How can anyone be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. John 3:4

Jesus, our Wise Teacher,

Although we may not like to think of ourselves as Pharisees, 

we, like Nicodemus express our confusion about your teaching. 

How indeed can we be born again? 

How can we become like babies again?

You tell Nicodemus (and us) 

that we can’t see (or understand) the kingdom of God 

unless we are born again (See John 3:3). 

You tell Nicodemus (and us) 

that we must be born of the Spirit, 

who transforms us, 

growing us up in you, 

just as a baby learns to nurse and crawl and sleep. 

In another place, you tell your disciples 

they must become like little children 

to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). 

Jesus, although this is a child-centric society we live in, 

we confess, we don’t really want to be like little babies, 

completely reliant on you to feed, clothe, and change us, 

not to mention to lead us to rest.

Jesus, although this is a child-centric society we live in, 

we confess, we don’t want to become like little children, 

who don’t have the freedom to go where they want when they want, 

who need adults to put food on the table and to tell us when to go to bed.

Help us, we pray, 

to submit to rebirth, 

to submit to becoming 

like utterly dependent babies and children, 

that we might truly understand what it means 

to be loved by you, 

to be secure in your care.

Amen.

Read John 3:1-15.