Today is Trinity Sunday…we celebrate the three musketeers that are God three for all and all are one…It is a bit confusing.  What makes it more confusing is for some it is a core theological belief for others …well they believe in God, period. 

“There is a foundation-shaking reality behind our words and our actions in worship, an utter holiness beneath our feeble attempts to pray and praise such an awesome God. How do our liturgy and the beauty of our sanctuaries even begin to touch the hem of such a robe?”[1]

… I wonder how the text speaks to those in our congregation? how do we address this question of being born again? I know for some of us it may get our hair to stand on end for this term alone has and is a weapon used by other Christian groups to separate themselves from the pack claiming their way is the only way.

I also wonder how this text is heard by those who are beyond our walls, those not--or no longer--part of a community of faith; does this trigger in them what it triggers in me? I know people outside of faith communities experienced God's holiness and God's nearness in other ways and other images. Indeed, how much is God a part of our everyday thoughts? How much time and energy have we given to expanding and deepening our understanding of God, our images of God, our experience of God?

According to Henry G. Brinton, "Our problem today is not that we grasp too much of God, but that we experience too little of God. But if we expand our hearts and minds so that we may encounter God in fresh ways, then we discover a Lord who is extraordinary, not ordinary" [2]

So let us examine Nicodemus who is invited to see God in a new and different way…

Nicodemus. He was, we are told, a leader in his community.

We do not know much about him.

Maybe he was a lawyer, schooled in the tradition of his people. If so, he would have been a senior partner in the leading law firm in Jerusalem, with all the posh perks and a candidate to be a character in a john Grisham novel.

Likely he was an intellectual, perhaps an academic. If so, he would have been not only tenured, but a distinguished professor with a string of publications and an impressive series of academic lectureships. – Bob?

But then again, he could have been a major political leader in Jerusalem, no doubt, with his own political action committee, and all the funding at his disposal that he could have wanted.

In another setting he might have been a corporate CEO, well connected, with access to all levels of power, plus enough stock options to live carefully close to scandal, but always careful enough to stay clear. He could teach a few of our leaders today a lesson or two.

There is no evidence, we just don’t know but I wonder what it would have been like in downtown Jerusalem if he had been a reality star, successful, a handsome man, with endless promotional enterprises, always trending the latest looks, always trending on social media maybe with a big -time, multiyear contract.

Well, we don’t know. All that we know is that he is a very big, somebody important. Like all important people, his actions are very public, under public scrutiny and endlessly reported.

As the story goes, one night this important man went to a secret rendezvous. He instructed his secretary to get the limo with a trustworthy driver.  You know one who will keep everything very hush. It might have worked too except he had been spotted and it was reported that “He came to Jesus at night.” Can’t you just see it…this big limo pulling up in front of some little mud and straw hut where Jesus was staying in Jerusalem.  Jesus was there for Passover and in this Gospel, he had literally just cleared the Temple.  Perhaps this is another reason for the secrecy.

So now we have this dramatic meeting between Nicodemus, an important man in the Jewish community, in Jerusalem, and Jesus. Maybe he went to see Jesus out of curiosity. Perhaps the story of Cana had moved him.  Maybe he understood Jesus’ reaction at the temple and wanted to learn more. This is a huge public risk for Nicodemus that he comes in the cover of night…there must be something more…. Walter Brueggemann says of Nicodemus “he had everything, and he wondered, ‘Is that all there is? Is there something more? Is there something different?  Am I on the right track?’”[3] Well, what would that motivation be for such an important man to take such a risk? Brueggemann says; “it must have been a gnaw about reality.”[4]

Now there is a turn of phrase one doesn’t hear these days a gnaw about reality! It means that well Life was getting him down. He was greatly or deeply trouble perhaps even to a point of anguish or despair.

