An Amazing Revelation
Listen.June 7th, 2009
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
Recently, I read about a synagogue in Bowie, Maryland. This synagogue was located on a road named, of all things, Trinity Drive. Normally when a person thinks about the term trinity, the mind is drawn to the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity: One God manifested in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This perhaps is not the image that the Jewish synagogue wishes to present. That is as bad as First Baptist Church located on a road called Mohammed Ave, or Muslim Way; or a Catholic Church on Martin Luther Court; or Christ Lutheran Church standing on Pope Paul Circle. Interesting thoughts and I’m sure you could think of several more. By the way, although the synagogue in Bowie, Maryland is still in the same location, the mailing address is Torah Lane.
As Christians, when we hear the word Trinity, think of God; three in one. Today is Trinity Sunday and we celebrate the revelation by God that God is one God but revealed in three different persons. This is a mystery and an amazing revelation to all with the eyes of faith.
In the passage from the gospel of John we find the story of Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus. The interchange between Jesus and Nicodemus reveals the Trinitarian concept in a very systematic manner. The passage is divided into three main sections and on this Sunday that emphasizes the doctrine of the Trinity, we will look a bit at each section in an orderly manner! Each section begins with a question by Nicodemus and concludes with an answer from Jesus.
Born from above; God’s work of creation
The text begins with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, coming to see Jesus at night. We’re not really sure why he finds Jesus at night although some suggest that he is afraid of what people might say about this encounter. However, Jesus was not suspect at this time, nor had he been accused of any crime or blasphemy (although he had just overturned the money-changer tables in the temple). Jesus had also performed his first miracle; the changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. His ministry was beginning to make itself known in the area. Perhaps Nicodemus had heard about this Jesus and what he had been doing. He comes to Jesus and begins with the greeting that acknowledges Jesus as a teacher, “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.” He recognizes something special in Jesus.
Jesus reply starts off with the words, “Very truly, I tell you…” In other translations we read: “Amen, Amen….” The emphasis and the double use of the word Amen or truly, truly suggests this is an important statement and we want to pay close attention to it.
Jesus continues by stating to Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born from above. Here we find critical information about God as creator. We have referred to the work of God the Father as the work of Creation. God is the one who creates everything, life itself. And now Jesus is suggesting that Nicodemus needs to be born from above. We can’t forget that Nicodemus is a Pharisee. He is a religiously upright person and probably spends his waking hours focused on doing what is right and lawful and that will not get him into trouble. Now Jesus is suggesting something that seems totally unbelievable to him and his legal righteous mindset.
This new birth from above is not simply some sort of personal private conversion experience where one feels a certain sense of communion with God. It is a dramatic and radical new birth that comes into one’s life through God. It is a radical new life that God gives us and makes a difference in everything we do and in the way we live and in our thoughts and desires. It totally reorganizes priorities and places our desires to please God first.
God creates this new life in us and it is amazing. The question posed this morning for each one of us is whether or not we have been born from above and if so, what difference has it made? Have we taken seriously what God has done in our life? Do we understand that God wants for each of us abundant life; life filled with God’s love, peace, and grace; that God wants us to stand firm in Christ and reorder priorities to reflect his presence? Do we understand the challenges and opportunities that are before us because we are made new in Christ Jesus? God the Father’s work is creation and in response to Nicodemus, Jesus states that all believers are born from above.
Radical new birth: The Spirit’s work of sanctification
The second question that comes from Nicodemus shows that he really doesn’t understand what Jesus is saying. “How can anyone be born after growing old? The impossibility of this astounds Nicodemus, “Can anyone enter a second time into his mother’s womb?” Again, Jesus answers with the words, “Very truly, I tell you…” We perk up again, something extremely important is about to be said. The emphasis is strong. It’s like being bold, italics and underlined with exclamation points! No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the spirit.
