The Barefoot Evangelist

Read John 3:1-17 with your family.

This week we meet Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, which meant he worked at the Temple in Jerusalem and he was surrounded by others who looked at Jesus with a great deal of suspicion and anger. However, Nicodemus was curious. He wanted to understand what Jesus was talking about.

At night, when no one was awake to see him, Nicodemus had his chance to talk with Jesus.

Jesus and Nicodemus talked about something surprising – Jesus said that to understand and be close to God, we need a new kind of life. He used the phrase “born again” or “born from above”, but Nicodemus was confused because he thought Jesus meant going back into his mother’s tummy. Jesus was actually talking about something different – a new beginning inside your heart and life, led by God’s Spirit. 

Being born again doesn’t mean starting over like a baby. It means opening your heart to God’s love in a way that helps you see the world with fresh eyes, and live with kindness, curiosity, and compassion. Just like a seed grows into a plant in a way we can’t fully see happening, this kind of new life is about what’s happening inside you, with God’s Spirit guiding you.

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