Sounds interesting, as though you had invited Jesus to dinner and then
were retelling what he said/!
Rhonda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ariel" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2004 2:30 PM
Subject: THE CONVERSATION
> Hey, Family.
>
> You might remember me mentioning that I'm scheduled to preach on 13
January.
> I was planning on doing an involved study on how "Everything Old is New
> Again", but after thinking about it I thought it might be better to do
> something simple but unusual. To get back to basics in an unusual way
since
> it will be a jaded audience of all preachers. So I thought I'd do a little
> one-man drama where I walk into the room (maybe dressed in a white robe)
and
> start speaking to the congregation as if it is one person. Let me know if
> you think this can be pulled off or if it's too strange. Smile. So
imagine
> I walk into the room in my white robe, sit down at a table facing the
> congregation and say...
>
> "Hello, my friend! I'm glad you made it back from your trip before sunset
> and could come to see me. Too bad you weren't here yesterday. What a
time
> you missed! I invited that young rabbi for a meal...You know, the one
that
> does all those amazing things but is so strange, so I planned to find out
> the truth about him or put him in his place, once and for all.
>
> So, he shows up at my door with a group of his friends including a woman
of
> all things. That woman that has the reputation for bringing a good time
> with her, if you know what I mean. But who am I to turn them away? So I
> invite them in and could they eat! They were eating me out of house and
> home I tell you. And all the time the Rabbi is talking to me about his
> father. Why I couldn't get a word in. ...His father this, his father
that,
> and that I could have his father for my father. That I could have GOD for
> my father!!
>
> Imagine the madness! Ha! He should have known MY father. Then he could
> find out...But you know, in a strange way, it was as if he did. It was
like
> he did know...It was like he knew all about me...imagine...Imagine to
really
> have GOD as our father and to start all new...all new...
>
> Ah, but it's madness! Madness. So I told him so, told him straight out
to
> take his sinner friends and go...
>
> Nicodemus! Nicodemus, come back...It's dark, Nicodemus...Where are you
> going? It's too late! It's too late!
>
> (Reading from John 3:1 thru 18)
>
> Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews;
> this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You
> have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do
> unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I
> say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
> Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot
> enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus
> answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
> Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
> flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be
> amazed that I said to you, `You must be born again.' The wind blows where
it
> wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from
and
> where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus
said
> to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are
you
> the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I
> say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and
> you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do
not
> believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has
> ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As
> Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man
> be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For
> God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
> believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not
> send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might
be
> saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not
> believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name
of
> the only begotten Son of God."
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