Sermon: Trinity Sunday (A) – Sunday 4th June 2023 – St Mary Magdalene, Outwood
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
It’s Trinity Sunday, and welcome to this fresh, greener phase of the church year!
For some, the Trinity could be “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”.
Churchill commenting on the Soviet Union.
If you seek an explanation for Trinity Sunday – or of the Holy Trinity itself – then I invite you all now to repeat my opening prayer together, in the form of The Grace….
“The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God; and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.”
And there you have your ‘explanation’, if that is indeed the right word….
In a simple form of prayer – we ask for grace, love and unity. We say this prayer before and after meetings – when we gather as a Christian collective, hopeful that God will bring us closer to one another – to be present amongst us.
So there you have it. Although…
Sometimes it seems more complicated than it should…
In theological study, as preparation for public ministry, there are many opportunities to delve deeply into the various Doctrines of the Church: such as Christology, sin and grace, creation, salvation, Holy Spirit and of course, the Trinity.
These aspects of theology, whilst seemingly dry and inaccessible sometimes, are woven throughout our experience as Christian Disciples – in how we receive scripture, in our creeds and worship and liturgies and songs.
And yet it isn’t ‘easy’ to speak about our faith to others – to summarise all that we have ‘learned’ – to explain the mechanics of God!
If indeed, explaining is actually necessary… for we run the risk of making it all too complicated?
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson – Surely to explain God in the words of “metaphysical insanities” is to hinder the growth of Christianity.
Does this becomes like a stumbling block to us little children?
Well, Jesus told the Disciples to go and baptise the world into what we call the Trinity. They worked it out, and went and did their best to honour the calling of Christ.
In my experience, the Holy Trinity remains a mystery beyond human reckoning.
And do you know what? That’s fine by me.
But what about you?
And what about those who we will meet this week – how will they encounter the Trinity through us?
The Liberation Theologian, Leonardo Boff could see the challenges of the Trinity to a developing Christian faith.
He notes the difficulties of applying a numerical logic – three persons – as a description of God.
He suggests we move beyond the logical mystery to a SAVING MYSTERY.
For those who are struggling under the burdens of 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 too 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.
Of course, I would not wish to appear dismissive of the value and significance of theological doctrinal study – far from it!
Our discipleship is dependent on us having some idea of what underpins it; of the words we speak in prayers, creeds and hymns – that they might have a real meaning.
However, on a day to day basis, we hope to find a simplicity in the calling of Jesus to follow Him; to 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 living and loving energy between the two, in the Holy Spirit…. That Communion, of which Paul speaks to the Corinthians; what St Augustine referred to as ‘the bond of love’ between father and son.
All of it as a transforming oneness….
In our prayers, we ask God for unity in the world, amongst the nations; in our own country and in our local communities.
We ask for unity amongst christians throughout the world…..
And yet this seems all too often to be ‘a big ask’ for the Trinity…. Or maybe just for us?
Churches fall out with one another – sometimes the Anglican Communion seems no more than an ideal, where cultural interpretations become more significant than the command of Jesus to ‘love one another’.
Communities are often tasked with a long hard look at what holds them together when all around are influences that separate.
We are part of a benefice – separate villages and churches, yet through prayer and hard work, we become more than the sum of our parts.
And Christians, amongst other faith traditions, can offer something amazing that can bring warmth and light to a world that often seems so dark.
And yet we continue to pray.
So let’s’ return to The Great Commission, at the end of Matthew’s Gospel.
Textually this is the ending of a great work… and yet there is more to come!
Make Disciples…. Baptise…. And Teach…all from within the authority of Jesus….
This can be a lifes mission…. It’s been a long enough journey to become disciples ourselves…. but the work continues.
Everyone that we encounter, every day…. Let them see Jesus in who we have become – let them read the Gospel through us.
We don’t all physically baptise…. But what a joy when someone is baptised…. And we are all able to pass on the joyous light of our own baptism into the darkness – to transform the lives of all who we meet. That’s worth celebrating!
And as for teaching…. That is certainly a task for us all. You know more than you think – and with what you already know about Jesus, help others to know too.
I originally studied theology to know more that I might be able to pas it on…. And now…. Well, some days its hard to shut me up!
And all of this….in the name of:
The Father…. Whom the Christ knows intimately and fully….
The Son… Himself… He asks for this to be done – of his own Grace…
The Holy Spirit… known throughout the life of Israel, known as the agent of transformation….
So….
In the days to come, I double-dare you – no, I triple-dare you – to share your understanding of the Trinity with someone – anyone!
Not in terms of numbers and who came first, or who said what, or how it all fits together – but, in how you and the people you share your life with are in union with one another, and the creation in which we richly dwell – with God, and with Jesus – beautifully leading you in the dance of mystery by the Holy Spirit that breathes life through us all…. To transform in hope.
God be with you in your mission!
Amen.