Wind-borne Christians

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. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’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 3:5-8 NRSVue

 There was a wind warning in Southern Ontario yesterday and in our area the strong breezed were accompanied by record rainfall. This wasn't Newfoundland wind, mind you, nor a hurricane or cyclone but everything outside was dancing. 

We know that wind can be destructive and in the Anthropocene wind events occur which catch people off guard. This past summer there was a derecho, a mighty path of winds across the province which caused widespread damage and knocked down tens of thousands of trees. Until recent years most of hadn't heard of a derecho, or at least I hadn't.

Wind can also be a positive force in many aspects, including drying clothes on a line. I've written before that we are the only home in our neighbourhood with a clothesline and those around us have commented that seeing our stuff flapping in the breeze brings back warm memories from earlier in life. Some municipalities banned clotheslines as unsightly, a bizarre beaurocratic over-reach, but most have relented. 

Ruth fell in love with using a clothesline when we lived in outport Newfoundland where it was nearly always windy and most people did their washing and drying on the same day of the week.The irony of the hooked rug pictured above is that I bought it for Ruth on Fogo Island where laundry rarely hung as depicted.  She adopted the practice of an orderly array of items along the line. Over time she has collected images of clotheslines, at least two dozen which hang just inside our front door. 

We have hung Tibetan prayer flags along our clothesline which has peaked the curiosity of neighbours as well. Ruth figures that a line of laundry is a form of prayer, as well as an environmental statement. 

Jesus had a night-time conversation with a man named Nicodemus who was curious about a new rabbi and his teachings but thoroughly confused by the metaphors he use. The notion of having a second birth or being "born again" was original and powerful but has been petrified in some Christian circles, sad to say. 

What if we encouraged one another to become "wind born" or, perhaps better, "wind borne" in keeping with what Jesus had to say about the transforming work of the Holy Spirit? Advent ushers us into a new Christian year of possibilities, even in these uncertain days. Who knows where we will land?