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<P><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>In the 1800s, some people
attempted to build a bridge across Niagara Falls. Engineers were consulted.
Money was raised. No stone was left unturned, but they could not get a cable
across the Falls. They could not float it across the rapids. They could not
shoot it far enough with a bow and arrow. They could not climb the steep cliffs
and get it across that way.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Finally, a ten-year old boy
made a ridiculous suggestion: Fly the cable across the gorge on a kite. How
absurd! How foolish! Yet the red-faced engineers finally flew the cable
across with a kite.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Occasionally in our lives, we
come to the point that we know we need to be born all over again, and we long to
be saved from all that is wrong within us. At such times, it is tempting to turn
away, believing there is no way across the chasm that separates us from
God.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><A
href="http://day1.org/2754-salvation_by_faith"><FONT
size=4>http://day1.org/2754-salvation_by_faith</FONT></A></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>David Sapp,
2011</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>The second reference to me
(7:45-52) in John’s Gospel takes place during a meeting of the Sanhedrin. The
temple guards were being chastised for not taking Jesus captive. The guards
defended themselves by saying, “no one ever spoke like this man.” The Pharisees
retorted, “do you see any of us believing in him? No, just your kind of rabble!”
It seemed so smug and smart-ass-like. Then I spoke: “Does our law condemn a man
without first hearing what he has to say?” They were again very condescending
and accused me of being a Galilean, of all things, and reminded me that prophets
do not come from Galilee!You see, by that time, I was now well on my spirit-led
journey. I was convinced that Jesus was showing us the way to God and that in
his teachings and actions, God was at work. I had to watch what I said in
public, but I clearly wanted to understand. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>The third reference to me
(19: 38-42) is a moment I could never in my wildest dreams have expected. Jesus
did talk about being lifted up and he did say that God “gave” his only son, but
I did not see where this “giving” was leading. After he was crucified, we
weren’t sure what to do. Joseph of Arimathea and I took his body from the cross.
I brought myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds, wrapped this within the strips of
linen we placed around his body, according to our burial customs. We placed
Jesus in a tomb in which no one had ever been laid in a nearby garden, because
the Day of Preparation for Passover lay just ahead. And we waited.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><A
href="http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-8/060611-5-e.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/archiv-8/060611-5-e.html</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT lang=0 size=4>David Zersen,
2006</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Sometimes our prayers are
like dictations to God rather than stopping and saying, “And God, what would you
have me do?” Which is what Nicodemus had to wrestle with. What did God want him
to do? Did God want him to give up that power and become a disciple of the
scorned carpenter from Galilee? The wrestling must have been enormous. John only
hints at it.<BR></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><A
href="http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/perry_4914.htm"><FONT
size=4>http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/perry_4914.htm</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Carol Perry,
2006<FONT color=#000000><I></I></FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal">
<P><FONT size=4>...three formative influences on our spiritual lives and our
encounter with God. While these three are not exhaustive of the ways in which a
person grows and deepens in their experience of God, it is difficult to imagine
any substantial spiritual growth, any rebirth without them. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>The first of those formative faith influences is a community of
faith. </FONT></P></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Service, caring for and about
others, is the second formative influence on faith and our encounter with
God</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>The third formative influence
reflected in our Gospel this morning is openness to the guiding of God's Spirit.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>Among the many problems
presented with a literal reading of John 3:16 is a resulting lack of concern for
human suffering. If the over riding goal is to keep people from perishing in the
life to come, than the problem of their perishing in this life due to lack of
food or health care seems unimportant. Nicodemus reminds us we encounter the
presence of God precisely in those places where our hearts are open and we
respond to the needs around us.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.tcpc.org/library/article.cfm?library_id=81">http://www.tcpc.org/library/article.cfm?library_id=81</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>Tim
Johnson</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT size=4>As I close this message, let
me just say this to you. There are those who would always designate another as
other and less than, but the word of the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ
is that God loved the world and sent Jesus into the world to be our presence and
our symbol of God's love. There is that which is within us that defines us, not
externals, not the superficialities of language and designation, but there is
something within us. The songwriter says, "Something within me that holdeth the
reins; Something within me that vanishes pain; Something within me I cannot
explain; All that I know, there is something within."</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><A
href="http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/morris_4213.htm">http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/morris_4213.htm</A></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT color=#000000
size=4>Calvin Morris, 2002</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
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