Holy Trinity Ankeny Pastor Timothy Olson

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night when the shadows are long and the places to hide are easy to find. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and coming to ask Jesus questions can be problematic for him. That fateful night Nicodemus brings all of his questions and seeks confirmation for what he already knows. If his story ended that night, he would be just a nice little footnote. But his story doesn’t end there.
Isaiah 6:1-8 | Romans 8:12-17 | John 3:1-17

Ezekiel sees a valley full of bones that represent the people of God. Peter and the disciples see a world where God’s people are scattered, divided, and grieving the death of their Lord. Today, God’s people are a shrinking bunch, unsure of how to proceed in a world that thinks they are irrelevant. When we can’t imagine a way forward, the Spirit comes with power to create and a vision beyond our expectations.

Eternal life is not the same thing as the resurrection of the dead, nor is it simply this life extended past death. Eternal life is not something we earn or build from our efforts to get rich, successful, or busy. Eternal life always was, will always be, and is present right now. You just have to look at Jesus to see what is and trust that he has given it to you.

We can spend a lot of time waiting for God to do something about the brokenness of our world and the challenges of life. The Book of Acts, however, says that it is not our impatient waiting on the Spirit to act that is the problem. The Spirit has preceded us and plowed the ground already. The Spirit impatiently anoints even as we argue about who is worthy to be in the church. When we wonder what God wants us to do, is it possible we already know the answer? Has the Spirit already spoken and our preconceptions and biases, our resentments and self-justification, are just in the way of God’s grace and love in our lives?

The ancient Celtic Christians named the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. The Holy Spirit is wild and untamed. Our Acts reading today is about Philip’s encounter with the Holy Spirit and his Wild Goose Chase.
 
Acts 8:26-40 | 1 John 4:7-21 | John 15:1-8

In Jesus’ day, there would be times when multiple shepherds would bring their flocks together. Whether by accident or on purpose, they would gather them in a paddock, an area that was walled off to keep the predators out of the flock. The sheep would mingle together and do all the things sheep do. Now that presents a problem for the shepherd. How do you tell your sheep apart from the other shepherd’s sheep?
 
When the shepherds would leave the paddock, they would call out to their flock. The sheep would hear their shepherd's voice and would follow. The shepherd's voice is key. The sheep know which shepherd is theirs and they follow. The sheep know… But sheep are still sheep.  Sheep wander off… Sheep fall into ravines… The Shepherd still needs to go and find them when that happens.
 
The shepherd’s voice is key. Jesus tells us today, “I know my own and my own know me. They know my voice.”
 
Acts 4:5-12 | 1 John 3:16-24 | John 10:11-18