CORINTH

Sermon Notes

 

“Puzzle Pieces”

March 1, 2026

(Psalm 121, John 3:1-17)

     Imagine holding just 1 piece of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.  Are you able to tell what the puzzle looks like?  Of course not, after all-you’re just holding one piece.  The “big picture” is a mystery.  This is where we find Nicodemus this morning.  Nicodemus, a pharisee, has engaged in conversation with Jesus; he is confused about his teaching and identity.  This isn’t surprising, since pharisees understand finding God while being in faithful relationship to be all about following the Mosaic Law.  Jesus seems to be taking things in another direction.

     As their conversation goes forward, Jesus refers to being “born again.” Nicodemus takes these words literally; “How can a man return to his mother’s womb?”   Nicodemus isn’t seeing the whole picture.  Jesus works with the pharisee, handing him pieces of the puzzle to aid him in seeing a new picture.  The passage doesn’t ultimately reveal if Nicodemus has a breakthrough, perhaps the work was ongoing for him.

     We find some puzzle pieces coming together in the Psalm reading, aiding us with understanding God’s nature, eventually revealed in the incarnation-Jesus.  In the psalm (an “ascent” psalm typically sung as pilgrims climbed upward toward the temple in Jerusalem) the author provides for us pieces of the puzzle: God helps us (V2), keeps us from slipping (V3), and is our protector (VV5-8.)

     Today we hold our own puzzle pieces. There are times it seems we can see the “whole picture” of Jesus, of God’s plan and intention for us.  Then something happens, we question, we’re back to holding just one piece of the puzzle.  The work of the church is for each of us to work together, to learn, laugh, pray, read scripture, share conversation—when we put our puzzle pieces together, we begin to see a fuller picture.  Critical to remember: each one of us, including you, is a critically important piece of the puzzle.  Without you, our picture is incomplete.