I am sure there are parts of the story well known to you. It is in this exchange that we get John 3:16 - what may be the most memorized verse of the Christian scriptures. The clarity of that verse aside, most of the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus is confusing. They seem to almost be talking past one another. It seems at times as if each has their talking points and regardless of what the other says, they stick with what they came to communicate.
There are times when we do tend to talk past one another. Even the most well worn and rehearsed exchanges can fail to connect or answer the longing being expressed.
Such thoughts occurred to me last Wednesday, as I sat on Cox Plaza ready to extend the imposition of ashes to any who desired to receive them. The simple liturgical rite of ashes carries the promise of God's forgiveness and the assurance of God's guidance as we move through the difficult days ahead. And yet, most of those who passed were not interested. I do not blame them; I am only reflecting on the disconnect between what I was there to communicate and what seemed to be occurring.
(Let me add that many did stop, and I had amazing conversations with folks who didn't know what Ash Wednesday was.)
As Jesus' workers in the world, let's be aware of how disconnected the offer can be from the receptors prevalent in our culture. As Jesus' workers in the world, let's take upon ourselves the burden of how the divide has come to be. As Jesus' workers in the world, let's learn to listen better and therefore to hear what is being said to us - and never let what we may be so eager to say drown out what it is that we ought to hear.
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