“What Can We Know About God?”
Trinity Sunday May 18, 2008
Today is Trinity Sunday — the day that we focus on God –
The day we focus on how God is Father – Son – and Holy Spirit –
The day we focus on what it means to us that God is Father – Son – and Holy Spirit – and how we can live our lives – because God is one – Farther – Son – and Holy Spirit.
The Seasons of Advent – Christmas – Lent – and Easter — where we focus on God’s work through Jesus Christ – are now over. The day we focus on God’s work through the Holy Sprit – the day of Pentecost – is now over.
Before we move into rest of year, we need to stop and focus on the Triune nature of God – God as Father – Son – and God the Holy Spirit.
We have 3 passages before us today – Geneses 1:1-24(a) – II Corinthians 13:11-13 – and Matthew 28:16-20.
Each of these passages give us a way to focus on – and celebrate – the work of God – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit.
Read Scripture
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above the Heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The beautiful words of The Doxology that we sing every Sunday are not only beautiful — they are filled with praise — and are filled with power. They are filled with the power of God as we sing our praises to God — one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Shirley Guthrie died a few years ago — but for many years he was one of the Theology professors at Columbia Theological Seminary — my Alma Matter. He taught many students through the years – myself included. He also wrote many books that were helpful to ministers and lay folk alike.
In his book Christian Doctrine he began the chapter on the doctrine of the Trinity with a make – believe conversation has probably taken place in many Sunday School classes or study groups — or if the specific conversation has not occurred then one like it probably has – - or at least the question posed by this conversation has probably been raised by almost all serious Christians at one time or another.
The conversation Guthrie gives goes something like this:
A student asks:
“Do we have to believe in all this business of three – in – one and one – in – three to be Christians?”
“Yes” – the teacher replies. “The church has always held that the doctrine of the Trinity is essential.”
“Well” - - the student than asks – -
“what does it mean?
How can you put three persons together and get one – or divide one person into three and still have one?”
The teacher then blunders through some fuzzy explanation then concludes hopelessly:
“It’s a mystery no one can understand. You just have to accept it in faith.”
Some will then respond:
“Well – if you’re supposed to believe it – I guess I do – whatever it is.”
But more honest people may think to themselves:
“If no one knows what it means, and no one can explain it, it must not be all that important.”
Today is Trinity Sunday – the day when the Church celebrates God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We actually celebrate this every Sunday as we sing The Doxology – but today is a time to actually think about what it is we profess as we sing these words — what it really means that we worship one God — who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What does the doctrine of the Trinity mean?
The doctrine of the Trinity is vital - - not because it is something to merely know and accept - - even if we do not understand - - but the doctrine of the Trinity is vital for us because of what it can tell us about God. When we look at the doctrine of the Trinity, we begin to learn some things about God – and how to live as God’s people.
What can we know about God?
The doctrine of the Trinity helps us understand – - and not only understand – - but experience – - God as the
Creating
Strengthening
Guiding
God that God is.
It helps us experience God’s work in our lives – and helps us see how God wants us to live as His people.
What can we know about God?
Imagine for a moment that you are God.
What would you want your creation to know about you?
What things would you think it important for your people to know about you?
I have thought about this question this week – and the answer – - for me – seems to fall in three areas.
I would want them to know:
That I am their creator and provider
That I loved them
That I was with them
That I wanted them to tell others about me.
Maybe you could come up with some different things you would want your creation to know about you – but these are the three basic things I would want my creation to know.
What can we know about God?
Our passages for today tell us 4 basic things about God:
God is always creating
God is always loving and redeeming
God is always strengthening and guiding
God is always sending and commissioning.
Through the Father – Son – and Holy Spirit – the Triune God – God is always at work in our lives – always creating and re-creating us – always loving us – always working for peace among us – and always strengthening and guiding us.
Friends – this is not just dry doctrine – this is not just dry facts – but this is exciting.
This is how God the Father – Son – and Holy Spirit works in our lives.
God is always creating – giving us new opportunities to live as God’s people – renewing us so we can indeed be God’s people.
God is always loving – always showing us God’s love and always offering a relationship with God.
God is always strengthening and guiding us – God is “with us always” as Jesus promised – always offering guidance into God’s ways and God’s will for us.
God is always sending us into the world to do His work.
This is an intimate relationship with God – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit we are dealing with here – not just facts and dry doctrine.
What can we know about God?
We can know the intimacy of the relationship our creating – loving – guiding sustaining – and commissioning God offers us.
The creating – loving – guiding – and sustaining work of God in the world is not history – but God is still at work – still creating – still loving – still strengthening – still guiding – and still commissioning.
What can we know about God?
Our Old Testament lesson gives us a vision of God who created all things — and created all things good. God created all things — and sustained and provided for all things. And — as the author of Genesis so eloquently puts it — all things are good. Indeed — they are very good. At the beginning — and — by God’s renewing — loving — and life-giving power — all things have the potential for goodness.
The creating – loving – guiding – and sustaining work of God in the world that Genesis 1 so beautifully portrays for us is not just history – but God is still at work – still creating – still loving – still strengthening – still guiding — still offering to all the potential to truly be the good creation they were created to be.
That’s what we can know about God!
That’s what we can know about God!
When we think things have gotten as bad as they can get – there is God – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit — the one who created all things good — creating new possibilities for us – giving us new ways to relate to each other in goodness and peace – strengthening us to do His work and will in the world.
