March 6, 2020
John 3:1-8 … “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.” vs. 8
It’s amusing sometimes to hear people talk with such great assurance about God’s presence in this world. They seem to have some sort of direct line to the Divine Presence that is available only to themselves, and perhaps, a few others. Often there’s an off-putting arrogance about them, as though they, and they alone, have the answers to life’s perplexing questions. Jesus tells Nicodemus, a man who presumably had been reared in an answer-giving culture, that the Spirit of God is like the wind, it blows where it chooses but we don’t have a clue about what it is up to. His analogy may seem disconcerting to some, they would like God to be predictable and easily discerned. But for most folks this vision of the Spirit is liberating and exciting. They like it that they don’t know what God is up to and they look forward to the surprises that are sure to come their way. Just think of all the unbelievable changes that have happened in just the last few years. Women are seen as equals and gay persons are no longer despised—in some congregations they are welcomed as pastors and leaders! That stuff only happens because the Spirit of God is on the loose—some of us can’t wait to see what will happen next!
Thought for the Day: How has God surprised me?
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