3:1* ¶ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
 2* This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
 3* Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
 4* Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
 5* Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
 6* That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’
 8* The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.”
 9* Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?”
 10* Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?
 11* Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony.
 12* If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
 13* No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.
 14* And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,
 15* that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
 16* For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
 17* For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Our gospel lesson this morning is the well known story of Nicodemus and being born again. It is a passage of scripture that has been troubling many for years. What does it mean to be born again?

But today we are going to side step that question of being born again and concentrate on the last 4 verse of this gospel lesson where the text says: 14* And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,
 15* that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
 16* For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
 17* For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

These verses are the gospel of Jesus Christ in a nutshell. It speaks about the cross and the resurrection. As we are in the Lenten season it is fitting that we focus our attention this morning on the cross of Christ.

Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness to protect the nation of Israel, so Jesus will be lifted up on a cross to bring salvation to the world.

I would like to tell you the story about three trees and how God used them to bring salvation to the world.

The Legend of the Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.  They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,   "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest.  I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems.  I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship.  I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.  Everyone w ill feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." 

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.   When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree,  I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong  tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.  One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a  feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay.  This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat.  His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree.  The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but  this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep.   While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe.  The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said  "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it.  When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.

But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had
changed everything. It had made the third tree strong.

And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

God used three trees to bring his salvation into this world. The tree of the manger, the tree of the boat, and the tree of the cross.The tree of the manger was proud that the birth of the king of kings was with him and the new born baby laid in his manger. The tree of the boat knew that Jesus was the king of kings when he calmed the waters even if the disciples did not know who Jesus actually was. And the third tree was the cross where Jesus hung to bring salvation into the world.

God used wood for his purposes.  At the Conference Convention in Exiria, a banner hung from the church ceiling which caught my eye, it said, "The crib and the Cross both were made of wood," God gave through a tree both times, a tree was used to make the manger to bring the Christ child into this world, and a cross from a tree was made to take this Christ, this messiah from the world. The tree of God was also a giving tree. It gave life through the manger to the Son of God, and the Cross, the tree of death brought life life through the body and blood of Jesus, shed and given for our live, for our salvation, our eternal glory.

The Son of God was lifted up as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness to give life to those who had been bitten. The cross, the symbol of death, came to be a symbol of life, the symbol of giving, the symbol of sacrifice, the symbol of true and gracious love. As you gaze at the cross before you today, do you see it as a symbol of life for you? Do you see it as the only way to your salvation? Do you see it as your cross, your only way to gain the salvation which is ours as God's children?

The crib and the cross were both made of wood is an apt phrase for us to dwell on today. The crib gave us Jesus the babe and the cross gave us Jesus the crucified and risen Lord. The wood of these two thing, the crib and the cross gave us God plan for salvation.

God was the great architect who designed the bridge for our freedom, but he not only designed it, he built it, and he built it out of materials that no one would of thought of, he built it out of a cross and the body and blood of his son He didn't ask anyone else to do the work, he kept it in the family, and then he shared the completed work with all people who would believe that he did the work, he shared it with all who would believe that the work was done for them. Yes, God used the cross of Calvary, the old rugged cross to build a bridge between himself and us.

As John says, '"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." Gave his only son. God was willing to sacrifice part of himself, he was willing to give up his son to death, so that you and I could be liberated from the chains of death, so that you and I wouldn't be prisoners of death any longer, but we might be free people who have the freedom of God's love.

The crib and the cross were both made of wood reminds us of God's plan for salvation. God gave us his only son through the crib as he loved us enough to do that, but at the same time He used the wood of the cross to bring victory out of death. For Jesus hung on that cross for your and mine salvation.

Through the crib and the cross God gave salvation to us. He gave then and he continues to give now to use each time we repent and believe in the salvation which is ours through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God gave and continues to give.

I would like to close with a story about a tree that gave and gave as it reminds of the the giving tree of the cross.

From Shel Silverstein comes the following:

"The tree gives the little boy her apples to pick and her branches to climb. The boy and the tree love each other and are happy in their life together. As the boy grows older, however, his interest in the tree becomes less. The tree is very lonely until one day the boy returns as a young man. The tree offers her apples and branches, but the boy claims that he is too old to climb and play. He is more interested in money.

'Can't you give me some money?' he asks the tree.

The tree has not money, but she does have apples. Why doesn't the boy pick the apples and sell them then he will be happy. The boy picks the apples and sells them, then he will be happy. The boy does this and the tree is happy. But then the boy stays away an even longer time and the tree is sad.

Years later the boy returns. The tree is overwhelmed with joy as she invite the boy to swing from her branches. But the boy is too busy to play. What he really wants is his own family and a house to keep him warm.

Can the tree give him a house? No, but the boy can cut her branches and build a house with them, suggests the tree; then he will be happy. The boy does this and the tree is happy.

Many years pass before the boy, now middle-aged returns. The tree, overjoyed, invites the boy to play. But now the boy is too old to play. all he wants is a boat which will take him far away. 'Can you give me a boat?' the tree invites the boy to cut down her trunk and make a boat so he can be happy. The boy does this, and the tree is happy--but not really, for now only a bare stump remains.

When, years late, the boy returns, he is hunched-over, old man. The tree apologizes for having nothing to offer any longer, no more apples to eat or branches to climb, only an old stump.

But the old man says his teeth are too weak for apples, and he is too old to climb. All he needs is a quiet place to sit and rest for he is very tired.

'Well,' says the tree, straightening herself up as much as she can, 'an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, boy sit down, sit down and rest.' And the boy does. The tree is very happy."

The tree gave and gave as the crib and the cross of Christ gives and gives today.

The crib and the cross were both made of wood.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale February 11, 2008

 You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.