Nicodemusly

A few weeks ago I attended a Generosity Conference at Lakeside Chautauqua in Ohio. One of the speakers was Bishop Ivan Abrahams, who is the General Secretary of the World Methodist Council. He was born in, grew up in, and currently lives in South Africa. He spoke about what made the difference in the fight against apartheid.

He said it wasn't so much what the church did - it was what individuals did - standing for what they knew was right. 

And then he used a word I had never heard before. He talked about someone doing something Nicodemusly. Consider Nicodemus in John 3. He come to see Jesus in the middle of the night to have a conversation with him. Why at night? I do think it was symbolic in John's writing - darkness versus light. But I also think he came at night because he didn't want anyone to know that he was doing what he was doing. He did it Nicodemusly. 

Do we do that? Do we do either of those things?

1. Do we approach Jesus in a way that is hidden from everyone else because we don't want to be seen acting as a "Christian?"
2. Do we do what is radical and unexpected in order to encounter Jesus?