The wind blows where it will...

I am thinking about Nicodemus for Sunday's sermon as I read about the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the resulting crises with the affected nuclear power plants. Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee, approached Jesus at night with his curiosity and questions. As part of his response, Jesus talks about the untamed gift of the Spirit: "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)

Worrying about which way the wind blows has taken on new urgency as we consider the possible effects of radiation that cannot be fully contained. People are urged to move many miles away from the damaged plants - perhaps leaving behind hope of finding missing loved ones from within the rubble. I watch and wonder about those brave people who--when others are wisely moving away--they instead move in, risking their own health and even their own lives to rescue, recover and repair.

Many years ago, I visited the nuclear power plant about an hour from our home - a mandatory field trip for middle schoolers. I remember being awed in the fullest sense of the word - filled with wonder, curiosity, unanswerable questions and fear. That combination of wonder and fear led to some restless nights, then and now, about what the future holds in the wake of natural disasters, economic uncertainties, and serious tensions locally and around the world. I pray that the Spirit blows where it will, carrying with it compassion, generosity, wisdom, and courage.

We don't know what the future holds but we know who holds the future - a God who loves and redeems us. Jesus offers Nicodemus - and us- this promise: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." While clinging to the hope given to us in Christ, we do what we can to love and serve our neighbor in difficult times and in all times - however the wind may blow.