I thought my heart was death chilled,
I thought its fires were cold;
But the new love, the new love,
It warmeth like the old.
I thought its rooms were shadowed
With the gloom of endless night;
But the new love, the new love,
It fills them full of light.
There are phases in life where the day just is another day; a week just another week. After a separation from a partner or in the midst of burnout. Or after a long night at the bar upon waking up in the morning. Perhaps, this is such a moment for the lyric I in Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s poem “The New Love.” It is a time of solitude and grey everyday life for this lyric I. it does not seem like it is just a beloved person that is gone but a life, a past full of memories that lead to grief and the wish for a new love – and a new life. In those moments of routine, one may be inclined to think “is this it? Life?” or “Life sucks” – in those moments, certainly! What would one give for a fresh start, a new life somewhere else. New life, new name, new apartment – or at least, new apartment decoration?
I thought the chambers empty,
And proclaimed it unto men;
But the new love, the new love,
It peoples them again.
“I need a new chapter” – It sounds like in the movies, like in Mrs. Doubtfire where the main character Daniel Hillard wishes for his family to take a vacation, forget their problems, and start over. Or Jack in Titanic who wishes to start a new life in America. How often do we watch movies or read fiction where the main character decides to “start over” in a new city, perhaps with a new name, and a new love? It often seems like fleeing one’s own problems but it also offers a new chance, a new life, and often, a new identity. Of course, we can change our identity as much as we want – we remain the same person, with the same biography and experiences in our memories.
Jesus talks about life, and new life in him for those who follow Jesus. One day, a person called Nicodemus visits Jesus. He is a Pharisee. He belongs to the class of teachers who oppose Jesus’ teachings and visits Jesus one night. How can we think of being born twice? Perhaps, Nicodemus is trying to interrogate Jesus, when he asks ““How should we think of the new life you are preaching?” Is he trying to mock Jesus. Is he trying to trap Jesus into saying something he shouldn’t say? This would not be unusual – Nicodemus’s colleagues would do that to determine whether Jesus aligns with teachings at the Temple. Or is Nicodemus intrigued and curious about what Jesus has to say? It seems Nicodemus does not understand how we can think of a second birth in life – Crawling back into the mother’s womb? That sounds odd – we are already born, after all! Jesus’ answer is a surprise to him: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”
I thought the chambers empty,
And proclaimed it unto men;
But the new love, the new love,
It peoples them again.
“Born again” – What Jesus says here is a reference for many Christians on the evangelical spectrum to refer to the status of people after their baptism. They also are referred to as “born-again-Christians.” The Jesus in John’s Gospel references his own baptism with Spirit and water, which marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. For the Gospel writer John, this new life in Jesus has a specific form of being baptized into the community. A new life, away from the old, was awaiting them. Not just a new chapter but a new life, and a new identity as ‘Christian.”
“No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit.”
The water of baptism marks the new birth. We get immersed in the lethal water that washes away the past, it is a symbol of danger and death, and it is the symbol of life and fertility. We emerge out of the water, with the past behind us, washed away, and killed by the water, and we come back to a new life, a new chapter. The empty chambers in Wilcox’s poem would be repeopled. Life again. And this rite becomes the sign of being a follower of Jesus. Life begins in Jesus, through Jesus at baptism.
It is no coincidence that this passage of Nicodemus’ question became the pericope for today for a thousand years. We will see that, until Easter, we hear stories of John referencing water and baptism because it was on Easter Sunday when those who sought to be followers in Jesus, the Catechumens” were baptized into the community. So, during Lent, they would receive all the instructions on what it means to be baptized in God’s name – in Jesus’ name.
Then here is to the new love,
Let who will sing the old;
The new love, the new love,
‘Tis more than fame or gold.
For it gives us joy for sorrow,
And it gives us warmth for cold;
Oh! the new love, the new love,
‘Tis better than the old.
We watch those movies, we often see that the people themselves don’t really change in their character. However, the water of baptism does change us. Perhaps, it doesn’t change our personality. But it does change our identity: We become aligned not just with the Christian ministry to work toward this promise of God’s kingdom; we also become aligned with each other as a community. When I am in a conversation about baptism with my students, I often hear the question whether I truly believe that this water changes anything on us, or whether I believe that in this moment the spirit comes down and does something magical. And I always say “yes and no.” Baptisms “stage”, if you wish, a covenant that God makes with us. This covenant is a symbol, a sign of this covenant that we show to each other. However, baptism also symbolizes a covenant of the individual with the church. We baptize people with the community present, and in the community. As a Christian, the importance lies within our community of those who seek to help implement God’s kingdom on earth. As such, it is a covenant between people. In this sense, yes – something happens. No magic – better: Life! Amen.
