Readings
for Trinity A: Gen. 1:1-23; Mt. 28: 16-20
May 26, 2002
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Often times I hear people say: "It really doesn't matter what you believe in as long as you are good." Or, "I'm spiritual but don't want to follow a particular religion." I think what underlies these statements is a sincere desire to embrace the great commandment to love another. The problem is, that there are so many different understandings of what it means to be good and loving. Human beings have an incredible ability to deceive themselves when it comes to being truly good and loving and they often selectively choose the good that benefits themselves. For instance, we feel good when we take a pie over to the neighbor next door but what about our tendency to ignore the problem of homelessness in our midst? We feel good when we return $0.85 to the cashier who accidentally gave us too much change, but what about our tendency to cheat on our income tax returns? We feel good when we are able to nurture our children and friends from sickness into health. But are we committed to making the difficult medical decisions to sacrifice the best and most expensive treatments for ourselves so that there are enough resources left to offer those on the lower end of the scale basic medical care?
It is easier to be good within one's own family or neighborhood. But it is a lot harder to move beyond one's own small circle and to reach out with compassion to the larger community. It is easier to be good when things are going well but it is a lot harder to be good and loving when the challenges of life impinge upon us. Religious traditions hold up the good that each of us is called to do, even when we don't want to. Religious traditions teach particular ways of understanding God and humanity and translate that understanding into particular ways of walking in this world. One of the ways that the Church teaches these specifics is through Church doctrine.
Today is Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday is the only feast day in our liturgical calendar that celebrates a doctrine of the Church. Many people are uncomfortable with doctrine and no longer see its importance. Some feel as if doctrine impinges upon their privilege to be a "free thinker" and they certainly don't want some religious institution telling them what to think. But for me, the doctrine of the Trinity is a gem of understanding that provides a way of thinking about God that creates a spirit of inclusivity, community, and peace in this very fractured world in which we live. Today's sermon will focus on teaching specifics about the doctrine of the Trinity while showing how this expanded notion of God could lead to peace in the Middle East.
When we pray, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," we are inferring a Trinitarian understanding of God: One God, three persons, all of the same substance. What does it mean that God is three persons yet of the same substance? Let's use the example of a three-leaf clover. A three-leaf clover is made of one substance. Let's call this substance clover cells. A three-leaf clover contains three separate and distinct leaves, all containing the substance of clover cells but it is one unit: one three-leaf clover but with three leaves. Now if we were to rip off one of the leaves, it would no longer be a three-leaf clover. It would still contain the substance of clover cells but it would no longer have the fullness of a three-leaf clover. It would simply become a distorted version of a three-leaf clover. A two-leaf clover does not reveal the fullness of a three-leaf clover. Neither does a Unitarian understanding of God reveal the fullness of a Trinitarian God.
So how did it come about that we have this expanded notion of God? Well, the early Christian disciples did not sit around one day and decide that it would be a good idea to develop a doctrine of the Trinity. No. They had always experienced and understood God as creator of the world, one who had set into motion the physical evolution of reality, including the laws of nature. But when Jesus came among them, they saw in his person, the full communication of God's will for humanity. In his words, works, teachings, and spirit, they saw in Jesus, the Word of God. After Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples continued to experience God in a very powerful way. They called this power of love and truth, the Holy Spirit. It was then that they began to question the nature of this Word of God and the nature of the Holy Spirit. What they concluded was that God is not simply some transcendent mystery in the ether. But rather that God fully communicated God's word in the person of Jesus and continues to communicate this word. They also concluded that this Spirit of God that dwelt in the person of Jesus also dwells in each of us, leading us into all truth. And so they began to describe God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Three persons, one God. When we embrace only one person of the Trinity or have a Unitarian understanding God, then we limit our understanding of God. And in that limiting of God, we often embrace a distorted image that can lead to arrogance, ignorance, prejudice, discrimination, separation, and thus fear. And when we are in a fearful state or misunderstand the fullness of God, it is easy to become parochial and justify aggression and misuse of power. This is what I believe happens when Christians fight against Christians, or when Muslims fight against Jews, or when Christians and Muslims fight against each other "in the name of God."
