I wonder if you’ve ever thought about how strange it is that we can’t see God.

We believe in God.

We come to church to worship God.

But sometimes it seems like loving God would be so much easier if we lived back in Jesus’ time. As Christians we believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. So when Jesus was there, walking around, helping people, we really do see God in action.

The Gospel reading this week is about a time when Jesus showed us that he understands our problem exactly.

One night, Jesus had a visitor. It was a man named Nicodemus, and he was struggling with some big questions. Nicodemus said

Jesus, I know you came from God. Maybe you have some wisdom from God on my big questions.

So, late into the night, Jesus and Nicodemus talked.

The Bible tells us only a little bit about their conversation. But one thing they talked about was how hard it is to know God when we can’t see God.

Jesus told Nicodemus that God’s Holy Spirit is kind of like the wind that blows all around us.

I wonder if you’ve ever looked out the window and seen the trees waving back and forth. You know by looking at the trees that the wind is blowing. But you can’t see the wind.

I wonder if you’ve ever been out walking on a really stormy day. Maybe the wind was pushing you right over and you had to lean over while you walked just to stay on your feet. You can feel the wind. It’s powerful. But you can’t see the wind.

Here’s how Jesus said it when he was talking to Nicodemus:

The wind blows where it chooses,
and you hear the sound of it,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8 NRSV)

I think Jesus was telling us that God is around us all the time, moving like the wind. And just like the wind, we can’t see God. But just as we see the trees move and know the wind is blowing, sometimes we can see how God moves things in the world.

I’d say, whenever we see things happen that are the same kinds of things Jesus did, we can know that God’s Spirit has been blowing through.

Used with permission Gary Neal Hansen, Ph.D Website and Blog: garynealhansen.com