This week, we’re thinking about unlearning worry. If you’re like me, that just raised your anxiety a few notches. Now I’m worried about the fact that I worry so much, and I feel a vicious cycle forming. This week we’re looking at the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John chapter 3. I feel for Nicodemus. He's obviously not understanding what Jesus is saying. Honestly, I’m scratching my head too. But maybe Jesus’ words are just as much about the effect as the content here. Maybe the confusion they create is, in fact, the point. Maybe Jesus is inviting faith. Maybe Jesus is inviting belief. Maybe Jesus is saying, trust me. And then at the end, He tells us why. “I’m not here to judge and blame and label. I’m here because of love. I’m here to redeem. I’m here to save. And you’re not going to understand this mystery. You’re not going to be able to own this and appropriate it for your own agendas. No, it’s much too slippery for that. This is good news. Really good news. Relax. I’m here. I’ll meet with you in the dead of night. I’ll meet with you in the day. I’ll meet with you if you get it and I’ll meet with you if you’re lost as can be. And you’ll be all of those things."So, today, we’re going to spend some time with this passage of scripture in lectio divina. We’re going to let it work on us, and as we often say in worship at Central, work its way into us. Thanks also to Jane Tatum for sharing her music with us.
