Loving God, you have revealed to us all that we need to know about you and have shown us your love through your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us always to grow in our knowledge of you and in our love for you by the power of your Spirit; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ever since the beginning of the human race, people have sought to know and to understand God. In many ways, it has been like an unfolding mystery where, over the years, things have been revealed about God that help us to know what God is like. In this unfolding mystery, the birth, life and death of Jesus of Nazareth have been the strongest and the fullest revelation - not only of what God is like, but of the overwhelming and abiding love that God has for each and every one of us.

Those who came to know Jesus in the flesh and believe in him got to know what the kingdom of God is like and how God intends people to live in love for one another. They also came to see that although Jesus was obviously human (he was born, he got hungry, he got tired, he died), Jesus was also quite obviously divine (he performed miracles, he had an intimate knowledge of God, and he was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven).

These people who knew Jesus and who followed him knew that they had been in the presence of God. It was as if Jesus had given them some of the strongest clues ever as to who God is and what God is like. After all, there was Jesus himself, whom they came to know as the Son of God, and their Saviour (e.g. Mt. 16:16). Then there was God, whom Jesus always addressed as his Father, who was quite obviously greater than Jesus in some way, and yet equal to Jesus in other ways. Well, then there was the Holy Spirit. Jesus' disciples remembered what Jesus had taught them: that the Holy Spirit would be poured into their hearts. Of course, they also experienced this outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, which we celebrated last Sunday.

And so, passages were written like the gospel which we heard today from John where Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit seem to be distinct and yet totally unified. As people continued to study and to learn and to listen to the Holy Spirit, they began to see that even though there is only one true God (which is made very obvious in the Scriptures - cf. Deut. 6:4), God seems to be revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus began many years of trying to explain the Trinity!

I have a painting to show you this morning which I think matches the image that many people have in their minds when they think of God. [show image - http://www.mgr.org/trinity.html] Actually, I don't think that God looks anything like this! However, there seem to be enough paintings around that are similar that we've ended up with these images in our head. This is one way that people think of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now, even though I don't think it's particularly accurate, this painting still has something to teach us. Jesus' hand is raised in blessing for all, and it is clear that the entire world is under God's rule. These things we can definitely hang onto!

Now, here's another image which is not a painting, but an icon. [show image - http://www.synod2004.org/archives.htm] The difference is that icons follow very strict rules, and this one happens to be the icon of the Holy Trinity. Although Jesus is depicted in icons, God never is, for that would be a "graven image." Thus, this icon is a symbol rather than a direct representation of the Trinity (For All The Saints, Vol. 2, 1995: The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, pp. 35-37). So what does it tell us?

First of all, can you tell which angel is a symbol for God the Father? ... It's the one on the left, and you can tell by how the heads of the other two are bowed in submission to the Father's will. At the same time, each angel holds a staff of equal length, symbolizing how they are all equal in authority.

Now, can you tell which angel is a symbol for the Holy Spirit? ... It's the one on the right. You can tell by the hand that is in the shape of a descending dove and the green robe that represents the life-giving nature of the Spirit. Of course, Jesus is the angel in the middle who blesses the cup and who wears the dark purple of kingly majesty.

The chalice, or cup, is quite purposely in the center of the icon. It reminds us of Jesus pouring out his life for the life of the world. The table is also quite purposely open, inviting all who view it to come to the table and partake of the divine life. Finally, there is an invisible circle that surrounds the three figures, unifying them in a circle of communal love. All of these things are clues in the unfolding mystery of God.

A few more clues to throw into the mix come from a piece of art that is found at the front of the chapel at Canadian Mennonite University. Its general shape is shown in the image on the screen, just to help you picture what it is like. Now, inside each of those sections within the circle, a bird is painted. In the blue part of the circle is a descending dove - a reminder of the Spirit who comes to us in baptism. In the red part of the circle is a very fierce looking bird, which might be an eagle or might be a phoenix. There are flames at the bottom of that section which could be the flames of rebirth for the phoenix or the fire of the Holy Spirit. Finally, at the top, in the yellow portion is pictured a mother hen with her chicks, with one wing held out protectively. Once again, this image as a whole communicates to us a few things about what God is like [mute image].

Now, a couple of things to note here, before we go any further. First of all, each one of these images is rooted in the Scriptures, for it is in the pages of Scripture that we meet God and learn about how God has acted in the past and how God intends to act in the future. At the same time, each one of these images is inadequate in communicating to us who God is and what God is like. In fact, every image that we can think of is going to be inadequate in some way. Listen to the prophet Isaiah:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Is. 55:8-9).

We can never forget that, at least in this life, we will never fully comprehend or fully know God - in spite of our apparent need to have proofs and explanations for everything. At the end of the day, God is always God, and we are human beings. Yet, this God who is Almighty and Creator of the universe does not remain aloof and watch "from a distance" as many people suspect. Rather, God - who has created us and redeemed us and has made us holy - desires to have a relationship with us - his children. It is a relationship rooted in a love stronger than death - a relationship made possible by Jesus, who came to be Emmanuel - God with us.

Today's reading from Romans reminds us of how exactly this relationship works. First and foremost, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). It is a peace that is given to us as a gift and comes with faith in Jesus Christ. At the same time, God's love is "poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit" and is evidence of the hope that will not disappoint us (Rom. 5:5).

May that peace, that love and that hope dwell in your hearts today. May each one of you know in your heart that you are a precious child of God - created in the image of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and sanctified (or made holy) by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has initiated this relationship with us through coming among us in the person of Jesus. May we respond in faith by the power of the Spirit, even as we continue to grow in wisdom and in love. Amen.

The Holy Trinity (C) John 16:12-15

June 3, 2007 Romans 5:1-5

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

? 2007 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved