EXPERIENCING THE RELATIONSHIP

 Sermon preached by the Rev. Michael Anderson Bullock

[Genesis 1:1-2:4a; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-28]

In terms of the liturgical calendar, today inaugurates the second half of the Christian worshipping year: that is, how we followers of Jesus keep track of the God-life.  Today, we start the long, green season of Pentecost; and before we head out as our current edition of representing Christ for the sake of the world, we mark “Trinity Sunday” as a quick reminder of what our life with God entails: namely, relationship -- relationship with the one and eternal God in the intimate terms of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Acting like a touchstone for us, “Trinity Sunday” holds a unique place in the Christian calendar.  Unlike all other liturgical days and occasions, Trinity Sunday is not about a person or an event, but rather this Sunday celebrates and marks a “doctrine” – that is, a formal teaching, based on the experience – the experience of being connected to the Creator of all that is.

Following the Day of Pentecost, this Sunday stands as a touchstone that we take with us in our daily life and work to remember and discern the awesome reality and very present mystery of Emmanuel: “God with us”.  For our God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is with us; and ‘Trinity Sunday” stands as the teaching that links the reality of God with the way you and I are called to “live and move and have our being”.

Nonetheless and in all honesty, having said this, preachers and congregants alike tend to groan at the prospect of preaching and hearing something meaningful -- if not exciting -- about the “Doctrine of the Trinity”.  Speaking as we do about “one God in three persons” can be experienced as some sort of exotic or arcane spiritual arithmetic.  Yet, the teaching of one-plus one -plus-one not simply equaling three but also -- mind-bendingly and simultaneously -- being a singularity is enough for the faithful – not to mention the skeptical -- to eyeroll themselves into another topic.

In this, our common tendency is to skip the “math” and implicitly take safe harbor with the Pythagoreans and their numerology of three, which is not a totally bad approach, given that in the history of the meaning of the number 3, it has generally been recognized that  “3” symbolizes creativity, self-expression, and the communication of completeness.  Ah, those Greeks and their triangles…!

The Doctrine of the Trinity stipulates that appearances to the contrary, there is only one God, who is the Creator of all that is.  Yet, this essential Source of all life is also known to us in intimate terms of relationship, as “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.  Yet, the temptation exists in our theological casualness to be functional Unitarians.  What’s a mother to do?

In our past trinitarian reflections together, you and I have borrowed the proposition from the late teacher, pastor, author, and theologian, Frederick Buechner, who has helpfully proffered that “the mystery beyond us, the mystery among us, and the mystery within us are all the same mystery”.[1]  God transcendent; God incarnate; God deeply within and between us.  God as One in Three; or as the Pythagoreans mused, God’s creativity.  God’s self-expression.  God’s communication of holy completeness.

Well, you can all breath freely now because I am not going to try to unravel the mystery of all life beyond what I have said about the “touchstone” that is the Trinity.  Yet, there is another approach to the meaning and operation of the Trinity.  With a bit of reverse engineering, I think we can convey what Buechner posed about recognizing the reality and place of the Trinity in our lives. This reverse engineering approach stems from what any conscious person already recognizes about himself or herself and the depth and mystery of our own reality.

The first thing the mirror reveals is our visible face which reflects what the world sees of us.  God’s face is revealed in Jesus the Son.  In addition, that face (ours and God’s) covers a deep inner life that is known only to ourselves and those we choose to communicate it to.  That inner life is the Father.  And then there is that invisible power we have that allows us to communicate our interior life in such a way that others do not merely know about us but actually share as part of who and what we are.  This is the Spirit.  Nonetheless (and here is the trinitarian point), what we are looking at in the mirror is clearly and indivisibly the one and only “us”. [2]

Enough architectural theology.  What I am very interested in doing with you on this “Trinity Sunday” is to pay attention to what our gospel lesson indicates about moving into the second half of the liturgical year and having our touchstone of knowing and honoring God as the Holy Trinity.  The message is this: We have work to do in this holy Name.

That work is named very clearly by Matthew in the end of his gospel (which is the content of our gospel reading).  In light of the fact that you and I have one more month of shared and active life together, I feel the need to set before you (and not for the first time!) what our respective job descriptions are as representatives of Christ for the sake of the world. – in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It may seem a bit strange that in returning to Matthew’s accounts of the Easter experience, we not only enter the very ending of his gospel but also we find ourselves in the middle of Jesus’ last resurrection appearance.

