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“seeing” as vital to TheForty

March 30, 2009

Posted in: livetheforty

last night we poured over the night encounter of Nicodemus & Jesus night.  we explored a reading of the passage where the words of Jesus were affirming to Nicodemus’ observations - that God was involved with all that Jesus was teaching and doing.  

standout for us was this phrase, from Jesus, “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (my emphasis)

IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Tim Lowly’s “Viewer”

What are we seeing?  The Kingdom of God (God’s restorative work & presence) is breaking through presently… this kingdom of God reality often so collides with our understanding of life - that it causes a backlash, a vertigo that is very much part of the process of entering and growth in life with God.  

is anyone there?

the process - is likened to being born again.  it’s the process of emerging into a new way of viewing life, living life, and encountering the One True God.  it’s a birth process going on - perpetually.  And God like a Laboring Mother of all of Creation of all of humanity . . . 

Debbie Blue, in Sensual Orthodoxy, helps us dive into this facet/image of God being the one who births (not us) . . . “Maybe we’re being born. Again.  Maybe the spirit really does move and blow.  Maybe it’s happening all around us all the time.  Maybe God is saving the world.  Maybe there’s groaning and blood and pain in the birthing process and maybe it doesn’t feel like being in the womb.  And maybe it isn’t always a nice warm breeze but thank God for breath and life and for enduring the pain . . .  - it’s part of God’s labor for us, with us, that God became human and lived and died on the cross, and through this process which involves God’s suffering, humiliation, and pain, humanity is born again.  And he invites us to believe in this.  It’s the labor process.  In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God brings life to the world.  God births children.”