We can have a grand view of our world from a mountaintop, but it's a grand view from within our community of believers as well, folks who invite us over and over to believe in Jesus, to put our hope in him. We believe in God with all our heart; our vision isn't limited to the physical world, because we have the promise Jesus gave Nicodemus, that everyone who believes in him can have eternal life. This is the hope we are given in the Easter season and beyond.
Nicodemus was a devoted, intellectual, and hard-headed Pharisee, who knew and taught all the Jewish laws with passion and pride. He really knows his stuff! But his stuff prevents him from understanding and letting the winds of the Holy Spirit move him. He then meets Jesus, and his whole carefully constructed set of laws falls down around him. His heart recognizes the goodness and wisdom of Christ, but his head fights against it. Jesus has to use tough love, saying, You are a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? Listen to me, watch me, and learn from my life; I live that you might believe and have eternal life.
Our hearts soar freely and our soul can transcend this world at a moment's notice, and each time, it's a surprise. Grace makes our heart flip-flop -- it's the gentle touch of the Holy Spirit. It's reminding us that it's not about "me" -- it is about showing up and fearlessly living in a loving manner in whatever situation God puts us into.
--Paula Nelsen,
Communion Service,
April 18, 2023
Communion Service,
April 18, 2023
Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=814EnoSLb8c
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