Sermon by Rev Jennie M Anderson
/St Barnabas, Norwich VT
Sermon by Rev Jennie M Anderson
Lord, make us stewards of ourselves, that we may be servants of others. Take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, take our hearts and set them on fire, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. Good morning! Welcome!
"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;”
Become - What we are to become—and that is already envisioned in the heart of God—and what we are becoming through the “daily visitation” of the Holy Spirit, animates us, [and] transforms us even now. -Br. Mark Brown; Blessing - Look around right now: notice divine love in the ordinary stuff of life, in words and actions, your very breath and the stars above. God is with us and within us. God is still saving, refreshing and blessing us here. Instead of complaining, give thanks for all heavenly food on the hard road that leads to life. -Br. Luke Ditewig; Power - Open yourself to the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose power will enable you to boldly live out your baptismal vows with integrity and holy zeal. -Br. David Vryhof
Happy Trinity Sunday! Before we continue, let’s take a moment and step out of our places of comfort, our place of regular pattern and stand up. I will ask two volunteers to step out of their seats and come to the front of the church. It is a simple illustration and no one is going to be hypnotized into clucking like a chicken or mooing like a cow… so _____________ would you please step forward so I can show what I mean by Augustinian Trinity?
I am so happy to be able to share some of the things I have learned along the way about the concept of the Trinity and how we as Christians have figured this out over time... or not.... First, it is a mystery. Second, the Sunday that celebrates the Trinity was "invented" by the Anglicans and has only been celebrated since about the time of the reformation (just a point of information new to me this time around). Third, the metaphor that I learned in Seminary for Trinity is from Augustine: Lover, Beloved and Love which is actually more Platonic than fits in with our monotheistic forefathers of the Book. Fourth is the threefold metaphor of God as Truth, Beauty and Good. Finally, having been a Trinitarian Christian all of my life, there are several other metaphors and or relationships that have spoken of the Trinity to me... and that's the final part of today's message, that our God is a loving God and the very form of God has something to do with relationship... and like the first point, it is a mystery.
"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;”
So, let’s dig in! My first day of class, theology class, we were told that God is so far out, so big... or so small... so ... much and so powerful... and so fully present... and so... well, in the ancient tradition about our God, making any attempt to describe God, limits God in that language itself is only a symbol of what's real. So, we cannot ever really pinpoint what and who God is with mere language, so we have to be clear that whatever we say is really a limited vision... it’s a mystery. But we cannot help but try to come up with ways to explain who and what God is... so we do and have done pretty much since the first persons came into being in this world... and even though church may not be the most sought after activity in this day in age, a world that is mostly led by secularism, humans are almost always seeking a better way to explain it all. Still we really want to be able to know God... The concept of the Trinity gives us a place of reference about God that has in its center, mystery and I think is pretty cool. [JMA 2010].
"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;”
Lover… Beloved… LOVE! It takes people- friendships, family members, classmates, co-workers and even romantic lovers – relationship - to show what the mystery of God - God’s love, God’s gift of life, and God’s power are in the world. What is it that we tap into in our prayer, our song, and our connection to that which brings us life and brings us peace? What we go through in seeking God and a connection to God is often not a very peaceful process but when we arrive – and we most often only rest in God’s loving arms for a short time and then more growth is asked of us – when we arrive in the moment of understanding, the Trinitarian mystery of God’s love, in that moment, we find ourselves truly home.
"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;”
I want to offer three models, analogies perhaps, of our concept of trinity and practice of finding faith in a Trinitarian God. First, say you are a musician, voice or instrument, and have the experience of harmonics and overtones. This is when two notes are sung together, there is suddenly a third note present and then more and more depths and dimensions to the music that is present with only a few notes are actually being played. This to me is also a mysterious way we can glimpse the concept of a Trinitarian God. A second example is that of the writer- the concept, the writing and the reading or sharing that writing to a community are a three phase Trinitarian model of how we can access wisdom. I must admit, that I haven’t unpacked this version of trinity models and so I ask you to pray about this concept and tell me how it might flow for you. Finally, the third model of trinity is a personal example, as a welder, joining two different pieces of metal, using filler and a tremendous amount of heat to create a unified whole, be it a bridge beam, a component to a bicycle or an airplane or perhaps an artistic sculpture shaping a new vision of peace. The musician, the writer and the welder, three very different crafts that participate in a process that can provide a way to comprehend the concept of the Trinity.
"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;”
Today is Trinity Sunday and the invitation for us to reflect on the mystery that is God. Let us pray. O Singer, your song is welcome and holiness, healing and trust. Teach us a new song to sing your praise, and tune our ears to melodies we have never heard, that we may add our voices to the harmony uniting all creation as one in adoration and thanksgiving of you, through Christ, your all-embracing song. Amen.