June 6 - Trinity

My theology prof at seminary said that it was practically impossible to explain or illustrate the concept of the Trinity without committing some kind of heresy. That there is one God who is at the same time Father, Son and Holy Spirit is truly beyond human understanding or articulation. The subject of what God is like in God-self has been the topic of discussion by some of the greatest theologians throughout history.

Trinity is, in fact, a teaching of the Church rather than a teaching of Jesus. Though Jesus uses the terms Father, Son and Spirit, nowhere does He say how they are God; nor is the word "Trinity" found in Scripture.

Like some other doctrines of the Church, the doctrine of the Trinity came out of the experience of early believers. My favorite commentator of our weekly lessons, Brian Stoffregen, wrote, "Practicing believers and worshipers were driven by their experiences of God's activity to the awareness that God related in several different ways to the creation. .... Thus what these believers came to insist upon was that God had to be recognized as being in different forms of relationship with the creation, in ways at least like different persons, and that all these ways were divine, that is, were of God. Yet there could not be three gods. God, to be the biblical God and the only God of all, had to be one God. This complex and profound faith was then handed over for the theologians to try and make more intelligible. They have been trying ever since."

The Trinity is a mystery. But, being a mystery doesn’t mean we should cast it aside as too difficult to contemplate. Rather, as mystery, we should let it lead us to wonder and awe.

If we allow ourselves to contemplate the Trinity we can’t help but realize how complex and extraordinary our God is. Humans don’t like to feel small and less than brilliant, but if we put this human weakness aside and appreciate how great God is, it will increase our confidence and trust in God. We will see how His wisdom is greater than human wisdom and how His power is greater than any force that might be against us. And of course, we have all the evidence we could possibly need that He loves us each more than any love we can ever know.

God is about relationship and the Trinity is about relationships that form community. That same theology prof I mentioned before also said, "When the three persons of the Trinity interact, God happens. This gives us great comfort because the Persons of the Trinity always interact in love - in love for each other, and in love of us.

The Persons of the Trinity create community as they live out this mutual state of love. This then serves as a model for how the Church is to be in community.

The primary characteristic of the Trinity is way the Persons relate to each other. The Persons work together in perfect unity, sacrificing of self, for the sake of the community they created to be with their human creatures.

Another characteristic of the community the Trinity creates is their commitment. You can’t be any more committed than giving your life as Jesus did. Each Person of the Trinity was committed before time began to create and maintain a community that includes us.

A third characteristic of the Trinitarian community is the love the Persons have for each other and the joy they have interacting. This love extends to and embraces us. It also teaches us how to love each other and enjoy being with each other.

Recently, I’ve seen this Trinitarian community being lived out in a small way here at St. Paul’s. I’ve seen it happening around the project to purchase a new organ. This has especially shown itself through the Rummage Sale.

People may have different opinions about the need for or the value of getting a new organ. Even those who have reservations about the project though have given generously to the Rummage Sale. They have been willing to sacrifice having their way for the sake of the joy that the community will experience.

I’ve seen commitment that reflects a holy sense of community. Everyone is busy today and has many demands on their time. Yet, we had a wonderful array of baked goods, as well as used items for sale. Also, members put in untold hours preparing for and staffing the sale. Just like the Persons of the Trinity, people put their own needs aside for the sake of community.

Finally, just as love in fellowship is a hallmark of the Trinitarian community, so it has been here. This Rummage Sale has occasioned members being together who do not usually socialize, as well as being a time of fellowship for longtime friends. Community grows in this way and our love becomes a witness to the larger community around us.

We will never be able to be in community as perfectly as the Persons of the Trinity. We do though follow their example when we work together in love for the greater good of our community and when this becomes the greater good of the community beyond us. That quote from my theology prof could be paraphrased and applied to us this way: "When the persons of the church interact in love community happens". And thus we become part of the ongoing life of our Trinitarian God. Happy Trinity Sunday. Amen.