John the evangelist, author of the gospel that bears his name, seems to show special interest in "night". At the end of his account of the Last Supper, when Judas left, John made a point of saying, "and it was night" (Jn 13.30). It was his intention to keep us in suspense for the Easter morning when the dawn of a new era was to break out with the Lord risen from the dead.

At the outset of his story of Jesus' life and ministry John tells us, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1.5). Light in darkness. Hope in the midst of despair. Life in spite of death. Is this not what we experience in life? Is this not symbolic of the glory of resurrection in face of the shame, pain and suffering of the Crucifixion?

Then in this story of encounter between Jesus, a wandering rabbi, and Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, John the evangelist created a nocturnal scene to heighten the mystery of the encounter, to stress the seriousness of the episode and to fathom the depth of the exchange by having Nicodemus "come to Jesus by night" (Jn 3.2). Does this reference to night intend to raise our expectations, to prepare our hearts and minds for the climactic moment when Jesus said to Nicodemus, "The wind, that is, the Spirit, blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes" (Jn 3.8)?

The night of Jesus' suffering and death and the dawn of his resurrection. The light that shines in the darkness and is not overcome by it. The night of confusion and doubt and the Spirit of regeneration that blows it away. John the evangelist summarizes all this in one of the most profound and penetrating statements ever made in the Christian community throughout the ages, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1.14).

During the past ten days, we, participants of the 23rd general council, have said many, many words at plenary sessions, in section meetings and in our conversations in the courtyards and in the dining halls. We have written down many of the words we have spoken, debated them, agonized over them, and said "ayes" to them.

Having spoken, written and approved these words, we are, at the closing of the general council, faced with soul-searching questions. Can these words become flesh in our daily lives? Can they become enfleshed in our families, in our workplaces and in our churches? Can they become stories of our people with whom we share despairs and hopes? Can they become histories in the world of social, political, religious, and cultural pluralism? And can they be taken up by God as God's word for our world today, God who, to paraphrase Paul's words in his letter to the Romans, "seeks to set the creation, our planet earth, the entire eco-system free from bondage to decay, and to enable all beings and lives to obtain the glorious liberty as God's creatures" (Rom 8.21)?

Since the Word has already become flesh in Jesus, and since we are committed to that Word that dwells among us, is there any choice for our words not to become flesh in our lives, not to become stories of our churches, or not to become part of the history of nations and peoples? The question drives us back to the Spirit, not just to any spirit, not to the spirit that manipulates us and excites us, but to the Spirit that led Jesus, inspired him and empowered him for the ministry of God's reign.

Jesus was led by the Spirit to lead us from the darkness to the light. Jesus was inspired by the Spirit to give us life in the midst of death. And Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to empower us to rebuild the mess we have made of God's creation. Are we as Reformed Christians and churches and as the Alliance willing to be inspired, empowered and led by that Spirit in the days and years ahead?

The world and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches within it are poised to enter the twenty-first century. The twentieth century has been the century of economic developments and democratic movements. It has been a century in which men and women struggled against shackles of dominations. It is a century in which the human will to freedom triumphed over many social and political tyrannies. But many shackles remain to be broken. And there are new chains created to enslave humanity.

The twenty-first century, then, has to be the century of the Spirit, the Spirit that leads us human beings to self-renewal, the Spirit that inspires us to be just and compassionate to one another, and the Spirit that empowers us to choose life here and now and to believe in life in God's eternity.

Can we, daughters and sons of the Reformed family, follow this Spirit that blows where it chooses? Or are we going to be left behind by it? Can our churches and congregations be renewed by that Spirit to be a spiritual force in our community? Or are we going to be deprived of it and remain immobile in our creeds, traditions and structures? Can we, as the Alliance of Reformed Churches, be invigorated by that Spirit to be an agent of hope and future? Or are we going to be bypassed by it, helpless, resourceless, and out of God's humour?

To all these questions we must respond with resounding No's and Yes's: No to our self-contentedness and Yes to the Spirit that blows where it chooses; No to our self-centeredness and Yes to the Spirit that always moves ahead of us; No to our spirit of cowardice and Yes to the Spirit that moves Jesus to teach us to pray, saying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Let me repeat: The twenty-first century will be the century of the Spirit. It is essential to know that economic disorder is caused by human spiritual disorder, that ecological disaster is symptomatic of our spiritual disaster, that domination on account of races, creed, gender or culture is the manifestation of our spiritual poverty.

To be Reformed, therefore, is to reclaim the Spirit that blows where it chooses. To be Reformed is to rededicate ourselves to Jesus who lived and died in obedience to that Spirit. And to be Reformed is to join with that Spirit in the adventure of faith in the coming century. Let us then go forth from this place to God's future led, inspired, and empowered by the Spirit of God that blows where it chooses.

Amen.