In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     One of the things that always surprises me, when we make changes in our liturgy, whether in the choices of liturgical texts, or the type of communion bread we use, or the arrangement of the chancel and altar, is how little we know or understand about why we're doing what we're doing! And it's not just the new folks, the recent converts to Lutheranism or Christianity-it's often the cradle Lutherans who were born, baptized, confirmed and raised in a Lutheran church, who, after something has been explained, come out of church and say, "I'm glad you explained that-I never really understood why we do that." For example, when we made the change from the loaf bread we were using, to the hosts we are now using, and I pointed out, in newsletter articles, bulletins and worship announcements, the fact that unleavened bread is at the heart of the Passover Meal, and so at the heart of the Eucharist as we are a pilgrim people, always ready to move without waiting for leavened bread to rise-any number of folks sent me e-mails, or spoke to me after church and said, "I never understood the significance of having altar bread that is unleavened." Similarly, last week after changing our altar arrangement for the season, and explaining that change in the newsletter, e-Letter and bulletin announcements, I was surprised how many folks came out of church and said something to the effect, "I was born and raised in a church with the altar against the wall-and I never understood the meaning of that-that pastor and people are facing, together, toward the Lord!" If you're one of the ones who said something like that last week, don't feel badly-you had plenty of company! My point is-it's clear that we can't explain and teach and instruct too much in the Church-because even those who have been in the Church for 30, 40, 50 years-may not have been taught-or may not remember-the meaning and significance of liturgy, and worship, and why we do what we do. And I suppose this is one time when I should remind you, that here at Saint Luke's, nothing is done without intention, meaning and purpose. We never change settings of the liturgy, we never change our altar bread, we never choose hymns for a given Sunday, we never change our altar orientation, without solid theological reasoning. There is always-always a sound liturgical reason for our choices, and our choices are always-always grounded in history and tradition. Which means, you can be assured that whenever you come to worship at Saint Luke's-it will be worship-of God, in time-tested, time-honored liturgy that is based on the foundation of the apostles, and passed on to us from generations and generations of pastors and people within the body of Christ. In other words, Keith and I never sit and try to think up new and ever creative devices and experiences aimed at either getting from you, a desired emotional response-nor aimed at showing how imaginative and creative we are. That-is not worship of God! It can become worship of the pastor, or the music director-or a simple pandering to the tastes and wants of the congregation-as if our Sunday gathering were all about you, and what you want, and what will move you and fill you and make you want to come back for more! And I want to assure you, I'm not off on a tangent at this point. Because at the heart of the Festival of the Trinity, and at the heart of our Gospel text for today, is the fact that-as we've said so many times before-it's not about us-it's about God!

     Now, we often miss that when we hear this passage from St. John's gospel, chapter 3, and yet, that message is at the center of this encounter between Jesus, and Nicodemus. Even Nicodemus' name, points to that fact, because his name means, "victor among his people"-or some translate it, "victorious above his people". Whenever someone questions the truth of Holy Scripture, or suggests there are contradictions or mistakes, I look at a passage like ours today, and I am reassured how carefully and intentionally every verse and text in the Bible was prepared, from the actual, real-life happenings in the life of Jesus, to the written record of those happenings. The issue for us is not to pick and choose among Scripture, but to delve deeply into Scripture, to see what it is God wants to say to us through a particular text. And in our gospel lesson today, we see that even the name of the antagonist, is significant. Yes, Nicodemus surely thought of himself as a "victor among his people"-a leader who was respected, revered and held in honor. He was a Pharisee-one of the three chief religious parties in Judaism-the others being the Sadducees, and the Essenes. The Pharisees believed that religion consisted in conforming to the Laws of God, and that grace came only to those who kept the Law. In fact, religion, for the Pharisees, was mostly about external obedience-the disposition of the heart was not so important, because the heart was frivolous and could be emotional. A religion of the heart was not so important-what mattered to the Pharisees was that one obeyed the Laws and commandments of God. Naturally, the interpretation of the Law and how it was to be applied to the intricacies of daily life was critical. If grace came to those who kept the Law, you'd better be clear about what the Law demands, and how it may be rightly fulfilled. So, scribes-lawyers became important-because they nailed down the Law's demands to every jot and tittle-crossing every "t" and dotting every "i", so that at least the Pharisees could feel secure in the fact that they were keeping God's Laws-yes, perfectly! That's what made a Pharisee, a Pharisee-keeping the external Laws and commandments of