Ephesians 2:1-10
“Again & Again: God Loves First”
Preached Sunday, March 7, 2024
Do you clean your house before people come over?
Admittedly, as a child and as a teenager - I hated participating in the pre-guest clean-up. Especially on Christmas Day. We’d wake up, open presents…and then be given a chore list! Guests would be over in just a few short hours! Get to it!
Every year, I’d say at least once - why do we have to clean!? They know what we’re like! They’re family - don’t they love us anyway? Surely their houses are actually a mess too! My pleas and reasonings to get out of cleaning went ignored by my parents and I had to clean anyway.
Confession: I have never been the cleanest person. As a teenager, my room was truly atrocious - I was a good kid other than my utter messes. I have gotten better as I’ve aged…or so I like to think. But the arrival of my daughter in my life, and all the STUFF and messes that accompany kids - well, it’s set me back a little bit. Perhaps there are some people in this world who always keep their house meticulously clean. I have friends who have a set cleaning schedule where the floors get scrubbed every Friday. That just isn’t me.
And so, now anytime before a guest comes over my house, I have to ask myself: How much do I need to clean?
I don’t worry too much about what my house looks like before my family comes over. My parents have seen my absolute worst messes from my teenage years - way worse than anything going on in my house now. I know my sister-in-law does actually judge me for my messes, but in the way that sisters do with no malice, I can laugh it off, and she may even end up doing some of my dishes for me.
But if a stranger was coming into my house? If I was hosting a party? Or - worst of all - if Trustees were coming over for a parsonage inspection? You bet I am cleaning. And not just surface level cleaning. I’m talking getting on my hands and knees and scrubbing the floor boards cleaning. My house has never been cleaner than the day, in my last appointment, that the minister who was following me was coming to check out the parsonage. I spent two whole days prepping the house for that one.
So what’s the difference between my parents stopping by my messy house? Or having a group of Trustees walking through taking notes? (Sorry trustees, I really do love and appreciate all of you!) Or even having someone you don’t know come to your house?
For me - it’s this question: Will I be judged? Will this person’s opinion or me be changed or lowered because of the state of my home? How safe am I to be my messy self with them? To show them what it’s really like to work full time with a toddler and have toys on the floor and dishes in the sink?
For my family? I know their love for me is unconditional. Their opinion of me won’t be changed by the last time I’ve vacuumed or dusted. I feel safe around them. But that’s not the cause with everyone - and so, much to my childhood self’s chagrin, I generally clean before guest comes over.
This week’s Gospel Lesson got me thinking about who we show our true selves too. Who do we let see our kitchen messes? Who do we let see the kitchen messes of our souls? I’m not talking about dirty dishes anymore - I’m talking about our doubts, our fears, our faults, our hopes, our excitement, our love. Who do feel free to just “be” around?
For me it is those who love me, who I know love me, and who I love in return. My husband. My family. My best friends. We don’t condemn one another. We don’t shame one another. We open ourselves up to each other, we share the innermost parts of ourselves, and we find love and acceptance. To have relationships like this is truly a blessing.
I think that’s part of what Nicodemus was looking for when he came to Jesus in the middle of the night. That’s the context for our Gospel reading today. Nicodemus was a Pharisee looking for answers. He wanted to know who Jesus was. He wanted to know more about what he taught. He wanted to know what it means to be born from above. He wanted to understand Jesus better.
But Nicodemus didn’t come to Jesus in the day, he didn’t come when the sun was shining, he came under cover of night.. There has been much speculation on why. Could it be that Nicodemus feared the judgment of others, of his peers? Could it be that he felt shame in not knowing the answers himself? Could it be that he didn’t know yet if he could fully trust Jesus with his whole self?
I know that sometimes, when I’m afraid to share something, when I don’t know how someone will respond, I find that nighttime helps coax the vulnerability out of me. Pillow talk, late night chats, call it what you will - but this is how my best and truest relationships have been formed. Best friends talking late into the night, sharing our hopes and dreams and fears with one another. Losing track of how late it was getting because we felt safe and secure with one another. Perhaps these intimate moments often take place at night because there is less to distract us. There isn’t the busy buzz of the day. There is just us. And a deeper awareness of who we are and our desire to share it with others. The darkness can hide our true selves, the deepest parts of ourselves. But it can also make us brave - brave enough to share. Brave enough to ask. To form deeper bonds. To approach God, open, with all that we have - asking questions - like Nicodemus approaching Jesus.
And so in the darkness, Nicodemus gets brave. And he approaches Jesus. And he gets a word on love, on condemnation, on darkness and light.
Jesus says that God loved the world so deeply, that God’s Son, Jesus, who was in fact God’s self who took on flesh, was given as a gift of love to the world.
A gift of Love. A gift of God’s self, love incarnate.