That’s not just dry facts – that’s more than just doctrine – that’s good news for us – for our lives – here and now.
What can we know about God?
Our Epistle and Gospel lessons give us examples of the renewing – strengthening — love of God — Father – Son — and Hoy Spirit — all the power of God to make us new and bless us — that we can experience for ourselves and that we are commissioned to share with others.
We can know that
God is always creating – giving us new opportunities to live as God’s people – renewing us so we can indeed be God’s people.
God is always loving – always showing us God’s love and always offering a relationship with God — always offering us ways to be more and more like Him — ways we were indeed created for.
God is always strengthening and guiding us – renewing us. God is “with us always” as Jesus promised – always offering guidance into God’s ways and God’s will for us and others.
God is always commissioning us to share His love with the world.
That is what we can know about God
That is what we can know about God
What a wonderful truth that is!
This is an intimate relationship with God – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit we are dealing with here – not just facts and dry doctrine.
So — what can we know about God?
We can know the intimacy of the relationship our creating – loving – guiding and sustaining God offers us.
We can know the forgiving and renewing work of God in our lives.
The Holy — yet loving – - guiding – - and sustaining work of God in the world is not just history – -
but God is still at work – - still loving – - still strengthening — still creating still making all things good – still guiding.
No — friends — the Doctrine of the Trinity — God as Father — Son — and Holy Spirit — isn’t just “head stuff” — it’s not just dry doctrine —
it’s “heart stuff”
it’s relational —
it’s good news for us - - for our lives – - here and now.
The good news is that because we know that God is Father – Son – and Holy Spirit —
because we know that God is always creating and re-creating us – always making all things good — forgiving us and yet challenging us –
we can open ourselves to God’s creating and recreating work – and always be open to the new creation God wants to make of us.
We can always be open to the new directions God leads us – and the new life God breathes into us.
We can relate to God in certain ways – - always remembering God’s power and love — and always open to God’s loving creating – - renewing — challenging — and strengthening work among us.
Then — we can relate to others in ways that are open to sharing God’s creating – - loving – - challenging — and strengthening work with each other and with the world as we experience it in our lives.
We can be God’s instruments of creating and recreating – of loving and challenging – the world as we share His love and His call for new life and love with each other and the world in our words and actions.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not just intellectual gymnastics – it is the very mystery of our relationship with God – and it guides us as we relate to God – to each other – and to others.
It tells us what we can know about God.
It’s not just dry doctrinal “head stuff” – it is truly ‘heart stuff” – it is truly relational – as God offers us a relationship with Him.
But – it’s not just “head stuff” and “heart stuff” either – it is also “feet stuff” – it’s also “hands stuff” – and it’s also “mouth stuff”.
Jesus commissions us to tell the world about the loving, caring, renewing, re-creating, forgiving relationship God offers –
“Go”
Jesus says.
Go – and spread the Good News – the Good News that God is at work in the world — loving – - strengthening – renewing – and saving all who will believe in Him.
Go
Go – and use your feet.
Use your feet to take you to places – nearby and far away – where people need to hear the Good News that God is at work in the world — loving – - strengthening – renewing – and saving all who will believe in Him.
Go – and use your hands.
Use your hands to do the work of God – in the community and in places far away from here – wherever you may be lead.
Go – and use your mouth.
Use your mouth to tell others in this community and far away – wherever God may lead you – that God is at work in the world — loving – - strengthening – renewing – and saving all who will believe in Him.
Go – and use your feet – your hands – and your mouth.
Go –
Jesus still says to us –
Go –
and let others know about this loving – renewing – strengthening – life changing – and saving God that we serve.
You see – this doctrine of the Trinity is “head stuff” – it is something to know – but it is also “heart stuff”– because it leads us into a loving relationship with God – who loves us – saves us – renews us – strengthens us – and commissions us – and it is also “feet stuff” – “hands stuff” – and “mouth stuff” as we share go and share the good news that God is at work in the world — loving – - strengthening – renewing – and saving all who will believe in Him with all who need to hear and experience it.
So —
What can we know about God?
We can know that – - even now – - God is creating and renewing — making all things good – giving us new life - - forgiving us — giving us new strength and yet new challenges – giving us new ways to relate to each other and to Him – - and giving us new ways to go and share His love with others.
We can know that — even now – - God is loving and forgiving us — and giving us new ways to be His people – -
We can know that — even now – - God is giving us new strength to do His will.
The Trinity:
God the creating Father
God the loving Son
God the strengthening and guiding Holy Spirit
is really one – creating – loving – - strengthening – forgiving — renewing — challenging — guiding – - commissioning God that invites us to not only understand doctrines – - but invites us into an exciting — creating — loving — forgiving – challenging — relationship with Him – and commissions us to share His exciting — creating — loving – and forgiving love with the world.
The Doctrine of the Trinity is much more than “head stuff” – much more than trying to understand about how God is three in one –
It’s “heart stuff” as God invites us into a relationship with Him –
It’s “feet stuff” as God calls us to take His love into the world –
It’s “hands stuff” and “mouth stuff” as God calls us to share His love in actions and words.
I challenge you today to get past the “head stuff” of the Doctrine of the Trinity – and into the “heart stuff” – the intimate relationship God offers to us –
the exciting — creating — loving — forgiving – challenging — relationship God offers us to enter into with Him – and into the “feet stuff” – the “hands stuff” – and the “mouth stuff” as you find ways to go to places near and far and share the love of God with others.
Indeed:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here blow
Praise Him above the Heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
