Of Three and|in One

A short homily/reflection on the Trinity

(As a mentor once told me, it is difficult to talk of the trinity for more than five minutes without committing a heresy. Let us see how I do.)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Mother, Child, and Holy Breath.

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

Which of those acclamations resonate to you? Why does it speak to you?

The language we use about God matters. Of that proposition there is very little valid argument. The arguments are instead about the language. I’ve opened with three different ways to emphasize the nature of the three separate aspects, or persons, of the unified deity we serve. I’m personally comfortable with them all; the words are all attested to in the Bible—in other metaphorical language—to describe the three and the One. And there are more!

Make no mistake, the concept of the triune God is a proposition. And a doctrine. It was developed in council to explain how the Christian community could make sense of the fact that they believed in one God, the God attested to in Hebrew scripture and in the teaching of Jesus. But they had experienced God’s son in the world and the Son’s death, resurrection, and ascension. …And the moment of Pentecost(!), which we celebrated last week: the moment in time in which the power of God infuses the community… a power that Jesus promised to us…a power that is continually working in the world as our advocate and source of strength and inspiration.

I came from a denomination that seemed, at least to me, to downplay the Trinity, even though it was our orthodoxy. Baptisms were the only time I heard the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” referred to at one time. Everything else was in (only) the name of Jesus. Of course God the Father was important and ever-present, but I personally found this unfair to the Spirit, who seemed to rarely make an appearance in our speech or prayer.

It was through my later experiences in the Episcopal Church that I found a wonderful effect of the Trinity. There is One God…with multiple access points.

I am always interested in listening to people talk about their experience of God. Typically, one person of the Trinity is emphasized over the others.

I’ve met people who resonate with God because the parent-child relationship is very important to them…their own relationships to their parents were wonderful or terrible. There are those who seek the strength of the all/mighty God, the strong warrior God, the God of sure justice…or the tender care of the God who protects us and covers us like a mother hen, under her wings (particularly Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34, but also the image of protective wings in Psalms 17, 36, 57, 61, 63, 91 (sometimes male, female, or ambiguous)). It is also a way of showing one's devotion to the personally-known parent as Jesus did.

Many, maybe a majority, identify strongly with Jesus…his saving presence, sacrificial love, servanthood, the work of the Cross, and appeals to teaching. …The Sinner’s prayer in which some specifically ask Jesus to “come into their heart” very much endears people to God the Son.

And then there are those who primarily identify with the Spirit. This is the camp I came from. The language of the Nicene Creed… in which “the Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son” to affect on Earth and in our hearts. My own confirmation in the Episcopal Church... sacramentally understood that when the bishop confirms someone, the Holy Spirit descends upon the confirmand and spiritual gifts are bestowed. ...The giver of Wisdom, or Sophia (the feminine mind of God?), whom we heard about in the text today.

And yet, God is also One. How do you hold all three as one in your mind? Perhaps holding all as one is the easy part...how do you hold the three persons separate long enough to make any claims about them while maintaining the integrity of the One?

I’d like to offer my own imperfect metaphor. I liken God to an improvisational jazz trio: imagine God the father on drums, laying the foundation for the tune, Jesus on trumpet, the Spirit on bass. Three working as one, and yet working in their own ways…but also beckoning us to join them in the music, for we are participants in God's projects. The trick is to listen for the cues so we can play along to God’s rhythm…

God’s harmony…

God’s music…

God’s purpose.

I asked you earlier which acclamation you respond to most favorably and why. I also invite you to spend the day thinking about how God presented God’s self to you… the triune God who invited you into relationship, and who continues to speak to you. Do you identify with one of the persons? Can you keep them in unity? Which of the aspects (or persons) of God do you feel in your life? How may you thank God for that gift?

Amen.