Seeing God's Kingdom During a Dark, Dangerous Time; John 3:1-10; 16

 

Rev. George Miller

Jan 25, 2026

John 3:1-10; 16

 

Here we are during a dangerous time.  Rome has occupied Jerusalem.  Armed soldiers are everywhere.  Crosses stand in the distance like billboards reminding folk of what can happen if they get out of line. 

 

People of all backgrounds and skin tones have come to the Holy City to honor God.  Jesus has just used a whip to upend cattle and change.

 

There is the unspoken sense that people are treading lightly; not knowing what’s next.

 

In the darkness of night, a religious leader comes to Jesus, careful that the armed guards and traditionalists do not see him.

 

The threat of his reputation and safety is real.

 

And once he is in the safety of the Good Shepherd, he asks his questions to gather more info.

 

What he receives instead is akin to a riddle and a challenge to his own pedigree and understanding.

Under the protection of night, Nicodemus hears about God’s kingdom and a wind that blows.

 

We may all ask ourselves “What does this mean?”  Like last week, we will not tell you what this means, but invite you to think for yourself.

 

Here is an approach I offer: at the dark of night during dangerous times, Jesus says no one can see the Kingdom of God.

 

Christians often think this is about “heaven,” being accepted inside after we die, and only those who are born again get to go.

 

But I wonder if Jesus is referring to the Kingdom of God as being right here, right now, and that not everyone is at a place in their life in which they can see it…but that everyone has the ability to see it.

 

And by “see,” perhaps what Jesus means is to “recognize,” to “appreciate,” and to “realize.”

 

Maybe in this story, told under the dark of night during a dangerous time, Jesus is saying “Not everyone has the ability to realize the Kingdom of God is present.  Not everyone can see the Kingdom is here.”

 

“But those who do, those who can, are able to participate in the ways of the Kingdom that allow life to be celebrated here on earth.”

 

And what are some of those ways?

 

The Ministry of Lydia’s House, where next week we get to purchase pot pies to support their care for women, families and pets.

 

Feed My People, where we are encouraged today to take home a yellow bag and return it next week filled with groceries to feed the hungriest and least of these.

 

Our offerings, which allow us to be a presence in a time like this.

 

Our gifts that we give today and each week empower us to strive to maintain a loving and inclusive culture of respect and compassion that affirms people of all colors, cultures, and views of the world.

 

Nicodemus was very, very afraid when he visited Jesus, and he may not have fully understood all that Jesus talked about.

 

But when he arrived home, and the sun began to rise, transformation began to take place.

 

In John 7:45, when the police and priests try to rile the crowd against Jesus, it is Nicodemus, in broad daylight, who speaks up, saying they are not following the law. 

 

In John 19, Nicodemus participates in taking Jesus’s body off the cross, ensuring he has a proper burial.

 

Nicodemus played his own part in making heaven seen when he spoke up in truth and when he showed compassion to the flesh of an unjustly convicted Jesus.

 

Like Nicodemus, we too live during dangerous times, and like him we also get to discern how we will get to allow our experience with Jesus to shape how we live in this world and amongst others.

 

Amen.