Trinity Sunday, 2014

JOHN 3:16-18

ONCE A TEACHER ASKED HER KINDERGARTENERS TO DRAW PICTURES OF ANYTHING THEY WANTED TO. ONE LITTLE GIRL PROUDLY ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WAS GOING TO DRAW A PICTURE OF GOD. “BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE,” SAID THE TEACHER. “THEY WILL WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH MY PICTURE,” SHE SAID.

TODAY CHRISTIANS OF EVERY DENOMINATION CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A GLIMPSE OF WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE. IT IS A MYSTERY SO PROFOUND THAT I SUSPECT MOST OF US NEVER GIVE IT A THOUGHT IN OUR DAILY LIVES. WHEN WE PRAY, WE MAY PRAY TO GOD, OR JESUS. WE DON'T OFTEN PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, UNLESS WE ARE CHARISMATIC CHRISTIANS, THEN WE MIGHT PAY HIM MORE ATTENTION. BUT WE ALL AGREE, I THINK, THAT WHEN WE SIT DOWN AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW GOD CAN BE ONE, COMPLETELY SIMPLE, WITHOUT PARTS, WITHOUT CHANGE; ALL POWERFUL, ALL LOVING, ALL WISE, ALL MERCIFUL; AND HOW THERE ARE THREE PERSONS EACH OF WHOM IS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY GOD, DIFFERING FROM EACH OTHER ONLY IN RELATIONSHIP, IT'S EASIER TO GO READ ABOUT STRING THEORY OR NUCLEAR PHYSICS.

BUT THE TRINITY IS A MYSTERY REVEALED BY GOD. IF IT WASN'T IMPORTANT TO US, WHY WOULD GOD HAVE BOTHERED?

IF I SAY THAT THE TRINITY IS SOMETHING LIKE THE FACT THAT I AM A FATHER, A HUSBAND, AND A DEACON, THERE IS A LITTLE TRUTH IN THAT, BUT IT IS MORE WRONG THAN RIGHT; IT SUGGESTS THAT GOD TAKES ON ROLES, SO THAT THE FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT ARE JUST MASKS HE PUTS ON.

SAINT PATRICK REPORTEDLY SAID THAT THE TRINITY WAS LIKE A SHAMROCK; THREE LEAVES, ONE PLANT. BUT THAT'S NOT RIGHT EITHER; EACH LEAF IS PART OF THE SHAMROCK; BUT EACH PERSON IN THE TRINITY IS COMPLETELY GOD.

AND THEN THERE'S THE ONE THAT COMPARES THE FATHER TO THE SUN UP IN THE SKY; THE SON TO THE SUNBEAM THAT TRAVELS TO THE EARTH; AND THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE LIGHT AND HEAT. THAT DOESN'T WORK EITHER. THE SUNBEAM AND THE HEAT AND LIGHT ARE SUBORDINATE, INFERIOR, DEPENDENT UPON THE SUN. IN THE TRINITY ALL PERSONS ARE CO-EQUAL, NONE ARE DEPENDENT.

BUT STILL, WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT THE TRINITY. FIRST, THE TRINITY TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT COMMUNITY. SOME OF THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH USED A WORD, “PERICHORESIS” WHICH IS GREEK FOR “DANCING AROUND”. EACH PERSON IS IN THE OTHER, BRINGING ABOUT GOD'S PLANS AND PURPOSES. JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES THAT THE SPIRIT WILL TAKE WHAT HE HAS AND GIVE IT TO THE DISCIPLES. BUT WHAT JESUS HAS COMES FROM THE FATHER; AND THE SPIRIT BRINGS EVERYTHING BACK TO THE FATHER. LIKEWISE AT THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, JESUS DOES THE FATHER'S WILL; THE FATHER EXPRESSES HIS LOVE, AND THE SPIRIT ANOINTS JESUS TO CARRY OUT THE FATHER'S MISSION. EACH MEMBER BUILDS ON WHAT THE OTHER DOES. AND IT WORKS THE OTHER WAY AS WELL. IN THE EARLY CHURCH, THE SPIRIT INSPIRES THE APOSTLES TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS, WHO IS THE FATHER'S GIFT SENT TO REDEEM THE WORLD. THIS COOPERATION, THIS BUILDING ON WHAT THE OTHER ACCOMPLISHES, THIS UNITY IN COMMON WORK IS THE MODEL FOR OUR OWN COMMUNITY.

