Thursday, July 9, 2009

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Great is the love of God Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked . . . Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." . . . "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. — St. John 3: 1-8, 16-17. Last Sunday, we celebrated Holy Trinity Sunday. It is a day in the church year when we come face-to-face with a mystery. The mystery is the almighty God. Many of us have questions about God. Who is God? Where is God? What is God doing? Does God care? Why doesn't God do this or do that? When we have family problems, illness or death, children problems or job related problems we tend to blame God. We want to know why God does not act. We want to blame God for our misfortunes. We do that because we don't understand basic spiritual things. In the above text we learn of Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish leader, who went to see Jesus by night. He did not understand the mystery of God either. He was a man who also had questions about God. He wanted to understand the mystery of God. Therefore, he went to see Jesus. John's Gospel gives us a glimpse of the Trinity; for we see Jesus, the Son of God, speaking of his Father and of the unseen power of the Holy Spirit. For those of us who are interested in searching for God, John's Gospel gives us an unusual perspective. We find an unexpected answer, we hear an unmistakable promise, we discover an unlimited offer. When we are brought into the kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have a change to heart. We come to love God as our Father. We received this blessing as a result of Christ's work on the cross. When one is born again, the spirit leads him or her and assures the individual that he or she is a child of God. As a child of God, one responds to God with love rather than fear. The individual who has closeness to God becomes an heir. As a result, he or she shares Christ's glory, is forgiven, is saved and has eternal life. The Father sent the Son, who died for us. The Holy Spirit gives us a spiritual birth. Father, Son and Holy Spirit all work for the common goal of saving us from our sins and granting us eternal life. This reveals the oneness of God. So great is the love of God. There is no question about it. God's love is unconditional. His love is unlimited. God our Father sacrificed his son for us. Through our faith in the Son, he promises us the gift of eternal life. This is real and unmistakable. Those who search for God will realize that God cared enough to send the very best, His own son, to make our salvation possible. God's unlimited offer of salvation is seen in the text. God wishes to reform our lives, give us direction, lead us in the way of salvation, and remind us often of the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. Rev. Samuel M. Boodle, is pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, and can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas or telephone 323-4107. Thursday, June 11, 2009