God-perfectly! Which is not a bad goal, in and of itself. Who doesn't want to keep God's Laws and commandments to the best of our ability? The problem was, the Pharisees thought they WERE keeping God's Laws and commandments perfectly! They saw themselves as superior to everyone else-they saw themselves, truly, as "victorious among the people"-because they, and they alone, were completely obedient. And that, as you know, seemed to trouble Jesus, immensely. For while Jesus was all about having people keep God's commandments, not in word only, but in deed as well, Jesus was also all about having people whole-heartedly engaged in their relationship with God. For just as Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom", Jesus also said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Jesus called people to repent, and repentance was to be a total turn around-of heart, mind and body-because God desires the whole person, not just the inside of us-nor just the outside of us. Jesus taught that God didn't just look at the external actions of the person, but also examined the heart, the desire, the intention. In the same way, Jesus taught that God isn't just listening to what comes out of your mouth, but looks for action to follow our words. Which is why, when Nicodemus came to question Jesus, Jesus got right to the heart of the matter.the fact that Nicodemus, by his actions, might have understood himself to be better than others, might have thought himself victorious in the sight of common, ordinary Jewish folk-but in God's sight, obviously, Nicodemus was lacking. Nicodemus, who was victorious among his people, had indeed, failed in his relationship with God-because Nicodemus had no relationship with God! Oh, Nicodemus might have talked a lot about God-Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, so surely he taught about God-Nicodemus knew God's Laws and commandments-but Nicodemus had not been born again-Nicodemus had not been born from above. Nicodemus had been born of a human mother, born according to biological, physical processes of reproduction, but Nicodemus needed to be born anew. Interestingly, the literal Greek phrase, in the original text says, "unless you be born anothen -you cannot see the kingdom of God"-which means, unless you be born again. The New Revised Standard Version translates it, "unless you be born from above", whereas the Revised Standard Version has it, "unless you be born anew". Which are all correct-in their different nuances! Scholars agree that here, Jesus was intentionally using a word that had several connotations-all of which are related. He is saying, Nicodemus, it is necessary that you be born again-born anew-born from above. It is not sufficient, says Jesus, that one is born of the flesh, of human parents.it is necessary that one be born anothen! And just in case Nicodemus, or we, don't get it, still.Jesus makes it perfectly plain for all of us. He says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter the kingdom of God." Nicodemus was struggling with, and couldn't quite grasp Jesus' notion of being born again and anew from above, because to the human mind that is an abstract, spiritual concept. So Jesus clarifies it, saying, "To be born again, you must be baptized-this is the second birth-this is the birth, not of the flesh, but of water and the Spirit-this is what it means to be born anew-it is to be baptized! Because in baptism, one is born out of the water of baptism, just as one is born the first time out of the waters of the mother's womb-and one is born of the Spirit, in baptism, because it is the Holy Spirit who works with the water and the Word to make Baptism-effective, shall we say. To enter the kingdom, Jesus says, you must be born again, not by water only, but by water and the Holy Spirit-and then, you become part of the kingdom of God-then you are part of the redeemed community-then, you are part of God's eternal family-with God as your Father, and Christ as your brother, and yes, the Church as your mother! Because the waters of Baptism, are the womb of the Church-and as the early Church fathers said, "you can't have God as your Father, without the Church as your mother"! And that is exactly what Jesus is teaching Nicodemus, and us, in our gospel lesson today. That just as you can't conceive yourself in your mother's womb; just as you can't give birth to yourself; just as birth is something that happens to you, as the result of someone else's initiative and desire and action-so being born again, by water and Spirit, is not something you do for yourself-it is the gift of God-to proclaim to us, and remind us, continually, that it's not about us! That salvation, baptism, eternal life, the kingdom of God, is not about us-it's about God-and how God so loved the world, and us, that He gave His only Son, not so that we could redeem ourselves, not so that we could cause ourselves to be born again, but so that everyone who believes in Him, may not perish, but have eternal life. What Jesus was calling Nicodemus to, was a turning away from self, and his self-righteousness, a turning toward God, and God's gift of eternal life, made possible for us, through Christ, who was lifted up on the cross, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. For just as worship is not about-me, or you, or the pastor, or our wants and desires-salvation-eternal life-faith, is not about me, or you, or the pastor, or our wants and desires-it is about God-and being born again, in God-being turned toward God, in Holy Baptism, by water and the Spirit. That is the work of the Holy and Blessed Trinity, and that is whom we worship, this Trinity Sunday-not us, but God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.