Here we have the reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in being present in the person. We understand that the work of the Spirit is the work of making people holy, of sanctification. It is the Spirit that makes us righteous and moves us to live the abundant life in Christ. This radical new birth is done through the spirit. The Spirit comes into our lives through baptism – water and the spirit arrives in our lives when we are baptized into Christ and into the kingdom of God – just as Lucy was this morning.
This Spirit is not bound by any one group or any particular assumptions. The Spirit works where it wills and bring the powerful spirit of the living Triune God into a person’s life. The Spirit makes all the difference. The Spirit works to call and gather the church; the spirit builds up the church and brings people into the church. The Spirit sustains faithful people and moves powerfully through the world. The Mekane Jesu church of Central Ethiopia has grown from 50,000 to four million members even in the face of harsh oppression and hardship.
In the South Sudan Christians experience terrible difficulties and have suffered more than forty years of war that has left 3 million people dead, the church of Jesus Christ has endured and entire tribes are now Christian and African villages that once were Muslim are finding answers to life’s deepest questions through faith in Jesus Christ. The Spirit is working and is not bound by borders to even church denominations.
We have been baptized in Christ. When things are troublesome or difficult, when we feel lost and alone, when we are hurting physically or emotionally, do we look the God for the answers to life’s difficult questions? Or is our problem one that we look elsewhere for meaning and purpose and life? If our life is defined by our job, profession or occupation and we lose it or retire, do we cease to be a whole person? If life is governed by leisure pursuits and playing games or riding bikes, and we get to the point we can’t do that activity, are we less of a person? If we think that formal education is the totality of our goal in life – what happens if we fail in our pursuit of a master’s degree or a doctorate? Are we no good?
Where do we find the answers to life’s most serious questions? What makes us valuable people? What makes life worth living? Who provides us with life itself now and forever? God manifested as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; experience the radical new birth and the ongoing renewal that God in Christ has for each one of us.
Forgiveness: The Son’s work of redemption
The third question by Nicodemus brings an answer that highlights the work and the person of Jesus. Nicodemus asks, “How can these things be?” He still doesn’t get it even though he is a teacher of Israel. Within this third section Jesus speaks about how in the Hebrew scripture Moses held up a serpent in the wilderness and all who looked upon it were healed after being bitten by poisonous snakes, so the son of Man will be lifted so that whoever believes in him will be saved.
God loves his people so much that Jesus came into the world to redeem the world, to buy it back from slavery to sin and death. This is the specific work of Jesus, part of the Trinity.
If this is Jesus’ specific work in the world, then it follows that those who believe in him know of there need for new life and salvation. Someone suggested that you cannot be saved if you’re not lost. I wonder sometimes if we even know we are lost without Jesus. People can go through their entire life without realizing the consequences of a life without Jesus; a life without God.
The world seems to provide for people in wonderful ways; even abundantly in some instances. Still, for many who have the world’s wealth and fame and success, there can be an emptiness and a sense worthlessness in the deepest recesses of their hearts. Realizing one is lost moves a person to Christ who will bring newness of life and make that radical difference.
What about us? Do we realize we are lost without Christ and we need him so desperately to bring us back into a right relationship with God and with one another? Or are we still a slave to sin and selfishness? What is keeping us from living the full life that Jesus wants us to have? Confess our sins, turn around in life and be lifted and filled with the power of Jesus the one who has redeemed us from our sin and granted us eternal life.
Conclusion
It is hard to get our arms around the concept of the Trinity, but it is so vital for our faith in God to see God’s functions as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. An old story: A little boy was talking to the pastor: “God is everywhere right?” “Yes.”
“And God is big, right?” “Yes.”
“Bigger than my dad’s garage?” “Yes.”
“Bigger than the mountains?” “Yes.”
“And God is inside of me?” “Yes.” “Then why doesn’t he stick out more?”
As we allow the Spirit to fill our lives, we begin to realize the love of Jesus, the power of God’s creating new life in us and then we pray that God will indeed stick out of our life more and more that others will find the good life that is ours through the Holy Trinity. Amen.