SECOND, THE TRINITY TELLS US ABOUT OUR MISSION. JESUS SAID, “AS THE FATHER SENT ME, SO I SEND YOU.” WHY DID THE FATHER SEND THE SON? TO BRING SALVATION. BUT THAT IS MUCH MORE THAN GETTING TO HEAVEN. JESUS TELLS US IN THE LORD'S PRAYER WHAT IT MEANS – “THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” HOW IS IT IN HEAVEN? EVERYTHING IS RIGHT; THERE IS PEACE, THERE IS NO STRIFE. THE FATHER SENT THE SON TO BRING THIS PEACE. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONE WHO EQUIPS THE SON TO CARRY OUT THIS MISSION. THE SON SENDS HIS DISCIPLES TO DO THE SAME THING, AND THE FATHER AND SON SEND THE SPIRIT TO EQUIP US TO MAKE THE KINGDOM REAL. TO MAKE THE KINGDOM REAL, WE HAVE TO HAVE A CLEAR VISION OF WHAT THAT MEANS. IT IS THE FATHER'S VISION, CONVEYED BY THE PREACHING, LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS, AND WORKED OUT IN US BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

THE TRINITY IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN IMAGINE; WE DON'T HAVE THE TOOLS FOR THAT. BUT WE CAN IMAGINE A GOD WHO IS A UNITY. SUCH A GOD HAS NO REASON TO CREATE, NO REASON TO REDEEM, NO REASON TO MAKE HOLY. BECAUSE SUCH A GOD CANNOT BE ABOUT LOVE. LOVE ALWAYS REQUIRES AN OBJECT TO LOVE, AND A GOD WHO IS SINGULAR, ALL KNOWING, ALL POWERFUL, UNCHANGEABLE – PERFECT BY EVERY DEFINITION; CANNOT BRING A UNIVERSE INTO EXISTENCE. BUT A TRINITY IN WHICH EACH PERSON IS RELATED TO THE OTHER SO THAT IT CAN TRULY BE SAID THAT GOD IS LOVE – THAT GOD MUST CREATE, MUST REDEEM, MUST MAKE HOLY.

AND IT'S SOMETHING ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN LOVE CAN RELATE TO. WHEN YOU ARE DEEPLY IN LOVE, YOU WANT TO GIVE THINGS TO THE ONE YOU LOVE; IF YOUR LOVE IS STRONG ENOUGH, YOU WANT TO GIVE YOURSELF TO THE BELOVED. SO THE VERY NATURE OF GOD IS LOVE.

THE TRINITY IS KIND OF LIKE A HAPPY FAMILY. EACH MEMBER IS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR THE OTHER. BUT WHEN MOM'S FRIEND'S HUSBAND IS LAID UP AFTER SURGERY, DAD AND MOM AND LITTLE BILLY ALL RUSH TO HELP OUT. OR WHEN DAD'S BROTHER LOSES HIS JOB AND CAN'T PAY THE RENT, HE IS WELCOMED INTO THEIR HOME UNTIL HE GETS OVER HIS ROUGH SPOT. OR WHEN LITTLE BILLY FINDS A STRAY KITTEN, THE KITTEN IS FED AND CLEANED UP AND GIVEN A HOME BY THE FAMILY. A CHARACTERISTIC OF A HAPPY LOVING FAMILY IS THAT THEIR LOVE GETS MULTIPLIED; THEIR LOVE IS EXTENDED TO ALL WHO NEED IT. THE TRINITY IS NOT MERELY A HAPPY FAMILY OF COURSE. BUT A HAPPY FAMILY IN SOME WAY ECHOES WHY THE THREE PERSONS WHO TOGETHER ARE LOVE, EXTEND LOVE TO ALL CREATION.

AND THAT BRINGS US TO FATHER'S DAY. WE DON'T HONOR FATHERS BECAUSE OF BIOLOGY; WE HONOR THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO GOOD FAMILIES. BUT A FATHER CAN'T DO IT ALONE. THERE'S THAT OLD SAYING, “IF MOMMA AIN'T HAPPY, AIN'T NO ONE HAPPY”. SO A FATHER HAS TO MAKE SURE THE MOTHER IS HAPPY. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT CHILDREN WHO GROW UP ESTRANGED FROM ONE OR BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS HAVE A DISADVANTAGE COMPARED TO CHILDREN FROM INTACT FAMILIES. SO THE FATHER HAS TO MAKE SURE THE CHILDREN ARE HAPPY. AND IF YOU WANT A HAPPY FAMILY, THE FATHER HAS TO BE HAPPY, SO THE MOTHER AND THE CHILDREN NEED TO MAKE SURE THE FATHER IS HAPPY. AND WE COULD SUBSTITUTE OTHER WORDS FOR HAPPY – SECURE, WELL FED, SHELTERED, CLOTHED, EDUCATED, DISCIPLINED – BUT IN THE END, ALL ARE SIMPLY WAYS OF SAYING “LOVED”. AND IN THE END, THE FATHER WHO GIVES THE MOST, WHO LOVES THE MOST, WHO GIVES HIMSELF AWAY TO HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, THAT IS THE FATHER WHO MOST RESEMBLES THE FATHER IN THE TRINITY, WHO GENERATES THE SON BY EMPTYING HIMSELF OUT.