When I was much too young to understand biology I asked my mother, "Where do babies come from?"

Of course, this is the question every parent of a 6 year old looks forward to...

But Mom never flinched... didn't head toward the liquor cabinet...

Instead she sat me down and said that when two people really love each other, babies are the inevitable result - life follows love - love gives birth to life.

Apparently that answer was good enough, because my next question was, "Would you rather be a Popsicle or a pickle?"

But the point is, you and I were created to love.

We love ourselves, our pets, our neighbors, our country, our cars, our God, the sunset, the Amazon driver, even Justin Bieber, some of us - But we soon figure out we are at our best when we love - we come alive to love.

In fact, researchers say our greatest source of happiness in life will come from loving relationships.

But how hard this is to put into practice!

It was for Nicodemus - a religious leader who sought out Jesus in the wee hours for a clandestine rendezvous - the original Nick at Night - because the socio-religious culture  which had evolved around Nicodemus made it difficult, uncool, almost unacceptable, to talk so openly and comprehensively about love, God's love for everyone.

And things haven't changed much today.

It's still difficult to live in love.

Which is why we need Jesus, in him we see love without expectation or requirement, unbridled and unlimited, all we need is awareness, waking up to the reality that we were created to love. Our big job is not to change, convert, bully, or baptize, but to love.

You are a love machine, sang the Miracles, and they weren't far off, you come alive to love, Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus was to awaken him to love, how is God trying to awaken us to the same thing?