Trinity
Sunday II
I
looked over the sermon I wrote for last Trinity Sunday and I have to
say I still agree with what I said. Jesus in his own way told us
there is a trinity by telling us to baptize in the name of the
father, son and holy spirit but he never directly said there is one
God in three divine persons. People have argued and scratched there
heads over this concept from the very beginnings of Christianity.
We say
the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed at every service and we make
these statements a part of our belief system as Episcopalians. Not
all denominations do that. The Mormons do not. The Jehovah
Witnesses do not and neither do the Unitarians or Friends. The
Eastern Orthodox Church believes that the Son was born of the Father.
This would imply that the Son had a beginning.
Before
I get too thick into theology and all that let me just say that it is
all a mystery. I don't understand how someone or something could be
eternal. I don't understand how something could have always existed
and never had a beginning.
What
I do understand is relationships and Jesus spoke a lot about his
relationship with the father. He loved the father and he told us to
do the same. He told us the two greatest commandments were to love
our God and to love those around us... our neighbor.
I am
sure that the mortal side of Jesus struggled with his relationship
with the father.
At
Gethsemane Jesus ask the Father that the cup he was about to drink be
taken away and his father refused. As Jesus hung there nailed on the
cross he cried out my God why have you forsaken me.
Relationships
are not easy. They require work and when those relationships have
rough patches everyone feels the strain. However, as long as there
is an underlying bond of love the relationships will survive those
rough patches and they will grow.
In
today's gospel Jesus tells us, his present day apostles, to go out
and spread his message. We are given the task of making disciples of
all nations. That is a big task. How do you even pretend to begin?
You do it one person at a time. You share God's message not only
through his word but also through your example.
People
will see your Christianity in the way you live your life. I remember
many years ago having discussions with a realator about a building we
were buying. Near the end of our conversations she said to me, “you
are a religious man aren't you.” I was taken aback because I
didn't remember discussing religion with her. I said, “yes, but
how did you know.” She said, “I can tell.”
By
living the message you become the message.
When
you start living your Christianity people can tell.
It's
father's day and I have to say that we should never put too narrow of
a definition on the word father. Yes, I am the biological father of
two boys who are now men but I have assumed a parental role many
times for young people. I really do believe that it takes a village
to raise a child. Ministering to the children in our lives is part
of living our Christianity.
Amen
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