God was given as a gift of love, not to condemn the world, not to bring shame to people, not to judge - but so that they might know love. And that they might know what it feels like to be fully known and to know love.
Jesus says - “The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
When we think of the darkness as Jesus references it here - think of it as the things you hide. Things you’re afraid to admit. The things you’re ashamed of. And Jesus uses the word evil - so yes, even that. Even our sins, those times and ways we’ve messed up, haven’t gotten it right, hurt ourselves or others. And, sometimes, if we’re being honest: we like the cover of darkness. Because it brings safety. It can be vulnerable to bring our stuff, our deepest parts of ourselves to the light. What if we open up, what if we share and instead of being met with love and acceptance - we are judged, shamed, and rejected? It’s scary. It can be easier to stay in the darkness. We can try and keep our truest and deepest selves hidden away...but in God, the God who is Love, the God who is Light, the God who came not to condemn but saves - in that God, all is seen. All will be revealed. Light shines into our darkness.
And if we allow it to, if we open up even the most hidden, tucked away parts of ourselves - if we know that God wants to open ourselves up to be fully seen by God, to shine light into all our darkness, we can experience the amazing and overwhelming love that comes from being fully seen and loved any way. Because that’s the love that Jesus has for us.
In our reading from Ephesians today, the letter writer says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Love, like grace, is a gift, freely given. A gift that we can do nothing to earn or deserve. A gift that we’re given even when - and especially when - we open our full and true selves up to God.
My favorite theological concept is prevenient grace - the grace that goes before. The grace that is there before we even know that there is grace to be had. Love and grace can be used interchangeably here - for Grace is any way God acts in this world and God always acts with Love.
There is love to be had, love for the deepest, most hidden parts of us. Love for the good. Love for the bad. Love that loves no matter what. Nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing we can do to have it taken away - The God who is Love is always, constantly, continuingly, offering unconditional love and inviting us to partake, to be fully known, and fully loved by God. We have nothing to hide in the light and love of God.
If we can experience the wonderful joy of being known and loved by those in our life - spouses, family, best friends - how much more wonderful and deep is the joy of being fully known and loved by God - the God who knows us intimately. The God who knows every part of us. The God who knit us in our mothers wombs, sees us in daylight and in the dark of night, and will welcome us into our eternal homes.
And so my prayer, my blessing, for you is - May you be known. May you allow yourself to be seen, fully and truly, by the God who is Love. Open yourself up, bring all you are, good, bad, everything in between, bring it before God, and may you experience not shame, not judgment, not fear - but grace and love, gifts freely given.
Amen.
Admittedly, as a child and as a teenager - I hated participating in the pre-guest clean-up. Especially on Christmas Day. We’d wake up, open presents…and then be given a chore list! Guests would be over in just a few short hours! Get to it!
Every year, I’d say at least once - why do we have to clean!? They know what we’re like! They’re family - don’t they love us anyway? Surely their houses are actually a mess too! My pleas and reasonings to get out of cleaning went ignored by my parents and I had to clean anyway.
Confession: I have never been the cleanest person. As a teenager, my room was truly atrocious - I was a good kid other than my utter messes. I have gotten better as I’ve aged…or so I like to think. But the arrival of my daughter in my life, and all the STUFF and messes that accompany kids - well, it’s set me back a little bit. Perhaps there are some people in this world who always keep their house meticulously clean. I have friends who have a set cleaning schedule where the floors get scrubbed every Friday. That just isn’t me.
And so, now anytime before a guest comes over my house, I have to ask myself: How much do I need to clean?
I don’t worry too much about what my house looks like before my family comes over. My parents have seen my absolute worst messes from my teenage years - way worse than anything going on in my house now. I know my sister-in-law does actually judge me for my messes, but in the way that sisters do with no malice, I can laugh it off, and she may even end up doing some of my dishes for me.
But if a stranger was coming into my house? If I was hosting a party? Or - worst of all - if Trustees were coming over for a parsonage inspection? You bet I am cleaning. And not just surface level cleaning. I’m talking getting on my hands and knees and scrubbing the floor boards cleaning. My house has never been cleaner than the day, in my last appointment, that the minister who was following me was coming to check out the parsonage. I spent two whole days prepping the house for that one.
So what’s the difference between my parents stopping by my messy house? Or having a group of Trustees walking through taking notes? (Sorry trustees, I really do love and appreciate all of you!) Or even having someone you don’t know come to your house?
For me - it’s this question: Will I be judged? Will this person’s opinion or me be changed or lowered because of the state of my home? How safe am I to be my messy self with them? To show them what it’s really like to work full time with a toddler and have toys on the floor and dishes in the sink?
For my family? I know their love for me is unconditional. Their opinion of me won’t be changed by the last time I’ve vacuumed or dusted. I feel safe around them. But that’s not the cause with everyone - and so, much to my childhood self’s chagrin, I generally clean before guest comes over.
