Birthing a New Person
‘Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind’ these words spoken by the man born blind in John Chapter 9 are loaded with meaning. He was in effect saying - ‘I was born again, this time I was born with sight’. This shouldn’t surprise us since Jesus had earlier said to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 - Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Earlier Jesus had told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.
Yesterday we explored the words ‘Conversion and Transformation’. We understood that Jesus breaks into our lives, when we least expect it, ‘Conversion experiences’. And these experiences are followed by long periods of ‘Transformation’. Today we can interpret these words as a metaphorical birthing of a new person, a conception followed by pregnancy and birth.
To be born again as a new person is both discomforting and joyfully anticipative. It requires slowly letting go of the past and the familiar, while welcoming in the new and the possible opportunities. It requires us to traverse a liminal space. A liminal space refers to the place a person is in during a transitional period. It’s a gap, and can be physical, emotional or metaphorical.
“This is where one thing ends and another is about to begin, but you are not quite there yet, you are in the space between,” says New York-based mindset expert Kirsten Franklin, a transformation coach who works regularly with professional athletes and high-level executives.
In John 9: 39 Jesus goes on to say ‘I came into this world…so that those who do not see may see’. Jesus likens the old person as blind and the new person as being able to see. The Gospel is calling us to a transformative journey to new sight. We begin to see ourselves, our spouse, family and friends in a new more connected way. We see our vocation, our calling, our purpose in a new more meaningful way. We are being called to be Kingdom Builders, persons on a mission to transform our world.
This encompasses embodying Christ's love, compassion, and justice, serving sacrificially, sharing the Gospel, advocating for righteousness, and fervently praying for God's guidance and intervention.
It involves personal transformation, leading to a life of holiness and integrity, and actively participating in God's redemptive work to bring hope, healing, and reconciliation to a broken world. Ultimately, it's about being agents of positive change, reflecting the values of the Kingdom of God, and spreading His transformative love to all corners of society.