So, Nicodemus enters this shadowy room, no lights, only an oil lamp.  In the best of all pastoral sense …Jesus waits. Nicodemus hesitates, he knows once he starts to ask questions, he just might get answers. So, he starts off safe; “I have heard about you. I have heard about your water-to-wine miracle, but I have also heard about your teaching. I have the impression, good sir, that what you are doing is very odd and very special. I just wondered about it, because what you do sounds to me like the presence of God. We Jewish scholars of tradition know that God alone can do such things. Can you help me here?”[5] It is almost as if Nicodemus is seeking and affirmation of what he holds to be true…you know the old I believe this is what is happening right ok good.

But Jesus can see deeper.  Jesus knows that Nicodemus is seeking more than affirmation.  He can sense the yearning within Nicodemus and gets past his resume, gets past his superficial acknowledgements and aims straight for his deeper questions.  That deeper sense of there is something more to this life that is gnawing at Nicodemus’ heart. Jesus looks at him, Jesus looks in him, with a deep spiritual seeing and says, “You got to start over! You’ve got to be reborn. You need to be made anew.  Born again! Born form above! You must become vulnerable and innocent and see the world with a sense of wonder and awe as through the eyes of a child. You need to forget the earthly things that bind you. Your job, your trophies, your diplomas, your money, and your reputation. You must let all that go. Get it out of your head so that you may see the wonder that is the gift of God. You see me do miracles. I do them, because I have given up self.  I have given up that self-centeredness that is tied to this existence and connected my life to God in such a way that power comes to me through me from God because of my emptiness. This is how it works with me and God and this is the invitation to you as well. Start over in vulnerability and innocence and awe and wonder. The way you are living now cuts you off, your sureness, your arrogant security keeps you from all the gifts of life for which you so much yearn.”

There is a long pause.  Jesus waits.  Nicodemus’ face gets kind of screwed up as he thinks this over.   “This is not possible”, Nicodemus exclaims!” What he says is being biologically born again is impossible but what he is actually thinking is …you, you, Jesus are asking too much; I cannot give it all up. What he feels is a cold sense of alienation and impotence, a wish for newness, but afraid of what it all means. He says thinking biologically, but wondering socially “How can that be?” The question sounds like a conclusion: it could not be …could it?

Almost as if he is reading his mind Jesus says again “You have to start over.” Nicodemus, confused, sits in silence waiting for more from Jesus. In spiritual direction I have a practice that when someone says something simple and sweet I, will say nothing but wait, wait for the more to come. Nicodemus waits, and Jesus goes on using Hebrew… “It’s like the wind. You cannot make it blow; but when it does blow, you cannot stop it.”

Jesus was playing with words.  Jesus knew that Nicodemus would understand that the Hebrew word for wind and spirit were one in the same, ruah:

“You do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (v.8)

Nicodemus is just more confused than ever.  Then in the midst of his confusion Jesus says…Well The only one who has access to this is me. I am the one who comes from God and I, the son of man, will be lifted up (v14).

“The phrase, ‘Lifted up’, in the fourth Gospel, means lifted on the cross, made high in elevation by crucifixion. (I would argue it means to be lifted high through resurrection via crucifixion). The spirit is the power of God that enables us to contradict the world and the world’s expectations, and to sign on for the innocence and vulnerability and dependence…and freedom …that had not been, someone free for God’s way in the world, someone not captive to the pressures and demands and dictions of the world , someone called by God to be their true self, powered by the wind, dazzled by the (resurrected) one, as innocent as one born…again.”[6]

People do not see it, but this is a perfect text for Trinity Sunday.  Jesus addresses the Spirit, Himself and God. And the midst of the concept of Trinity that scholars and theologians try to explain and create doctrine about ...we stand with Nicodemus!

We stand with Nicodemus in our confusion about it all.  We stand in our need to get past this…Past this world that is so broken, the world cries for love every day and so we…we stand with Nicodemus with his question is this all there is …. we try and try and yet there is always more and where do we turn where are we called….

“Wait for the wind that will blow you to freedom;

and watch for the one lifted up in our midst.”[7]

Now that secret meeting is over.  Nicodemus gets back into his limo, but he is not the same man as when he stepped out. Who could be after a meeting with Jesus.  Nicodemus knows there is work to be done.  If we follow the limo we might see it stop by a beggar on the street and instead of just tossing some coins out a window we see the passenger get out and walk into a local tavern with the man as they sit, talk and order a meal. Throughout the meal he had these odd words running through his  head.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that one who believes in him may have eternal life. (v.16)

Nicodemus understands that this is not an easy mantra but an invitation, and invitation to be reborn, innocent, vulnerable, open to the movement of the wind, with his heart moving towards the unseen, towards the resurrection.  The world seemed open now, the way he saw the world was completely contradicted by this new way of being.  As he took some water to share with his new-found friend, he could not help but wonder if, as he poured, it might turn to wine. He wondered if in the bread they shared, there might be new life. He was awe struck as an innocent child seeing the world anew as for the first time with all its possibilities.

So, we stand with Nicodemus in this wonder of trinity.  In this wonder of God emptied into a man who walked and experienced all of life as fully as possible.  A man who was crucified as a common criminal and yet was lifted high in the resurrection as the glorified Christ.  Who sent the spirit, the comforter which is in this room as we speak.  Stirring our hearts and our minds towards new birth and new ways of being.

It is a calling into relationship with God the creator, Jesus the Christ and the holy spirit.  That is the trinity, but it is funny because the trinity doesn’t work without us. We have been invited into this sacred dance.  This spiritual whirlwind if you will, we are caught up in the dance.

It is through this dance that we are fed spiritually and challenged to grow.  We are called to share the news of this spirit that God loves you.  No matter who you are, rich man, educated woman, beautifully transgendered person or something in between. It just doesn’t matter.

This is a radically strange and beautiful thing to be Christian.  To be born of spirit and water. 

The water being the physical outward sign that we are part of something, a community.  A nice, neat package we are the United Church of Christ Bradenton.  I have my membership.  It doesn’t matter if you were originally received into membership in the Baptist church or the catholic or any other Christian church, all count as we proclaim one baptism.

Then comes the born of spirit part.  The born of spirit part is the challenge.  For it is the spirit who troubles the water. It moves us outside of these walls.  It calls us to do so much more than just Sunday. It calls us out to participate and share the good news. The Good news that each and everyone is loved.

One of the things we do is we have the basket in the back for the food pantry.  I see that fill up nicely.  I wonder, just wondering out loud, what if we had our own food pantry?  What would that take to make a reality? Is it needed here int his location?

 I am wondering this is just a thought for exploration. Can we do a community supper or lunch maybe once a quarter that is for our communities here and friends and neighbors.  2 congregations, a school and their families, one meal free to anyone who wishes to come? This literally just came to me as I am writing this.

There is a habitat for humanity manatee. Here in Bradenton, they have the number one Restore shop in Florida and #3 in the USA. Might we as a congregation offer some volunteer time in the store or see if they have a build coming up that we can participate in.

I pray that the spirit is moving each and every one of you towards something new.  Perhaps it is just something new for yourself like seeking a spiritual director, maybe joining the book group in the fall, or planning the community meal.

I pray that the spirit puts something on your heart that you may see a need and we as a community can help fill it. Look around your neighborhoods, your town, where is God calling us as a congregation to make a change?  Where is the spirit leading this congregation as the loving presence of God to make a difference?

As the old song goes the spirit is a moving all over all over this land!

[1] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_may_27_2018

[2] Ditto

[3] Brueggemann, Walter. The Collected Sermons of Walter Brueggemann. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011. 284-287

[4] Ditto, 285

[5] Ditto

[6] Brueggemann, 286

[7] Brueggemann, 287

 

Today’s Gospel reading has us again abiding with, remaining in God.  Living out the Great commandment to love one another “that our Joy may be complete!” Jesus is lifting up his followers claiming and proclaiming; I no longer call you servants but “I call you friends”.    So Lovely, what a beautiful concept it calls to mind the old hymn Oh what a friend we have in Jesus…  A friend of Jesus a friend in God….

