How can these things be?  That’s Nicodemus’ question.  If God is for us, how can these things be?  How can Cindy die from cancer?  How can Jim commit suicide when he has two beautiful children to father?  How can Ann be in such pain when all her life she has brought joy and laughter to everyone?  How can someone as able as Sue be unable to find work?  How can Sam's family be facing the loss of their home?  How can these things be?

These are the things we can see, we experience here in our earthly lives and we often hear ourselves asking "How can these things be?"  ….words Nicodemus uses in today’s scripture.  He wonders.  We wonder.  These are things of the flesh, earthly things which trouble us....and hurt the heart of God.  If we focus here, on worldly things, all will get is this question and it will kill us…kill our spirits.

 But these are not the only perplexing things we see.  If we stop and think about it, we also do see heavenly things...if we will believe our eyes and ears....and recognize them as being of God, of the spirit.  We see a family gathered around a love one dying of cancer-- be changed.  We see those who have suffered great loss able to pull deep within themselves to reshape their lives.  We witness people reaching out to help others beyond what they would seem able to do or would normally be expected. 

 We do see miracles, know answered prayers, experience growing inner peace as we wrestle with our faith and hear the wisdom of others.  People still (as in OT times) see visions, dream dreams, hear the voice of God...but these days we often just don't feel free to talk such things….for many it’s for a fear of being called crazy.  Even when we know more than we might like to admit to others and ourselves, even with our own experience of God moments, we often doubt these things we see, and so can’t come close to understanding those things, the “more” which we don’t see. 

 How can all these things be?  Which set of problematics--those of the flesh or those of the spirit--should carry the weight of authority with us...will it be earthly things or heavenly things which we let define our outlooks, our lives, our belief?  Does it have to be one or the other?  Or, can one inform the other?

 Jesus answers the hard question "How can these things be?" by reminding us that we're born from above.  Adopted.  Co-opted.  Spirit hosted by our flesh.  We are not simply bodies, here to survive as long as possible.  We are souls on a journey...like Nicodemus.... on a spiritual journey.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a guardian of the laws and rules of Judaism.  His whole life was based on the assumption that what a person does--what you wear, how you act, the title you carry, the sound of your prayers, the amount of your gifts--is the key to success and salvation....to happiness.  This sounds like many Christians!  And it sounds like what keeps most unchurched people from ever wanting to walk through church doors!

 Nicodemus thought people did the work.  Jesus says God does the work.  Nicodemus thought it was a tradeoff.  Jesus says it is a gift.  Nicodemus thought it was our job to earn salvation.  Jesus says it is our job to accept it. 

 It is our job to hear God calling us to life no matter what our life....like Nicodemus, like Paul.   To hear or not to hear!  That is the question for us on this Trinity Sunday.  You can choose to answer "How can these things be?" with skepticism, doubt, anger, fear...and so withdraw into the status quo or the safety of your routines and blame God for everything.  Or you can sigh a sigh too deep for words and stand yourself before God, in the temple of your holy imagination, let yourself be awestruck, and be overwhelmed by the majesty of life despite the ironies and injustices of life.  You can.  You can let God in…Creator or Christ or Spirit…which ever touches you and steadies you.  You can be “not afraid” of life or God as you stand your weight on your faith, doubt and all.  You can put your focus on spiritual matters over worldly matters.  Bad things do happen to good people.  And what breaks your heart, breaks God’s heart.

 Often we become so absorbed in doubt, issues of fairness, blame and shame that we miss the point.  For whatever the reasons, life happens and God is with us all the way through till we find that holy space of peace….within a moment, within a day, within a life time, beyond this lifetime.

 Will you let yourself experience God’s peace?  …my peace I bring to you, Jesus says….not hope, fairness, love…..peace!

Will you let God take away your guilt and worry and soothe your heart’s break and so free your spirit for the journey that awaits you?  ….that the Spirit offers?

 Will you say, "Here I am Lord."?  All this is really happening, and here I am!  God is here.  And so are you in this moment.

 Jesus did not come into this world to condemn you, but to save you so you will not perish...so your spirit will not be killed off by what life deals you.  The church has often gotten this backwards!  And it is still our choice to answer the call, to believe in what we cannot see, to let go of figuring out how these things can be....and live!

 Nicodemus was probably scared and he made lots of mistakes, and hard things happened to him....just like us.  But Nicodemus was alive in his spirit....asking his questions, risking his status and safety, able to learn a new thing....and act differently.  He truly got it:  God works through all things for good for those who believe.  God can and God does!  God is for us!

 How differently did Nicodemus act after his encounter with Jesus?  Well, one of the Pharisees, a leader....he must have laid his position and his status to the side because the next time we hear of Nicodemus in the scriptures: "Nicodemus, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds of rich spices, and they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen clothes with the spices, as was the burial custom of the Jews."

 He was there when things made the least sense and the call for faith over doubt greatest. 

Where are you? 

 Life often feels like a trial…worldly survival let alone the struggle between the worldly and spiritual.

Jesus is constantly on trial in our lives.  He is constantly crucified.  Are you there?  Do you hear God calling you to be there where Jesus is on trial and being crucified?  If you are, you get to hold Jesus in your arms.  You get to witness beyond the crucifixion to the resurrection and be born again with him.....adopted again....called and empowered to be different.

 You ask where do you want me to go and live beyond my mind’s understanding?  Where is Jesus being crucified? 

 Jesus is crucified each time we say no to an invitation to reach out and help someone who needs help.....even if it is risky to us.  Jesus is crucified each time we expect someone else to do something we are not willing to do ourselves....like mow the church lawn, clean the bathroom at home, tutor a disadvantaged child, attend a meeting to reorganize a community project.  Jesus is crucified each time we turn our backs on a street person....turn our backs by not giving time and money to agencies reaching out to them or putting more in the offering plate...each time we ignore the politics that doom the poor or torture a human being, each time we vote our best interests over the best interest of the greater community.  Jesus is crucified each time we play it safe, complain without doing something to change the way things are, go home instead of reach out, worship without serving. Jesus is crucified every time you give up on yourself or give up on God.

 How can these things be? 

 It is Trinity Sunday.  We know God in 3 ways.....or should I say, God so wants to be in relationship with us, to help and save us, that God has made God’s self available as parent/nurturer/creator of life, teacher/redeemer/agitator of new life, spirit/comforter/supporter/cheerleader of new life.  God will do what ever it takes to get our attention....as Jesus got Nicodemus' attention. 

 And the point is.....these things can be....they are.....AND…..life is more than what is seen, you are more than what you seem....if you are willing to give yourself to heavenly things, hear God's call to see life through a heavenly lens and not a worldly one, You are saved.