Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.
John 3 1-8
The peace of the Lord be with you. This weekend, Father Mark encouraged us to take up the challenge that religion offers. In much the same way, Jesus is trying to encourage Nicodemus to live more deeply in the life of God. The commentaries regarding the section of John talk about Nicodemus being attracted to Jesus because of physical signs. Jesus is trying to move Nicodemus away from believing because of what he sees versus the call of God.
Jesus reminds us today that the richness of God is experienced in the spirit because it is outside of the bounds of time and space. We see this expressed in the Acts of the Apostles as these early Christians raise their voices in prayer as they meet resistance while introducing this new way of life to the place and time in which they live.
May we, like these early Christians, raise our voices in this time of need and trust that God will provide us with all the resources that will bring us through this and other challenging times. May the blessings of God be with you today. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.