‘Can’t we just talk…again?’

June 12, 2022

Scriptures: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, Jn 16:12-15

        Today is set aside in the church calendar as ‘Trinity Sunday’…the Sunday when we reflect on the nature of our God and in particular on the belief that our God has three parts or three persons or essences in the one God.  The understanding of our God as a Trinity has been the topic of vigorous debate throughout the history of the Church as well as the source of deep dissension and disagreement.  Virtually all of the theological giants of the church’s history weighed in on the topic of Trinity and what it actually means to us as Christians.

But before we talk about that, let me reflect for a moment on something that has been on my mind all week. It seems that by and large, people don’t actually ‘talk much’ anymore. Between the distractions of technology and an increasing addiction to smartphones, texting, instagram, and twitter…as opposed to, or maybe even instead of plain old conversation, or even an old fashioned phone call. We have become too accustomed to not actually communicating…not actually talking to one another face to face.

And the polarization within our society caused by, and in fact specifically encouraged by the deep polarization in our government, and in all forms of media coverage, all of this adds up to a quite disconnected populace…a society unable, and seemingly uninterested in finding ways to actually converse on issues that in fact are important to us all. Last Sunday in talking with Judy after the service we were both struggling with just this aspect of what seems to be the present state of ‘communication paralysis’. And we noted that despite energy spent trying to prolong or to deepen the divisive tone, positive change, in terms of the evolution of social understanding is slowly modifying nonetheless. And I mentioned to Judy, that it seems that more and more, exposure to change, be it in the realm of mixed race relationships, widely differing understandings of personal gender or sexual identification, or resistance to government inaction on issues such as gun safety legislation, or a woman’s right to make her own choices when it comes to her own body…all of these are actually in motion in a positive direction, even though no one wants to acknowledge it.

And I mentioned to Judy that I took heart in this trend, as it seems to be most pronounced in individuals 30 or 35 years of age or younger.  More and more, issues that seem to be insurmountable struggles for folks over the age of 50 or so, are not seen as that difficult to those younger than that age, who it seems are often far more open to a more relaxed , more tolerant, and more inclusive outlook on life.

But what has all that got to do with today being Trinity Sunday, or with our understanding of our Christian faith as one that worships a Triune God? What is Trinity anyway? How can an understanding of our three-fold God help us in how we see, or engage with a world that seems to be in such turmoil? What does it mean to say we have or follow after a Triune God…and why do we have what seems to be such a puzzling God?  To be sure there are no definitive or final answers that will somehow explain this in total, but there are many hints in the story of our faith and in the words of Jesus that can shed some light for us.

In the first of three plays I wrote in my final term in seminary I wrote on the nature of God, and I touched on the question of the nature of the Trinity and in particular on the way I best understand how it relates to each one of us.  In this play an angel has come before God with a number of questions posed by a young seeker back on earth.  God goes through the questions and reveals who God is (or at least who I imagine God to be!).  At one point the angel brings up the question of the Triune aspect of God’s nature asking God:  “Well, I have sort of a simple question from him…one that is so obvious to us that it seems silly even to mention it”.  To which God quickly replies, “Now you all know, there is never, let me repeat, never anything prayed from the heart of humanity that is unworthy of our deepest attention… what is it, my friend?  What were you asked by the young man, what did he want you to affirm for him?”.  The Angel responds somewhat tentatively, “Well…if I must… I was asked to confirm that you were in fact a Triune God.”  This of course causes all of the other angels in attendance to begin to giggle.  However they are brought back into holy reverence as God begins to speak saying “Silence!  Don’t any of you forget for one minute the advantage you all have of being able to see God face to face.  The veil that thinly separates humanity from the Holy makes this understanding one of the most difficult mysteries for humankind to comprehend.  It is in truth no small question and while it is hard to put in human language, it is nonetheless a critical question in the heart of humanity.  So to some extent we have decided to reveal just enough hints regarding this profound mystery to encourage humanity to wonder deeply just how it is that in fact we are three, yet one God.” To this the Angel replies, “Well, I know there is a long held understanding of the Trinity that is termed the ‘Economic Trinity’ –which is the understanding of your being as a three part God.  And that there is another commonly held understanding termed the ‘Immanent Trinity’ – which stands for how it is that you all relate and function together.  These are the two theories that humankind has held for centuries…but is there more still?”

At this question it is God who begins to laugh saying, “Now, now, you know there is always more, more to learn, more ways to express love. We are one, firstly to demonstrate or model love-in-relationship, and second to allow for maximum flexibility in the ways humanity can relate to God… You see, some need a “high and lifted up” God, while others focus on Jesus as he appeared in human form, more like themselves. Everyone has a particular level of comfort, and we seek to be present for all.  Some aspect of our Triune presence will surely resonate with each individual who bears our image”.  The angel then replies, “Oh, I see.  So there are reasons you have so many faces! To which God answers, “Actually there is much, much more.  The Economic and Immanent understandings are helpful but I like also to focus on what I affectionately call the ‘Functional Trinity’.”  “Functional Trinity”, the angel asks.  “Yes”, says God, “It has to do with the way an individual views each of the three aspects of our Triune presence.  You see, for the young seeker in question, he tends to view God as the ‘Awesome One’, the mysterious one, and unfortunately, the less accessible one, which is okay as everyone needs a bit of mystery in life, it is…you know, the spice of wonder.  He also sees God as the one who never sleeps, the one who watches over him and is the protector of his soul.” 

