mother gathers US. Not me. Not thee. US. As Jesus said, “God didn’t send me to rat you out or tattle, but to let you know dinner’s ready. The table’s set. There’re drumsticks for all. Come!” Like Nicodemus, Jesus bids us to perceive that God is mother to us all. We need only look up and see she is there, healing, restoring, and loving the world, one child, one community at a time.

Let us pray. God, you did not bring us here to be condemned, but nourished, healed, and strengthened by your Spirit. Fill us with joy and help us to feed and love others just as we have been fed and loved by you. Amen.
-Fr. Keith Axberg