This week’s Gospel Lesson got me thinking about who we show our true selves too. Who do we let see our kitchen messes? Who do we let see the kitchen messes of our souls? I’m not talking about dirty dishes anymore - I’m talking about our doubts, our fears, our faults, our hopes, our excitement, our love. Who do feel free to just “be” around?
For me it is those who love me, who I know love me, and who I love in return. My husband. My family. My best friends. We don’t condemn one another. We don’t shame one another. We open ourselves up to each other, we share the innermost parts of ourselves, and we find love and acceptance. To have relationships like this is truly a blessing.
I think that’s part of what Nicodemus was looking for when he came to Jesus in the middle of the night. That’s the context for our Gospel reading today. Nicodemus was a Pharisee looking for answers. He wanted to know who Jesus was. He wanted to know more about what he taught. He wanted to know what it means to be born from above. He wanted to understand Jesus better.
But Nicodemus didn’t come to Jesus in the day, he didn’t come when the sun was shining, he came under cover of night.. There has been much speculation on why. Could it be that Nicodemus feared the judgment of others, of his peers? Could it be that he felt shame in not knowing the answers himself? Could it be that he didn’t know yet if he could fully trust Jesus with his whole self?
I know that sometimes, when I’m afraid to share something, when I don’t know how someone will respond, I find that nighttime helps coax the vulnerability out of me. Pillow talk, late night chats, call it what you will - but this is how my best and truest relationships have been formed. Best friends talking late into the night, sharing our hopes and dreams and fears with one another. Losing track of how late it was getting because we felt safe and secure with one another. Perhaps these intimate moments often take place at night because there is less to distract us. There isn’t the busy buzz of the day. There is just us. And a deeper awareness of who we are and our desire to share it with others. The darkness can hide our true selves, the deepest parts of ourselves. But it can also make us brave - brave enough to share. Brave enough to ask. To form deeper bonds. To approach God, open, with all that we have - asking questions - like Nicodemus approaching Jesus.
And so in the darkness, Nicodemus gets brave. And he approaches Jesus. And he gets a word on love, on condemnation, on darkness and light.
Jesus says that God loved the world so deeply, that God’s Son, Jesus, who was in fact God’s self who took on flesh, was given as a gift of love to the world.
A gift of Love. A gift of God’s self, love incarnate.
God was given as a gift of love, not to condemn the world, not to bring shame to people, not to judge - but so that they might know love. And that they might know what it feels like to be fully known and to know love.
Jesus says - “The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
When we think of the darkness as Jesus references it here - think of it as the things you hide. Things you’re afraid to admit. The things you’re ashamed of. And Jesus uses the word evil - so yes, even that. Even our sins, those times and ways we’ve messed up, haven’t gotten it right, hurt ourselves or others. And, sometimes, if we’re being honest: we like the cover of darkness. Because it brings safety. It can be vulnerable to bring our stuff, our deepest parts of ourselves to the light. What if we open up, what if we share and instead of being met with love and acceptance - we are judged, shamed, and rejected? It’s scary. It can be easier to stay in the darkness. We can try and keep our truest and deepest selves hidden away...but in God, the God who is Love, the God who is Light, the God who came not to condemn but saves - in that God, all is seen. All will be revealed. Light shines into our darkness.
And if we allow it to, if we open up even the most hidden, tucked away parts of ourselves - if we know that God wants to open ourselves up to be fully seen by God, to shine light into all our darkness, we can experience the amazing and overwhelming love that comes from being fully seen and loved any way. Because that’s the love that Jesus has for us.
In our reading from Ephesians today, the letter writer says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Love, like grace, is a gift, freely given. A gift that we can do nothing to earn or deserve. A gift that we’re given even when - and especially when - we open our full and true selves up to God.
My favorite theological concept is prevenient grace - the grace that goes before. The grace that is there before we even know that there is grace to be had. Love and grace can be used interchangeably here - for Grace is any way God acts in this world and God always acts with Love.
There is love to be had, love for the deepest, most hidden parts of us. Love for the good. Love for the bad. Love that loves no matter what. Nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing we can do to have it taken away - The God who is Love is always, constantly, continuingly, offering unconditional love and inviting us to partake, to be fully known, and fully loved by God. We have nothing to hide in the light and love of God.
If we can experience the wonderful joy of being known and loved by those in our life - spouses, family, best friends - how much more wonderful and deep is the joy of being fully known and loved by God - the God who knows us intimately. The God who knows every part of us. The God who knit us in our mothers wombs, sees us in daylight and in the dark of night, and will welcome us into our eternal homes.
And so my prayer, my blessing, for you is - May you be known. May you allow yourself to be seen, fully and truly, by the God who is Love. Open yourself up, bring all you are, good, bad, everything in between, bring it before God, and may you experience not shame, not judgment, not fear - but grace and love, gifts freely given.
Amen.
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