Sunday 12th June 2022
St Peter’s, Stanley (Morning Worship)
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
First of all, may I say what an honour and a delight it is for me to be here with you today. As you may already know, I am new to the Benefice – based mainly at Wrenthorpe and Outwood.
I have been a very active member of the Wakefield Cathedral community for the past 25 years, but in recent years, I have heard the Lord calling me to new pastures and new opportunities – at least I realise that now, It has taken me a while to work all of this out!
As Christian disciples, we are called to wait upon the Lord God…. Discern and respond in the light of the Holy Spirit – seeking God’s wisdom, however long that might take – following Jesus who shows us why – that we might know God more in our lives through love, and sharing this gift with everyone.
Hmmm. It’s too easy to make it sound easy, if you know what I mean!
As Christians, if we are asked about our faith, or what motivates us, or how we deal with the challenges that life presents, do we offer an answer that encompasses God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
Do we discuss the Blessed and Holy Trinity as underlining our faith…?
God the “Father”,
God the “Son”,
God the “Holy Spirit”;
Words in this form, or similar, are woven throughout our worship and sacraments.
I began this sermon with them too….
Do we feel OK to ‘explain’ it all to those that enquire about faith?
It’s not that easy, is it?
God is a Father and His Son at the same time…. AND the tongues of fire thingy we hear about on Pentecost?
Who came first… and who came next……?
What?
Hello?
More tea vicar?
Who is this WISDOM that we encounter in Proverbs?
To paraphrase:
At the crossroads, along the way…
In the city, in its busiest places….
Wisdom calls out to you – to me – to us….
From the founding moment – in all of time….
She raises her voice to share the Wisdom of God….
With a joy that speaks of a life lived with God….
Wisdom dances with a delight in Gods created people.
Who is She?
Have you ever encountered another human, shouting out in the public realm – pointing and gesturing…
Not making sense, and clearly not inviting a sensible conversation about the weather, or anything else you might be ‘comfortable’ with…
This person looks a bit wild…. And not very approachable … and I still cannot work out what she is saying…
Yet she seems happy, and not particularly scary….
She seems to be dancing…
Actually all of this seems to be attractive, in a mysterious way…
Not as embarrassing as I first thought, and I no longer feel compelled to walk on by – quite the opposite, in fact.
We have all encountered situations where it isn’t clear if a persons behaviour is provocative and challenging through aggression or intoxication, or the manifestation of a psychosis or other mental health crisis; or maybe something else…. The unexplainable!
Do we ever allow for the possibility of the voice of the Holy Spirit…. Of God’s Wisdom…. Right here amongst us?
Now there’s an idea!
In our passage from Proverbs, Wisdom is personified – given a sense of being – and is witnessed in a moment of joy at all of God’s love focussed upon the world – upon humankind.
Wisdom is considered as being the pattern for life – being right with God. Yes.
Right here though, we get the sense of something more.
This is an expression of relationship.
Not just the how or the when or even the why…. But the WHO.
I might oversimplify here, but God gave laws on stone – we get a worldview of God in scripture – the pattern for loving from Jesus, and maybe a glimpse of playing this forward through history in a myriad of other people.
Yet when we see Wisdom in this way – we encounter the Holy Spirit – this essence of love that imbues all that is or has ever been – and all will be revealed.
In John, Jesus tells his friends that there is more to come….. not for now…. But later…. And ALL will be revealed in and through the spirit – like a light in the darkness, a translator, and a companion – all in one!
So, back to the Trinity….
Throughout Christian history there has been considerable robust debate about the nature of the Trinity, with countless words assembled to describe one theory or another, with subsequent theological tracts published for further robust discussion … and so on…
Daniel and I trained together as Lay Readers, at the Mirfield School of Ministry. One of the modules that caused much consternation amongst students was Christian DOCTRINE…!
The doctrines of sin and grace, of salvation, Christology, creation; the Holy Spirit and of course the Trinity.
From Matthew exhorting the reader to baptise “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – through the Early Church Fathers, several Creeds and councils; those for and against the notion of Trinitarianism – and all the possibilities in between!
There are those who have challenged and disputed the Doctrine of the Trinity – from other faiths such as Judaism and Islam, to theologians down the ages.
Why make God so complicated! Surely to explain God in the words of “metaphysical insanities” is to hinder the growth of Christianity – so said Thomas Jefferson.
Is this like a stumbling block to us little children?
Surely its an issue of language. All of human history has made some attempt to ‘capture’ God in the form of words, symbols and imagery.
We receive Jesus as the ‘incarnation’ of God – not just some bloke – but more than God and human – at the same time…..
And the Spirit…. Tongues of fire, speaking in other languages, “the Comforter” or maybe the Force is with us!
Scripture, our paramount source of understanding and hope – of God and history…. Words on paper…. Unchanging?
It’s transformative, but constrained from change by our belief in it?
And then our language, interpretation and comprehension as humans…..
All of the above – to be understood in the same way we approach everything else in the world.
Must we always try to explain God? To summarise and fully KNOW the mystery of God that creates and transcends all things?
Human endeavours to gain more insights into Life, the Universe and Everything are always admirable and aspirational, yet how do we really explain the Mystery of God?
Should we make it like scientific endeavour?
Well we can try, but just don’t expect the outcomes to remain static – God is dynamic!
