Trinity Sunday

May 31                        NOTES FOR REFLECTION                         Trinity Sunday

Texts: Isaiah 6:1-8; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17

Theme: The obvious choice is some variant of the title of this principal feast – perhaps "The Holy Trinity".  Slightly more edgy may be "This is Our God" if you want to be thoroughly non-P.C. and deny that "we all worship the same God, don't we?"  In fact, why not come straight to the point and have "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" as the theme, which has the distinct advantage of being undeniably biblical.   As we welcome back Isaiah this week we could go with "The Majesty of God".  Any of the above would fit well with our reading from Romans – St Paul is always so accommodating, I find.

Introduction.  There is no denying that "Trinity Sunday" is a difficult time in the Church: of the 12 principal feasts observed in the Anglican Communion it would probably not break into the top 11 favourites in a poll of our membership.  It is a bit too cerebral to get us enthused for very long.  So we need Isaiah to remind us that above all else it is the majesty and glory of God that draws us to him, rather more than his Trinitarian "nature".  St Paul, no mean intellectual thinker himself, restores the balance with his emphasis on the relationship we have with the Father through the Spirit.  And the gospel shows us the same point:  Nicodemus is a good and scholarly man, but neither his goodness nor his scholarship can lead him into that relationship.  Entry can only be through rebirth in the Spirit.

Background.  This week I have been reminded of the old story (which is said to be true) about the Russian Orthodox Church meeting in solemn conclave in October 1917.  On the very day that the Bolshevik Revolution was launched the princes of the Church were earnestly debating the issue of the correct width of the hem on a covering on the Holy Table when mass is to be celebrated.  They had made good progress as only two possibilities remained – 4 inches or 2.  There may be some, inside as well as outside our Church this week, who wonder why we are once again focused on the Trinity while two important issues have been debated in our Courts this week, hundreds and thousands of persecuted refugees are facing agonising deaths on land and sea, Iraq and Syria are just two nations been torn apart in the name of a religion they supposedly share, and ever more examples of widespread corruption from the worlds of international banking and finance and international football are slowly being exposed,  Are we, like the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917, fiddling while the world God so loves that he sent his only son burns?

Let's start with those two court cases.  One concerns the issue of Bible in Schools, the other is about the "right" claimed by a very brave woman to be assisted by her GP to die at a time of her own choosing when she decides that her suffering and her loss of any quality of life is too much to bear.  Which of those two cases is the most important to us as people of faith?  In which of those two cases is the Church given an official voice in the proceedings?  I know the answer to the second question, but I'm not so sure about the first.

I should say at once that I have long been uncomfortable about the legal fiction created to allow the Bible in Schools programme to be taught in State Schools during ordinary school hours.  To pretend that the school is closed during the period in which the lessons are held is just that, a pretence.  It would be more honest to enact a law that gives Boards of Trustees discretion to allow programmes of this kind to be held in schools for no more than say 30 minutes a week.  That is effectively what is happening now.  But whatever the legal technicalities may be, the Court case itself is interesting.

At first sight it sounds perfectly sensible to provide that, if a school is providing this programme, parents should have the right to withdraw their children from it if they wish.  But when I saw some of the banners and placards held by supporters of that view I began to wonder if there isn't a much more important issue here that the Church should confront.  One of the placards I noticed read "Maths Not Myths".   Very clever and pithy, of course, but surely inviting debate?  Why not, say, "English Not Myths", or "History Not Myths?"  Should parents have the right to withdraw their children from any course that is not dealing entirely with incontrovertible facts?  What about Maoritanga – including Maori spirituality?  Are prayers to be banned but karakia allowed?  What about national mythology inevitably intertwined with facts in the teaching of history, of which we have seen quite a lot in the recent Anzac commemorations?  And as for the teaching of literature and the arts: could a parent withdraw his or her child from a class in which the teacher is insisting that there is no basis on which Dickens, Steinbeck or Tolstoy can be rated as literary greats, ahead of , say, John Mulgan, Witi Ihimaera or Albert Wendt?

More fundamentally, should we not be refuting the charge that the Christian faith is based on myths rather than facts?  We are not, I hope, arguing for the right to teach Christian mythology in schools, but the facts on which our faith is based.  Nor should we accept that it's all a matter of opinion.  We sometimes hear that "values" should be taught in schools.  But which values, and in what way are "values" not ultimately a matter of opinion?  What is the relationship between myths and values?   The so-called "golden rule" is, after all, a value, not a fact.

The second case raises the same sort of issues, but from completely the opposite end of the spectrum.  Seemingly, some of the most staunch defenders of individual rights suddenly swap sides and start recognising that the rights of the individual must be circumscribed in the interests of others and of our society as a whole.  But in this case there seems to be no expression of view from the Church.  Why not?  Is there nothing in this case of any interest to us as people of faith?  Is this case not the ultimate challenge to our simple belief that we are guided by love, not law, and certainly not by fear?  It was of great interest to me that Mr Justice Collins concluded the hearing by thanking Lecretia Seales for bringing the case to the Court.  Think about that for a moment.  How many of us, how many of our doctors, lawyers, and politicians, would say "Amen" to that?  Would we not much rather leave it in the shadows, than bring it into the light?  Let's talk about the Trinity instead.    

