Sermon 12th June 2022 – Trinity Sunday
Text: John 16:12-15 – Trinity - Best left unexplained.
The Holy Trinity is an interesting teaching of the
Christian church. The word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the bible so it has been
disputed by many denominations like the
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christadelphians. Many of the heresies from the early
church were created by well meaning Christians wanting to explain the mystery
of One God, three Persons. As a result the Creeds were written to keep the
teaching pure and if you’ve never taken notice they are in 3 parts – I believe
in God the Father almighty … I believe in Jesus Christ his Son … I believe in
the Holy Spirit.
As the church grew the creeds had to become more
descriptive as we see in the Nicene Creed to protect the teaching of Jesus
being equal in the Godhead. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son
of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true
God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the father. Through
whom all things were made. A church Father by the name of Athanasius went even
stronger writing what is known as our 3rd Creed, the Athanasian Creed which
begins: Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold
the catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled,
without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this:
that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding
the Persons, nor dividing the Essence.
Muslims reject Christianity for worshipping more than
one God or that God could have a son. Jews reject Christianity for suggesting
that Jesus, a mere human, could be the Son of God and the promised Messiah. So
you can understand that the Trinity has been an important doctrine of the
Christian Church. But what is the importance of it for our everyday Christian
faith? Do we have to fully understand it in order to believe it?
I believe in today’s readings, even though there is no
reference to The Trinity, that we can understand that it’s the relationship of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit and through Jesus’ death and resurrection the
extension of that relationship is now given to us which is of vital importance
and comfort.
First of all we see in Jesus’ words: All that the
Father has is mine and that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Whatever
God the Father has he gives to Jesus his Son through the Holy Spirit is now
given to us because we are children of God. There we see the unity of the
Trinity at work but it doesn’t end there. The Holy Spirit takes what is Jesus’
and give it to us.
So not only is there unity in the Trinity, Father,
Sona and Holy Spirit – BUT – we have been included in that unity because
through Jesus’ death, as Paul says – we are heirs – everything Jesus has, we
have. And that’s what Paul is describing in our 2nd reading: Since we are
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand. We have
access to God. And that’s what the Book of Hebrews also describes: We have
confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and
living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.
The Curtain? You may recall that at his death it says
that the curtain in the temple was torn in two. The curtain that divided the
temple and would only allow the High Priest to enter the Most Holy Place once a
year – on the Day of Atonement. But now, we can enter that Holy Place always. Not
just at church – no, the Christian faith goes well beyond our worship on
Sundays. But in our prayers, in our reading of the Word – the HOLY Bible – we
have confidence that we come into the presence of God.
This relationship we now have through the Trinity
means that we can truly “know” God. And there are differences in “knowing”. As
we celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, as you look at all the
celebrations throughout the Commonwealth and beyond – there are millions, if
not billions of people who know the Queen. But that doesn’t give you access to
the Queen nor does she know you. But “knowing” God is on a whole different
level. God invites you to speak to him – to touch him – and he knows you and in
fact knows the very hairs on your head.
Understanding God as Trinity is not about holding the
correct opinion on God’s nature. It is
the starting place for truly knowing him. To believe in and have a relationship with
God, building a real friendship with God.
It enables us to worship our Heavenly Father and know
that we stand, not as peasants or unimportant mortals, but as his beloved
children, as coheirs of his Heavenly Kingdom: as the beloved creatures to whom
he gives all that he has – As Psalm 8 says: - When I look at the night sky and
see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are
mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should
care for them?
This is to truly know God the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Not getting the explanation right but getting the relationship right. And
the amazing thing about leaving the details and explanations to God is that we
don’t limit God to our explanation. That’s the beauty of leaving it as a
mystery. And that’s what Jesus said in our Gospel reading. "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;
Too often we limit God by our limitations. Think of
when Paul was taken into heaven and given a glimpse of Paradise in 2
Corinthians: I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I
do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible
things, things that no one is permitted to tell. Was it because Paul was told a
secret and wasn’t allowed to tell us or was it because there were no words in
our limited vocabulary and understanding that could give proper understanding
of what he saw and heard. Was it too much for us to bear right now?
The amazing thing about our relationship with God is
that it is only limited by us. So when we pray, forgive us our sins as we
forgive those who sin against us – it is saying that our understanding of God’s
forgiveness in our lives is limited to our forgiveness of others. It’s not
limited by God The love we experience from God is only limited by the love we
show others. That’s why Jesus says – love one another as I have loved you. And,
love your enemies. And that’s why the Trinity is not to be explained or
described but rather experienced. Always you’ll find that Jesus wants us to
experience what he has experienced from his Father. Love one another as I have
loved you. As the Father has sent me so I am sending you. The Father and I are
one.
In Jesus Christ, we see everything there is to see
about a Father’s love. And in Jesus we
experience everything there is to experience of the Father’s love.
And, as Paul says, God's love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. That’s the Trinity at
work. Whether we understand it or not. Whether we can explain it or not. Sometimes
the best things are left unexplained. Because as soon as we explain something
then we limit it to that explanation. But when it comes to the mystery of God –
the Holy Trinity – Jesus says that he has more to give to us than we can
possibly bear and that includes the love of God that he pours into our hearts.
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