Monday (Epiphany 2 Year 2)
Commemoration of Agnes
Today’s assigned readings:
Genesis 8:6-22, Hebrews 4:14-5:6, John 2:23-3:15
Dear Friends,
Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5-6,8
The footnotes in the NRSV remind us that the Greek uses the exact same word for “wind” and “spirit”. So it is really up to the bias of the translator. It could just as easily be: Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit… The Spirit blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Or, even better:
Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and wind. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the wind is wind… The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the wind.
In fact, translating them all as “spirit” makes no sense - for the spirit doesn’t blow with a sound. But the wind does. But rendering all the words as “wind” does make sense. It takes the magical quality out of the quote, but it makes sense.
Why?
Because of the four elements in the ancient world. Born of water and wind is of a polarity: water is considered female and related to the west, sunset and death. Air is considered male and related to the east, sunrise and birth. It’s a complete set!
In fact, Jesus’ question “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?” makes sense if we’re talking about “Water and Wind”. It makes no sense the other way for he is revealing a “new doctrine” so his comment to Nicodemus would be out of place and snarky.
Today, I feel born of wind.
Tonight I will go to work at the Recovery Centre where I’ve worked for 3.5 years. It will be my last shift. I will pack up my locker and come home. Yesterday the rector told the Vestry that I was leaving. I can’t imagine in what context that came up, but all the vestry and clergy came to me after mass with expressions of regret and loss. That was very touching as I had no idea that the parish was terribly aware that I was there at all. (I’ve only been attending St Mary’s for 9 months or so.)
I’m moving to Buffalo in a couple of weeks. Most of my smaller possessions are already in boxes. I’ve got a rocking chair that will be given to some friends and a bed that I’ve got to get rid of. Everything else will go into a storage unit. And then I’ll drive away in the used 1996 Saturn I just bought.
Whoosh!
I feel very rootless, like something born of water and wind. I list, I drift, I gust. But I’m never very still.
I’m still not sure if this is a good thing. My boyfriend has lived in the same place most of his life. He’s had the same friends since grade school, the same growing social circle or artists and musicians. I totally envy his life, his place, his roots. One major benefit of moving: is to be near him and to be grafted in to that root system. To finally make a place, a home, a centre, a life.
But I’ve had a good life prior to that! And I’ve felt at home in all sorts of places: although I wonder where those places are now, those people. I’m not very good at holding on.
I’m sure Jesus wasn’t talking to Nicodemus about moving too much: most folks in Jesus’ day rarely got further than the local market town. St Paul travelled so much to spread the gospel. But Jesus didn’t: he staid put. The other apostles? All over the world. But most folks, not so much.
I’m moving because of love: and because it feels right, and because I think I need to, and because…
Whoosh.
Much love,
Huw