Jesus said to the disciples, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
This is the day that we celebrate God with us and for us in three distinct but equally incredible, collaborative ways. We call it Trinity Sunday. What do you think of when you hear that word Trinity? I talked to a few people this week and virtually every reaction is something about how difficult it is to understand, how distant and inaccessible God feels when we try to sort out this business of a Trinity. I even got a few expressions of sympathy that I have to preach today on the Trinity. But I’m happy to do so! What I hope to offer you today is the Trinity as an all-encompassing love experience. The Trinity is the most basic human experience of the divine. It is as common and comfortable as receiving a hug.
For the longest time, I had an arm’s length relationship with the Trinity. A lifetime, actually. I accepted this piece of doctrine as part and parcel of a church I loved, happy enough to live with one piece of mystery while embracing wholeheartedly the things that I did understand – like love for our neighbor, like a faith community with no outcasts ever, like beautiful ancient liturgical tradition connecting believers across time and space. But I just couldn’t personally wrap my head around God as Three AND God as One.
And then several years ago, before I was ready to acknowledge a call to ordained ministry, I got the most amazing gift. I attended a retreat day with a priest who had the most impressive credentials – she was a graduate of Yale Law School. After a stellar career as an attorney she was appointed to the bench and served as a federal court judge. She then felt a call to priesthood and went back to Yale – this time to the divinity school. So this is a highly educated, intelligent and thoughtful person and priest. And during the retreat she said “oh, no one understands the Trinity.” Wow – what a relief! If she didn’t understand it, I was okay. It’s like she gave me permission to relax, and sit with it and some assurance that eventually it would make sense.
And when it finally did I understood the trinity not as an intellectual exercise but as an experience. Let’s talk a little about the roles of the three entities that make up the Trinity.
God’s role is creator. The very first words in Holy Scripture are of God creating heavens and earth, divine magnificent imagining and creating everything from eyelashes on a gnat to solar systems we haven’t even found yet. God is the ultimate entrepreneur with vision. God sustains all parts of what God creates and then renews and perfects them. God pours out God’s self in love.
Creation is so expansive it can be overwhelming, so God does what theologian John Macquarrie calls “focusing” so that we, with our finite vision and attention, might have experiences of the nature of God and how God moves in the world. And Jesus is God’s focusing.
Let’s look at the role of Jesus. Jesus, as a focusing of God, is a concrete manifestation of God’s activity. Through Jesus, we are able to focus on God’s presence and on-going activities that might go unnoticed without a focusing event. Jesus is the outpoured life of God. He is the agent through which we are reconciled or brought into closer relationship with God. Through the words and actions of Jesus’ life, not just his death, God is seen and light and warmth are present. Everything Jesus does is a victory for God. Because everything he does lessens the space that separates us from God and makes God’s gift of creation feel more accessible to us.
And let’s look at the third entity of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit as the source of comfort, advise, advocacy, and God’s grace. Some have said that the Holy Spirit has been called the wild child of the Trinity who stirs things up everywhere she goes. And she goes everywhere with energy! She is loose in the world in surprising and disruptive ways but always with love. It’s the Holy Spirit that shows us what’s possible in our world with the gifts of creation and reconciliation through the actions and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Let’s try something together. I’m going to ask you to take a deep breath and close your eyes. I’m going to ask you first to think of three people. The people might be friends or siblings, or co-workers or a parent. It could be a teacher, or family members or neighbor. It could be someone living or dead. Just someone who you know based on what I’ll describe.
First, think of the most creative person you know or have very known. You go to their house and every bit of it is thoughtfully and beautifully put together. Or they tell you about their work and you realize they have extraordinary ideas, they are a real entrepreneur with a sharp imagination about what to do and how to do it. You wonder “how did he think of that?” Do you have someone in mind?
Now think of someone else, someone who you know to be a true friend. You can call on this person any time for anything. You look forward to spending time with them. They tell great jokes and amazing stories. You can count on them to tell you the truth even when it’s a hard truth. But you also know they care about you and it’s for your own good. They’d do anything for you. And you’ll get a hug from them in the end. Okay, keep that person in mind.
Now think of a third person. Think of the most out-going, friendly and energetic person you know. Someone with an infectious smile who encourages you and cheers you on when things go well and especially when they do not. You are at your best when you’re with them. They spark your imagination. You’re amazed at the things this person thinks of doing and you want to join in with them, to go along and see how it all turns out. Do you have that third person in mind?
Keeping your three persons in mind, now think of the most wonderful place you’ve ever seen, or wanted to see or imagined. Maybe it’s palace or cathedral, or your own backyard or a forest or a deserted beach at sunrise. Where ever or whatever it is, place your three people there. Imagine now that the qualities they have, the qualities that led you to choose them, are exponentially greater than any person can have, they are on a divine scale.
When you approach them, they are so happy to see you. They love you and they welcome you. You sit down in the midst of them and it feels like being wrapped in a soft blanket. You can feel their intense concern for every part of your life. They are simultaneously creating for you, accompanying you and giving you energy and insight. This is the work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. You’ve just had an experience of the Trinity – not obscure, not farfetched but mystery revealed as one force of boundless love, mercy and care.
On this Trinity Sunday when we celebrate our earthly fathers, let us pray:
Heavenly Father,
Today we ask You to bless our earthly fathers for the many times they reflected the love, strength, generosity, wisdom and mercy that You exemplify in Your relationship with us, Your children.
We honor our fathers for putting our needs above their own convenience and comfort;
for teaching us to show courage and determination in the face of adversity;
for challenging us to move beyond self-limiting boundaries;
for modeling the qualities that would turn us into responsible, principled, caring adults.
Not all our fathers lived up to these ideals.
Give them the grace to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes.
Give us the grace to extend to them the same forgiveness that you offer us all.
Help us to resist the urge to stay stuck in past bitterness, instead, moving forward with humility and peace of heart.
We ask your blessing on those men who served as father figures in our lives when our biological fathers weren't able to do so. May the love and selflessness they showed us be returned to them in all their relationships, and help them to know that their influence has changed us for the better.
Give new and future fathers the guidance they need to raise happy and holy children,grounded in a love for God and other people - and remind these fathers that treating their wives with dignity, compassion and respect is one of the greatest gifts they can give their children.
We pray that our fathers who have passed into the next life have been welcomed into Your loving embrace, and that our family will one be day be reunited in your heavenly kingdom.
In union with Joseph, the earthly father to whom you entrusted with Your Son, we ask your generous blessings today and every day. Amen.