 Isaiah 6:1-8:  Wow! And again I say 'Wow!'  There is nothing quite like this passage for stirring the imagination, is there?  Notice that it begins with a brief historical reference: this is not a 'once upon a time' story, this took place in real time.  In a particular year Isaiah had a vision of God.  That's the fact that is being asserted here.  Beyond that it's a bit harder to be specific.  Did he have the vision while he was in the temple, or was the vision of God sitting on a throne in the temple?  We're not told and it probably doesn't matter too much.  What matters is the overwhelming power of the vision to transform Isaiah the priest into Isaiah the prophet, called, anointed and sent by God.  The vision is overwhelming, filling him with awe, terror and amazement.  He sees, he hears, he feels and he smells the presence of God all around him.  He is shaken to the foundations of his being: he is afflicted by a deep sense of his unworthiness, his sinfulness, and that of his people.  We can only imagine his feelings as he sees one of the seraphs heading his way with a live coal and cauterizing his lips with it!  (Think about that when you next hear a priest pronounce the Absolution.  It's not just a liturgical formality – it is putting into words what God has done to you and for you.)  With his sin taken away, Isaiah is able to hear the call of the Lord.  Notice the unusual form of the call: at face value it is a call for volunteers.  Be that as it may, the call of God always requires a positive response, and Isaiah makes the classic one: 'Here I am, send me."

Taking It Personally.

• Spend as much time as you can with this passage.  Enter into the vision with Isaiah.  Attempt to see what he sees, experience what he experiences, and hear what he hears.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to enter into this experience ever more deeply.
• Next time you are in a church, look up: call this vision to mind.  Slowly look around you.  "See" the whole space full of the presence of God.  Be uplifted! 
• When did you last feel yourself truly in the presence of God?  What helps you to experience the presence of God when you attend your local church?  What distracts you?
• Do you pay particular attention to the Absolution?  Do you experience a sense of relief (or release) when you hear it, or are the words of the Absolution rather ho-hum to you, merely an indication that the readings are coming next?
• What about the words of the Dismissal?  Do they strike you as a fresh and urgent mandate to go back into the world, sent by God on a mission of his choosing?  Or simply time to find your gloves and put your books away?

 

Romans 8:12-17.  In a rather different form we have here an equally mind-blowing passage.  St Paul characteristically spells it all out in clear language.  He doesn't dwell on the negative for very long.  He knows that his audience are aware of all that is wrong in our human nature, and that if we give into all that we bring death upon ourselves.  But he also knows how easily fear can limit us. Particularly fear of God's wrath.  He calls that fear a spirit of slavery, and contrasts that with the "spirit of adoption".  God is not sitting on his throne waiting to pounce on us, but to adopt us.  We are his children, not his targets!  He has adopted us, so that we too can call him "Abba", as Jesus did.  We are, says St Paul, now of the same status as Jesus, co-heirs with him.  Isn't that an astonishing thought?

 

Taking It Personally.

 

• Put these two lessons together, and reflect on your own faith.  How does your image of God compare with the vision of Isaiah?  How does your image of yourself compare with the teaching of St Paul?
• Are you afraid of God?  Do you want God to "intervene" in your life more often or less often than at present? 
• Retire to your favourite mirror.  Look yourself straight in the eye and repeat slowly several times, "I am a child of God, who has adopted me."  Then try, "I am an heir of God, and a co-heir with Christ."  Keep repeating this exercise regularly, until you believe it.
• When you pray, address God as "Abba".  How does that feel?

 

John 3:1-17.  There seems to be a division among commentators as to whether we should take Nicodemus at face value.  Is he just another tiresome Pharisee trying to catch Jesus out, or is he a genuine inquirer?  I've always inclined to the latter view.  Given the tough language usually used in this gospel about Jesus' Jewish opponents, and the fact that Nicodemus comes back into the story for the burial of Jesus, we are surely supposed to see him as well-intentioned.  Yes, he comes under cover of darkness, and appears to be speaking on behalf of others (see v.2, "we know that you are a teacher..."), but he seems to enter genuinely into dialogue with Jesus who treats him with the same respect he shows to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in the next chapter.  Nicodemus has a proper understanding of the miracles – they are "signs" pointing to Jesus' identity, not magic tricks to be enjoyed in themselves.  He is clearly mystified by what Jesus is saying, but he is only the first of many who are to follow in the first half of this gospel.  Jesus is simply on a different wavelength, as we might say, or speaking a different language.  He reminds Nicodemus of the weird story of the bronze snake on a stick that makes no sense at all in the "real" world.  Without the Spirit nothing about Jesus or his teaching makes sense either.

 

Taking It Personally.

 

• This is a good passage for slow pondering.  Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you deeper and deeper into the truth is conveys.
• Have you been born again?  What does that mean for you?
• Do you "understand these things"?
• End with prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit.