Last week, on Pentecost Sunday, we discussed the coming of the Holy Spirit, a culmination of the "abide" teachings of Jesus given to us in the gospel of John. We discussed our need for certainty, and frustration with the unpredictability of being led by the Spirit. This week Jesus tells Nicodemus, and us, we must be born "anew" or "again" of the Spirit: "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."
And yet, just like we saw at Pentecost, many people speaking many languages were able to communicate because of the coming of the gift of the Holy Spirit - the reverse of the Tower of Babel story. Many came to understand God, and his kingdom? "How?" is the question this week.
What happens when Isaiah comes in to the presence and sees Holy God? What does God do and say? What is Isaiah's response? How, after he is awestruck and fearful of his life, is he able to respond, "Here am I. Send me?"
What does Jesus tell Nicodemus is the way to see and bring about the kingdom of God? How is one "born anew," or "born again?" What does The Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt mean when she says " And yet, with hearts reborn to see and understand, we are among those most blessed if we can begin to move past wondering and simply give thanks." See her "It's no Wonder Nicodemus Wondered..."
This is Trinity Sunday. To add to the frustrations of wanting certainty, and trying to define God, we now have the Trinity to deal with. Before and after Nicaea, theologians through the centuries have tried to explain it.
What does The Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long mean when he says "The doctrine of the Trinity is actually like a trail in a deep and mysterious forest called the life of God. If we will walk this trail called Trinity, we will see and experience amazing things; we will discover something of what God is truly like, in all of God's beauty and wildness and splendor?" See "The Start of the Trail."
How does this tie in with our discussion at the end of last week as we grappled with understanding the gift, the way and truth of the Spirit?
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