Let me share this Fred Craddock story….

Fred explains that for some reason he had never preached on this verse before and he found himself a little nervous;

“From servant to friend – do you welcome, will you accept this promotion?...

I must acknowledge that my trembling before john 15:15 has an antecedent in a sermon heard almost twenty years ago on a kindred theme: Abraham was called a friend of God James 2:23 The preacher, a large man, made painfully awkward by a number of maladies, including poor eyesight, moved to the pulpit and read in crippled speech his sermon text James 2:23.

His opening words were, “Abraham was a friend of God. I’m sure glad I am not a friend of God.” His sermon was an explanation of why he was pleased not to be a friend of God.... (Fred goes on to explain)

I cannot recall being so engaged in a sermon… He recalled the story of Abraham, pilgrim and wanderer, who, after years of homelessness, died and was buried in a land not his own. “Abraham was a friend of God,” He said; “I’m glad I’m not. “He then spoke of others who had been called friends of God, faithful in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword. He concluded with Teresa of Avila, remembered by the church as a friend of God. He recalled her begging in public to raise funds for an orphanage. After a series of setbacks- flood, storm and fire repeatedly destroying the orphanage- Teresa in her evening prayers said to God, “So this is how you treat your friends; no wonder you have so few.” The sermon closed with Counsel: if you find yourself being drawn into the inner circle of the friends of God, blessed are you. But pray for strength to bear the burden of it.”[1]

Oh what a friend we have in Jesus… Cradock’s story does make one pause

One way this Easter season can be described is "trekking through John's Gospel!" This passage is more of the same of last weeks passage it is a continuation of Jesus’ farewell speech. So, we are still on the move, called to remain in Christ’s love. To make our Home in Christ and allow Christ to make a home in us.

 

This part of Jesus’ teaching opens with as the father has loved me so I have loved you and ends with I am giving you these commandments so that you can love one another.  A Nice pair of Book ends. But the opening verse does make me ask or ponder and wonder: how has Jesus loved us as God loves Jesus? What is this mirror image supposed to tell us about Jesus' love for his people, the love in which we are to remain?

Well, there are some things we learn as we have walk with Jesus through the Gospels… “God’s love towards Jesus is demanding, full of presence and promise, rich in public displays of God's power. It prunes, cleanses, molds, forms, challenges, and supports Jesus in his ministry. This is the love of Jesus Christ in which we are invited to abide.”[2] or remain.

This is the Love we are called to live into, a love fully and completely around us at all times, Challenging us to do better, to be better. This love we are called into is full of the promise of being welcomed home into the eternal love that is God.

Jesus emphatically says this road of remaining in me consists in keeping his commandments (John 15:10). So, what is Jesus’ commandments he is requiring us to keep? This is the little trick in John…John assumes his readers and his community know the stories of Christ including the great Commandment. Jesus again urges his disciples to do this since he has kept God's commandments, and the results of such remaining, the results of that love were observable in all he did, and we can still live into that presence today!

One commentator reflects that in the first two versus of this reading we can imaging “a parent leaning over a young baby, with smiles, trying to elicit smiles, and with gestures encouraging the baby to do the same as the parent.”  Of course, how many parents recall trying to get their baby to smile and they get everything other than a smile?  Jesus knows we are human. Yet, Jesus' use of himself as the model for love, and for commandment keeping, is anchored in daily life. One imagines his encouragement: "You can do this! You can do this because I have done it, and I am here to show you how to do it."

