Day 2 – New Birth: Grace Makes Us New
Scripture: John 3:1-17
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Perhaps he wanted privacy. Nicodemus was respected, educated, religious, and influential. Being seen seeking advice from the controversial teacher from Nazareth could have raised uncomfortable questions, but Nicodemus had questions. Jesus told him, “You must be born from above.” Nicodemus was understandably confused. How could someone begin life again? Jesus was not talking about returning to infancy. He was talking about a work of God so profound that the best description for it is new birth.
The story of John Newton gives us a powerful example of this New Birth. Newton is remembered today as the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” But the early chapters of his life were anything but admirable. As a young man, Newton lived recklessly and eventually became involved in the transatlantic slave trade. During a violent storm at sea in 1748, believing his ship might sink, Newton cried out to God for mercy.
He later regarded that experience as an important turning point in his faith, but Newton’s transformation did not occur all at once. Over time, his life moved in a radically different direction. He eventually left the slave trade, became an Anglican minister, and later spoke publicly against slavery. The man who had participated in a terrible evil became increasingly aware of both the depth of human sin and the astonishing reach of God's mercy. That is why the words associated with Newton remain so powerful: grace had found someone who knew he was lost.
New birth does not mean we simply become slightly nicer versions of ourselves. It means God's grace begins creating something new within us. Our priorities change. Our desires change. Our relationship with God changes. Sometimes the transformation is dramatic. More often, it unfolds gradually as the Holy Spirit continues reshaping us. That is good news because none of us is trapped by our past. You may have regrets. You may wish you could rewrite part of your story. You may look at some part of your life and think, “That is simply who I am.” The gospel says otherwise. Christ gives us a future.
At St. Andrew UMC, we want to be a congregation where people can encounter that transforming grace. Church should never be a museum displaying people who have always gotten everything right. It should be a community filled with people whom God is making new. God's grace meets us as we are, but grace loves us too much to leave us there.
Next Step: Ask yourself today: Where is Christ inviting something new to be born in me? Identify one habit, attitude, relationship, or priority that needs transformation, and ask the Holy Spirit to begin renewing it.