At this the Angel asks, “And what about Jesus?”  God answers, “Well he sees Jesus as the Redeemer, the lover of his soul, the companion who has promised to never leave his side, day or night.  He sees Jesus as the visible model he wants to follow and to imitate.”  At this the Angel responds, “Well that all makes sense, but what about the Holy Spirit?”  God replies, “He sees the Holy Spirit as the one who actually indwells his soul, the still, small, gentle voice within that seeks to teach and to guide… to indicate the pathway in front of him as he tries to walk in the ways of righteousness.

So you see, he has a function, or understanding of purpose for each person of the Trinity, it helps him both in times of thanksgiving, as well as in times of question or need.” At this the Angel comments,“Hmmm, Functional Trinity, I like that.” To which God replies, “Thank you”.

So you see; I understand the Trinity in terms of God being able to show Godself to each one of us as we ourselves need to see or to experience God ‘in that moment’.  That is not to say that God will always appear the same to us, but that at any given point we may need to experience God as a ‘Father’, or as our ‘Redeemer’, or as the ever-present and ‘indwelling Spirit’ who is there at every turn whispering guidance and instruction.

So that is a bit about the nature of our Trinity God. But again, what do my opening comments about the state of communication today have to do with Trinity? How is the way we choose to talk or not talk related to whether or not our God is Triune? We know, or at least we proclaim that God is love…and we hear Jesus speaking repeatedly about the call and commandment to love God as well as our neighbor.  And of course we see Jesus demonstrate most profoundly the depth of his love for us in his willingness to die on a cross that we might learn the ways of this divine love.

I feel that the most important thing we can get from our search into the meaning or nature of the Trinity is a witness or an example of ‘divine love in perfect and holy relationship’.  And that witness may or perhaps must serve as an example of how we are meant to relate to or communicate with one another as fellow followers of the God we only see and understand as a God ‘in relationship’.

I honestly believe that the Trinity is there as the best and most complete example of how it is that we are supposed to dwell and to live together in community and in Christian fellowship. Godself, God the Son, and God as Spirit are forever locked in an embrace of perfect, sacrificial love that allows each to exist for the other, and together they set forth a model for us to begin to learn to do the same.

God was in perfect community, and in a relationship of love from before time began.  Before there was Creation, before the big bang or whatever other theory you hold to as the start of creation, there was a God of love in harmony and in loving relationship.  As evidenced in our reading from Proverbs and echoed in the very early verses of Genesis, the Spirit of God was there from the very beginning…and fun fact…both in the Hebrew and in the Greek the word or name for Spirit, be it Ruah or Pneuma are feminine proper nouns.

You see, God did not need humanity to experience love or to know love; God already knew love as the author and being of love incarnate.  God did not need humankind for love, rather God created humankind to share in this love that God already was.

Humankind was created in the image of God, in the image of a Triune God, in the image of love-in-relationship.  As such, we are hard-wired to love, not to hate, we are hardwired to dwell in community and not to go off alone as hermits, we are hard-wired to work together in common endeavor, and we are hard-wired to give unto others that they also might prosper finding holy joy and peace.  Our God is a trinity of love and we all are invited to join that joyous and eternal fellowship.

So…why do we love?  We love because it is the most natural thing we can do…we love because we are created in the image of perfect love…we love because, in the end we simply are unable not to…it is our nature, it is our call, it is…who we are…

And in the end…as the final words of our reading from Proverbs try to convey, being in relationship with God is a delight, both to our Triune God, and to we ourselves. And, as I hinted at in the words I shared with you from the play I wrote, our God is also fun…and funny.  Truly our God of love has a tremendous sense of humor and has built it into every turn of Creation in so many ways.  So in closing I wanted to share with you two short stories regarding this serious Triune nature we have been exploring together.

The first is told by Ann Spivak in Reader’s Digest. She writes, “While our friends from India traveled around California on business, they left their 11 year-old daughter with us. Curious about my going to church one Sunday morning, she decided to come along. When we returned home, my husband asked her what she thought of the service.  “I don’t understand why the West Coast isn’t included too,” she replied. When we inquired what she meant, she added, “You know, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the whole East Coast.” 

        A second story is set out on the proverbial golf course. It seems that Moses, Jesus and one other were out one day getting in a round of eighteen.  Moses pulls up to the tee and drives a long one. It lands in the fairway but rolls directly toward a water trap. Quickly Moses raises his club, the water parts and it rolls to the other side safe and sound.

Next, Jesus strolls up to the tee and hits a nice long one directly toward the same water trap. It lands directly in the center of the pond and kind of hovers over the water. Jesus casually walks out on the pond and chips it up onto the green.

The third individual gets up and sort of randomly whacks the ball. It heads out over the fence and into oncoming traffic on a nearby street. It bounces off a truck and hits a nearby tree. From there it bounces onto the roof of a nearby shack and rolls down into the gutter, down the downspout, out onto the fairway and right toward the fore-mentioned pond. On the way to the pond, it hits a little stone and bounces out over the water and onto a lily pad where it rests quietly. Suddenly, a very large bullfrog jumps up on the lily pad and snatches the ball into his mouth. Just then, an eagle swoops down and grabs the frog and flies away. As they pass over the green, the frog squeals with fright and drops the ball which bounces right into the hole for a beautiful hole in one.  Moses turns to Jesus and says, “I hate playing with your Dad.”

Our God is a good God…our God wants us to share in holy and self-giving love…may we all find the courage to answer that call…and may we also find time to live, to laugh, and to dwell fully in that triune love together…and for goodness sake…let’s relearn how to talk to each other face to face…for that is the start of and the sustainer of true and lasting relationship…

…amen