 

“Verse 11; “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” This, this is an odd outcome, this is not one would expect to hear…the result of keeping Christs commandments is Joy--joy. And not just any joy, but the joy of Jesus the Christ, a complete joy. I would even venture to say an incomprehensible joy. But what does this mean?  What does this Joy look like? I believe it means an exuberance of faith that nothing can destroy. It means a deep-seated sense of happiness that is not merely emotion alone, but also a lively pleasure in the things of God. It is such a deep-rooted joy that even in the most challenging of times we can find a comfort or even a bit of holy sarcasm…remember Teresa’s prayer…in the face of extreme adversity she can comfortably come to God and say so this is how you treat your friends…

This passage gives a view of what we are truly called to as Christians.

These words of Jesus effectively combine human action, the fulfilling of his commandments, love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor, with a radical human emotion as their effect, Joy! remaining in Jesus the risen Lord is not a matter of grim-faced respectability or dour commandment keeping −it is a joy, a holy hilarity!

Right here is the great commandment, as Jesus reminds us is "that you love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). love one another. Jesus extends the depths and extent of this love by saying the greatest expression of love is dying for one's friends.

Let me say this… there are many ways of dying that do not require a cross.

Giving up time or a want, so that another may be happy, sacrificing a meal so another may eat, walking a little further down a road so one does not have to be alone. These are all little deaths, deaths of one’s own ego. Sacrificing of our time, talent and giving up our many ways of being self-serving and becoming self-sacrificing truly this is laying down one’s life for their friends.

Biblical commentators have pointed out some interesting issues of which to be aware of in verses 12 and 13. In these verses, Jesus is speaking of love between and among friends. What about the enemies? The strangers? Would one die for love of these as well? Well, well, well, what about that…if we love our neighbor no matter who that is…how can they be an enemy.  Often one is heard to ask who is my neighbor?  Who am I called to love, who is my friend that I am called to love? Well…mm mm…ok who is my enemy, who, I mean really who is your enemy? Who is so excluded from our world view that we can truly claim them as an enemy. In Mathew we are reminded you have heard love your neighbor, but I say love your enemies.

In this day and age, we may feel we have enemies at times, but do we really? Aren’t our true enemies empire? Perhaps our enemies are attitudes of what mine is mine and what yours is mine, or attitudes of superiority which can easily be seen in white privilege and male dominance or the way society may scapegoat a particular ethnic population. The list could go on and on. But we do not, as Christians, have people as enemies. I believe we have behaviors, attitudes and egos to resist and hearts and minds to change!

 Jesus reminds us “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”, Jesus then clarifies how he regards his disciples. They are not strangers, nor merely disciples, and certainly not just servants: they are friends.

Jesus notes the reason he calls them "friends" is he has shared the riches of all he has with them, in terms of his relationship with God. "I have made known to you everything..." (John 15:15). Here Jesus' offer of the intimacy of friendship is overwhelming. To live in the love of Jesus, Jesus the Risen Lord, is to be invited into friendship with God. There it is, we are invited. Through the Gospels Jesus has made known to us everything as well and so we are called to be friends of God.

Friends of God. The reality of the friendship with Jesus that is offered, in full disclosure is this; To know the Risen Christ is to know the heart of God. Then Jesus reminds us we did not choose Christ but Christ chose us…We are chosen just as the disciples are chosen John 15:16 and then we are reminded of what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Christ…Go and bear fruit ...fruit that will last.

We are receiving something we did not create, go searching for, or earn on our own. This is pure grace…the gifted-ness of God.

But there is responsibility attached to the work of fruit bearing. Not only are we to do it, but we are to bear "fruit that will last."

Bearing fruit means making wise choices and decisions for the work of and on behalf of God. It means acting thoughtfully over a life time; discerning what thoughts, words, and actions best serve the intentions of a loving God in this world.

Let us Pray as we continue to grow in God that we be that loving presence of Christ, just as Christ is that loving presence in us. So that all around us one by one hearts and minds may be changed, bent towards the arch of love. That truly is fruit that will last!

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[1] The collected sermons of Fred B Craddock189-190

[2] Sermon seeds