The Gospel of John 3:1-17 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.“ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Let us pray: God in three persons, blessed Trinity, we pray for peace in the world, in our communities and our families: create in us a love for peace, not peace that is absent from struggle, nor peace that is blind to injustice but the peace that makes whole what now is broken. This we pray in the name of your Son Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen
I dedicate this reflection to the Late Father Patrick Peters who was a strong influence in my life through his continued support.
We live in a world that has fallen so far from God; we can sometimes see ourselves in a privileged position. We think we know the teachings of the faith. We have been members of the Church for years. But, as Jesus reminds us, you never stop learning. There are depths to the Word and the working of God you have not yet discovered. So, we gather to be drawn again deeply into the wisdom of God’s Word. We set aside our privileged position and humbly experience the wonder of His work. Through the waters of baptism, God brings you to life. He claims you as a child of His Kingdom. He promises to work for you, forgiving your sins, but He also promises to work through you, forming you into a witness to the world. God is about life with love, a union of the three persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A manifestation of the love God has for His children. He has made us His children by the gift of the Holy Spirit. As God’s children what is our task in this time and place. At this moment in our history, we are still in a time of deep wounds. So, what is our task? Our task is to become healers, help to heal the deep wounds, deep suspicions, anger, and confusion. Sometimes we might wish we could live in an age of peace and a time without conflict, but remember, God has placed us here in this time and this place for a purpose. We need to be those healers who can help pull people back, to help restore civility and reason in a period of time when we have been challenged. We can do it. WE CAN DO IT WITH GOD’S HELP! We need to trust in our faith and let our faith override our fear. The Trinity offers us a model of sharing, belonging and community. It also challenges our individualism and our demand that our rights are met all the time. The Trinity asks us to be mindful of our responsibilities to those around us in our families, our neighborhood, and our church community. The Trinity also shows a loving God that is willing to become as we are so that we may become like Him, like Him as in His son Jesus. Consider The doctrine of the Trinity as a gracious gift of God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, though they have existed for eternity in perfect communion and fellowship with one another. Jesus is spiritually unified with his father. They are distinct persons but one God. His Father lives in him and he lives in his Father. Now He is praying for a similar unity for us. “Father, may they be one as we are one? Would you live in them and do your work through them?” It is as we are with our heavenly Father in relationship with him that we become unified with believers who are also with him. The key word is “with.” That is what Christianity is, going through life day by day WITH Jesus and the Father. As God, He saw fit to extend the divine fellowship to creation. God has graciously revealed himself to us as he truly is – the blessed Trinity. So today as we celebrate Trinity Sunday we are always together with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As we close let us pause and reflect on The Trinity as a unifying catalyst. One that will help guide us, one that can bring us together, one that provides us with Hope and gives us the courage to go out into the world as healers. So, it is important to see that there can be wonderful possibilities for the future, optimism about the future – we can see the many unrealized possibilities and hope based on the creativity and inexhaustible wealth of possibilities God offers.
Let us Pray: Dear God, we pray on this Trinity Sunday that the world will see that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can bring us together as you have brought the Trinity together as one. Unite us as God’s children and show us the wonderful possibilities you can give us, We pray this in your name Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastor Bob
Reflections by Bob 