So it was that the eleven disciples (at this very early point the group had yet to replace Judas) – Jesus’ followers went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had directed them to.  Matthew reports that when the men saw the risen Jesus, they “worshipped” him.  Nonetheless, Matthew also honestly says that “some doubted” what they were experiencing.  I, for one, take heart in that it was a struggle for “some” of the intimate followers of Jesus to “doubt” what was before their very eyes: Seeing the God beyond us; the God with us; the God within us.  I take that to mean that blessedly there is also room for our hesitance and confusion in absorbing the mystery and magnificence of Easter, as well.  But when the mountain dust settled, Jesus had something important to say to them all.

Since the 19^th century, Jesus’ directive to his post-resurrection followers has been referred to as “the Great Commission”, and in that “commission” three words (a verbal trinity) make up our job description concerning the work of representing Christ for the sake of the world.  The words are: “Go”; “Make”; and “Do”.

“Go.”  Pretty direct: Yet its impact depends on whether “Go” is viewed as permission or directive.  For instance, at a green traffic light, “go” sets us on our way, and we’re glad for the permission.  On the other hand, “go” as directive often times is less inviting and raises up in us resistance, as in, “you’re not the boss of me!”

But what I think is that Jesus use “Go” as an experience of both directive and permission.  Very clearly and unavoidably so, Jesus directs his followers to move from where they are to where God needs them to be.  With the reality of Easter, all of us need to “go” from fearing and worshipping death – from what the late Irish poet John O’Donohue phrases as going from “the seduction of safety” and “the gray promises of sameness”.  Jesus directs his followers to “Go” – to go from what we can make of our lives to what God gives as lasting life.

“Go.”  Both you and I are at one of those places in life where the concreteness of “going” weighs heavily upon us.  Our destination is not yet clear, but you and I will part ways.  In spite of the pull of the familiar, we need to “go” and explore the imminent opening before us.  We do so, reminding one another what God’s angels always say when the presence of new life is challenging: “Be not afraid.”

The second word of “the Great Commission” is “Make”: as in “make disciples” of all whom you meet.  “Making disciples” implies functioning as a teacher; and in my personal and continuous experience, the best teachers, the best teaching, come from embracing the reality of being a student/teacher.  Under the rubric of “you can’t give away what you don’t have”, our “going” has a purpose: namely, to prepare people to be formed into what following Jesus is all about.

And here I risk being heard as harsh because the fact is that making disciples is not one of St. Philip’s strong suits.  Now, at this historical time and cultural place, we must deal with the pressing question of why would anyone follow Jesus.  How do we make good students of the God-life so that there will also be teachers to guide and nurture?  “Go.”  “Make.”

Now possibly having raise a welt on your sensibilities, allow me to apply a salve.  Formal Christian education, (Christian formation) clearly needs addressing among us – but doing so is not a matter of trying to insure the survival of this place by increasing our numbers!  Rather we offer formation in order to share the gift of faith.  Yet, there is one stunning way St. Philip’s does “make disciples”; and it is in your surprising hospitality and care for all who cross this place’s threshold.

St. Francis is credited with saying, “Always preach the gospel.  If necessary, use words.”  When I first came here as your priest, I confess that I expected to find an old cocoon of a place, encrusted with survival’s fearful protective shell, harboring a hunkered down perspective that implicitly said: “Last one out, turn off the lights.”

But no!  The opposite was and is still true.  The larger truth is that I have not met one visitor , one guest, one God-seeker who has not experienced the transforming sincerity of your welcome and care.  (That includes me.).  And in this, you “Go” and you “Make” disciples through the example of your caring for the flock.  Just – please – simultaneously work on being willing and able to tell people when they ask the reason for your caring and welcome.

The last “Great Commission” word is “Do” – as in “always do” – do the baptizing in “the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.  “Do” what “I have commanded you” to do because “I am with you” – now and always.

“Go.”  “Make.”  “Do.”  Three action words, rooted in the living relationship with God, known, honored, and shared in the touchstone of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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[1] Frederich Buechner.  Wishful Thinking. P. 93.

[2] Ibid.