2nd Sunday in Lent, Year A. March 1, 2026
John 3:1-17
Rev. Misa Furumoto
We entered March, and it is the Second Sunday in Lent season. Spring is around the corner. The plum blossoms are already in full bloom, and the cherry blossoms are beginning to form their buds. During winter, the trees looked lifeless. But now we see that they were alive all along. They were quietly preparing for new life.
Every year at this time, I feel a deep sense of wonder. In Lent, we walk toward Easter. We think about suffering, the cross, and resurrection. And this journey from death to life happens at the same time as nature moves from winter to spring.
Ice does not try hard to melt. Flowers do not struggle to bloom. Spring is given.
And today’s Gospel speaks about being “born again.” In John chapter 3, we meet a man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, a religious leader. He was serious about his faith. He followed the law. He tried to live correctly. We might call him a “religious expert.”
But he comes to Jesus at night. Why at night? Maybe he was afraid of what others would think. Or maybe night shows something about his heart. Maybe he was confused. Maybe he felt something was missing. He might have been thinking: “I am doing everything right… but why do I still feel empty?” “Is there something more?” “Am I really okay with God?”
Jesus says to him: “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus is confused. “How can someone be born again?” He thinks Jesus is talking about starting over by his own effort. Trying harder. Doing better. Becoming a better person.
But Jesus is not talking about self-improvement. He says, “born of water and the Spirit.” This means new life begins from God, not from us.
Then we hear the most famous verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”
Notice the order. God loved first. God gave first. God acted first.
Not because we were good enough. Not because we tried hard enough. Not because we deserved it. God loved the world. And “the world” includes you.
Today we also heard from Genesis. God called Abram who will become Abraham later, to leave his home and go to a new land. Abram did not know where he was going. He was not chosen because he was perfect. He simply trusted God.
And in Romans, Paul explains that Abraham was made righteous not by his works, but by faith. Not by effort. But by trust.
Many of us live in a world where we constantly feel pressure. We compare ourselves to others. On social media, we see success, beauty, talent. At school or work, we are told to achieve more, improve more, be better.
Slowly we begin to think: “If I am not improving, I am failing.” “If I am not strong, I am not enough.” “If I am not changing, God must be disappointed.”
But today’s Gospel says something different. To be born again is not about becoming impressive. It is about receiving love.
Lent is traditionally a time to prepare people for baptism. Since the early Christianity period, those who wanted to be baptized at Easter have used this season to prepare their hearts.
But Lent is also for those who are already baptized. Baptism is not a certificate that says, “Now I am perfect.” It is God’s declaration: “You belong to me.”
When we were baptized, God claimed us. God promised never to let us go.
Even now, when we feel weak. Even now, when we doubt. And even now, when we are disappointed in ourselves.
Later in John’s Gospel, Nicodemus appears again. When Jesus is crucified, Nicodemus comes into the light. He helps prepare Jesus’ body for burial. The man who came in the dark now stands openly at the cross. Faith often grows slowly. It is not a dramatic overnight change. It is God patiently working in us over time. Baptism is not just something that happened in the past. It is a living promise that continues today.
You may not feel very different. You may still struggle. You may still have questions. But God has not let go of you. “For God so loved the world.” That means you are loved. Before you improve. Before you succeed. Before you fix yourself. Lent is not a season to punish ourselves. It is a season to return to the truth: We are already loved. Just as spring comes as a gift, new life in Christ is also a gift.
We do not make ourselves born again. God gives us life. Even when we feel like it is still winter inside, God is already preparing spring. Let us trust that love. And let us walk through this Lent knowing that we belong to God.
In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
