Trinity Sunday (Year B, RCL)

Inevitably, in the course of a pastoral career, one encounters that person—the spouse of an active member, or an avid golfer—who claims not to need to attend weekly services because “I can worship God in nature.” Possible comebacks range from mild to sarcastic, but they rarely make any impression. A better question is whether the assertion is correct.

After an attempted coup in Indonesia in 1965, headlines reported that 500,000 people were killed. What did not make the headlines was the quiet revolution that began as the wind of the Spirit began to move into a collapsed intellectual and moral vacuum. There was no ballyhoo or promotion, but simply the response of untold numbers who found in the churches a haven.

One is not born a Christian; one becomes a Christian. This reminds me of my three-year-old friend Grace.

Portrayed as a cowardly dolt, Nicodemus is usually spotted skulking about under cover of darkness.

Embracing Jesus as the Christ means becoming a new person, not a better one.