No matter what I have studied, written, discussed and sought revelation, the Holy Trinity still maintains a mystery beyond human reckoning.
And do you know what? That’s fine by me.
Yet it might not help you.
So, I offer some other thoughts on what the Trinity might be revealing to us…..
I believe it us more helpful for us to consider its ‘essence’ – and by that I mean UNITY
I wonder how many of you had the chance to hear or read the sermon of Archbishop Stephen, in St Paul’s Cathedral last week. In his own gracious acknowledgment of service, faith and commitment, as embodied by our sovereign, he acknowledges the value of serving one who is comfortable with serving a higher power.
Service to others, with some degree of humility and sustainability, can be the glue that holds together fractured and diverse communities – large and small.
Such as might be seen in parish life.
We have witnessed it in many places – we might point out particular individuals that have enabled it – people that have served us, and are worthy of our service in return.
The bonds that unify groups of people – the family, the parish, the nation – might not be obvious. It will be loving service, more than flags or anthems, that will have kept us together in the darkest times and in the good times too.
Such is a Unity where its parts might be named, but it retains a mystery as to how they are bonded.
And then in the broader Anglican Community… with the delayed Lambeth Conference in late July, Archbishop Justin invites all Anglicans to pray for this event that, for some around the world, will be seen as divisive and unhelpful.
This year the theme is “God’s Church for God’s World”.
If the rainbow coloured people of God’s church are encouraged to seek unity in prayer, then there is always hope.
Unity within the setting of global tensions, pandemics and economic crises – with all the other aspects of friction and division – in a Church that is presumed to be broken – it’s always going to be a big ask!
And our prayer – offered from our hearts – to the mystery of the Triune God – will not be quantifiable or tested. It will be drawn through us all, by the joyful, hopeful dancing Wisdom.
And here, in our parishes, how do we do unity in the Benefice… when distinct parish identities prevail?
We are our parishes, our people…
We are prayer and sacrament; learning and gifting; we make space for those in need and welcome them everywhere.
We know who we are… but not who we might become as the Body of Christ, St Paul’s excellent image of relationship.
I am new here and still have much to learn, especially about this Benefice that represents an idea of Unity.
Maybe I can learn as we move forward together, with Wisdom dancing ahead of us!
I do not wish to appear dismissive of the value and significance of theological doctrinal study – far from it. Our Christian discipleship is dependent on us having informed knowledge of what underpins it; of the words we speak in prayers, creeds and hymns – that they might have a true meaning for all that them.
However, on a day to day basis we hope that we can find a simplicity in the calling of Jesus to follow Him; and seek the face of a mysterious God amidst all that we do not know or understand; and all of this to be nurtured and guided by the Holy Spirit – sometimes clear, often impenetrable, yet always with us.
The dynamic creator God…
The incarnation of God in Jesus….
The sensation of the joy and Wisdom of God in the Spirit….
Post-covid, I still have issues with my sense of smell. Maybe you do too.
I am blessed in having some beautiful, fragrant roses in my garden. Each day, as I stop by a new bloom, I breathe in…. Such an intoxicating fragrance…. And I smile, and for a moment… there is nothing else…
I’m not alone though….
The Spirit is there – helping me in this moment – to be joyful without words, to experience a deep meaning without explanation… to acknowledge God in this simple beauty.
Well, that’s how I encounter it…..
Maybe we don’t have to ‘explain’ the Trinity at all.
Maybe – yes, hopefully – we can live a Trinitarian life – allowing and encouraging the Spirit to resonate within us, joyfully demonstrating a life with God, in the Creation He has wondrously made, and sharing that with everyone we walk with, along the pathway to following Jesus.
Does that make sense?
In all the more challenging areas of life where we strive to ‘show unity’ or create an environment that promotes unity – in order that those around us might know such things are possible – how will we fair?
The twentieth century, Liberation Theologian, Leonard Boff acknowledges the Trinitarian challenge to a developing Christian faith.
He notes the difficulties of applying a numerical logic – three persons – as a description of God.
Boff suggested we move beyond the logical mystery to a SAVING MYSTERY.
For those who are struggling under the burdens of human life and liberty: social deprivation, economic crisis, political oppression…. If they can know that these struggles are shared with God, Jesus and the Spirit, in building the Kingdom, then they might develop other motivations to live and grow.
In so doing, the Unity – the glue – of the Trinity is shared and experienced amongst us all as we live in communion with one another.
So….
In the days to come, I double-dare you to share your understanding of the Trinity with someone – anyone!
Not in terms of numbers and who came first, or how it all fits together – but, in how you and the people you share your life with, and the natural world around you, are in union with one another, and with God, and with Jesus – beautifully leading you in the dance of mystery by the Spirit that breathes life and Wisdom through us all….
God be with you in your mission!
Amen.
Bibliography
McGrath, A. (2007) Christian Theology: An Introduction (Fourth Edition), Blackwell, Oxford
McGrath, A.E (2017) The Christian Theology Reader, 5th Edition, Wiley Blackwell, Chichester
Williams, J. (2011) Lectionary Reflections: Years A, B & C, SPCK, London
Wright, N.T. (2002) John for Everyone (Part 2), SPCK, London
Image: The Trinity, an icon created by the Russian painter Andrei Rublev, sometime in the early 15th century.
https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-immensity-within-2022-06-07/
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/10-june/faith/sunday-s-readings/trinity-sunday