The Trinitarian notion of God means that we believe in a Transcendent power that is full of awe and mystery. We call this Transcendence, God the Father. We believe that God is the creator of the world and that the world is not simply some chemical accident without meaning. Some folks only believe in God the Creator, thus depriving themselves of a full experience of God. First there are the Deists. The Deists believe that God is the creator of the world but once created, had no further interest in the world. This means that if we separate the Creator from the created, there is no need for personal religion. In this arrangement, God does not communicate God's self to us. So basically, we can do whatever we think is best without guilt, including abusing and polluting the creation and the creatures. The second group only sees God as almighty Father, supreme Judge, and absolute Lord of life and death. In this narrow understanding, God is seen as a terrifying mystery whose ways are unforeseeable and absolutely hidden. This sole approach to God can enslave human beings and promote ecclesiastical structures that are rigid and oppressive. We see this distorted thinking in some fundamentalist sects.
But a person who has a Trinitarian notion of God believes that God communicates God' s self through revelation. This revelation (or Word) comes through the laws of nature, through dreams and thoughts, through prophets, through events in human history, and through the person of Jesus. This is the second person of the Trinity, usually referred to as "Son". I would like to emphasize however, that the Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, is not limited to Jesus. God communicated God's Word before Jesus was born and continues to communicate God's Word today. Thus the word of God can and has spoken through the Jewish and Islamic prophets. Some Christian sects only focus on the second person of the Trinity. For instance, some Christian groups only talk about Jesus as the totality of God. This narrow understanding of only focusing on God's Word is also embraced by our more fundamentalist Jewish and Islamic brothers and sisters who treat their Holy Scriptures as being identical to God rather than containing the word of God. They feel as if God has said everything that needs to be said and they are the ones who know exactly what that is. But Jesus said to his disciples, "I have yet many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, that Spirit will guide you into all truth. It is this Spirit of Truth that we identify as the third person of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit is that person of God who enables the human spirit to be a receptacle of the knowledge of the word of God and also enables us to become a channel of love. The Holy Spirit moves the word of God from the head into the heart so that the word of God is not manipulated for one's self interest while ignoring the plight of others. It is this Spirit of Holiness, this spirit of truth and love, which can provide the way to world peace. Western Christianity has often overlooked the way of the Holy Spirit. As a result, Charismatic and New Age movements have sprung up to fill that empty void. But a religion only of the Spirit, promotes a relationship with the inner self that can lead to self-absorption and self-centeredness. There are many spirits out there, some of which are anything but holy. And so unless our understanding of the Spirit is substantiated by the revealed Word of God, then we run the risk of deceiving ourselves.
So what does all this Trinitarian theology have to do with world peace and the Middle East? Christians, Jews, and Muslims all believe in God the Father. We also believe that from the beginning of time, God communicated God's self through the laws of nature and through the words of the prophets as recorded in the Old Testament. All of us believe that the spirit of God is alive in the world, moving us into truth, faithfulness, and love. So if we believe in the same God, we cannot justify fighting and killing each other in the name of God! We fight and kill each other in the name of God because we do not embrace the fullness of God but rather a distorted image of God.
If God is of one substance, than so is God's word and spirit. This means that God does not communicate contradictory ideas to God's people. If we believe in a God who created the heavens and earth, who revealed to us that creation is good and that all humanity is created in the image of God, then there is no justification for religious wars of any kind. Perhaps we need to read our Scriptures through the lens of love (instead of cultural prejudices), allowing the Holy Spirit to interpret God's desire for us. For if we claim that our actions are from God, then those actions must confirm the fruit of God's Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is path that leads to right thinking and right acting. This is the path that leads to world peace.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."(Mt. 28)
| Updated 5/26/02 |
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