Trinity Sunday 2015 (Notes)

Trinity Sunday 2015 

(Note these are speaking notes. I rarely stick to the text but these notes will give you an overview of my homily. I am thankful for Michael Lloyd's "Cafe Theology", Alpha International, 2009)

I love Trinitarian Theology.

But lets be honest, all this Three in One and One in Three is confusing. We live in a culture where we like things explained; scientific methodology, reproducible in a lab.

Luckily, we are not called to define God; we are called to respond to God who always initiates. 

We are not called to define God; we are called to enter into relationship with God so that we can fully know that we are fully known.

To be fully guilty and be fully forgiven. To be fully afraid and to be fully sustained by the presence of He who said, “Fear not for I am with you.”

To fully die to oneself and to fully come alive in the reality of life in Christ.

St Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans. The Father sends forth the Son so that we might have peace with God, while the Holy Spirit pours out God’s love, all so we might be made right with God and right with one another.

So, what does this look like. It is very easy on Trinity Sunday – only doctrine – to get lost in theology and to entirely miss the point.

What’s the point. God is the point and God is relationship. Father, Son and Holy Spirit; which calls us into relationship with God and with one another.

God is relationship. The very relationship from which everything else flows.

What is most valuable to us as human beings?

Relationships.

Not valuables.

Not possessions.

Not knowledge.

Not even power.

Relationships matter most because we were made for relationship. But, not only were we made for relationship, we were made by relationship; the perfect, self-giving relationship.

We were made in the image and likeness of God. God is relationship.

Relationship is what we are for, it is who we are and it is where we will find our ultimate fulfillment. This is the basis of it all.

I am thankful for scientific inquiry and scientific methodology. We can split and atom into parts but you can never split up the love of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The indivisible truth which holds everything together. Oneness.

This is not only the goal; the end point. It is the beginning and the end.

What are some implications of this? What can we learn from the Threeness and Oneness of God:

a. The Doctrine of the Trinity means that God is love.

If God were simply one person all we could say about Him is that He is loving but we could not say that God is love. For if God was only one person He would be alone, He may have some loving personality traits that resemble love can someone who is simply alone really BE LOVE.

Consider this, we know that God is eternal and creation is created; if God was only ONE and not also THREE, for most of eternity God would have had nothing or no one to love. Therefore, God would have depended on creation to know love. We know God is not dependent on creation; creation is dependent on God. So...

b. God will not keep us at arms length –

God draws us in. God does not keep us at arms length.

God draws us into his bosom.

We need relationship. We need reassurance. Our generation has learned that when children are not held, hugged and reassured is that we can grow with deep-seated insecurities and psychological problems.

The doctrine of the Trinity shows us that it is possible to be unimaginably close to God so that those things that may cause us to fear are dispelled. (this deep peace of letting go). This comes from the never-ending journey of knowing and being known. It will ease us out of our protective shells. It will encourage us to reveal a little more of who we are to trusted friends who will honour our fear, our pain, our hurts as a pathway to peace, hope, freedom.

c. the Trinity gives us a model for our relationships

The Father publicly expresses his love of His Son at his baptism. “You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” An expression of love. Jesus submits willingly to the call and the plan of the Father and accepts the Spirit to empower his day-by-day walk in this relationship.

We are called, through Christ, to be sons and daughters of the Father. We are not orphaned, left on our own, but we are always called, deeper and deeper, into the truth of this relationship. This is not the language of slavery but the language of freedom.

In living our own lives in this manner we strive not to control but to set free, in a relationship of trust and love - to authentic freedom. This is the very opposite of objectification and commodification.

And when we stumble and fall, as we will all do, we have a source to which to return. To which to more deeply understand the vastness of God’s mercy, forgiveness and love and also to understand the truth of our own brokenness and need for healing and help.

We can always go to this well. It is bottomless.

And we are never alone. Because we know,

God is love

God draws us closer and closer

God is our model for our relationships

The Trinity is not just a mystery to us; it is most importantly a mystery for us; calling us into deep relationship, a mysterious relationship which sustains our souls.

The Good News is that God loves you.

The Good News is that God sent his son and fulfilled the law and prophets for you.

The Good News is that Jesus is alive.

The Good News is that you are called to be alive; fully alive in Jesus Christ, sustained by the Holy Spirit in surrender to the will of the Father.

Whatever you are stuggling with today. Know that you are loved by God, He is calling you closer and closer because that is the life-giving truth of nature of God.

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest.”

Amen