Post Holy Trinity
Will Negron
Last Sunday we dressed up in red and we celebrated the Holy Spirit descending on us and manifesting in us by the speaking of tongues. I find that especially curious since on our Tower of Babel reading we get scattered because we are speaking the same language and conspiring to build this huge tower but this is different.
We have the Holy Spirit manifesting to us and helping us communicate to each other and pulling together. I bring last week’s lesson into today because I have a thing for the holy spirit. I would dare to say that a good chunk of the things we do for the other person, meaning, the one next to us is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the less mentioned person of the trinity and the Holy Trinity is what we are celebrating today. When I was living in Jersey one of my best friends was muslim and it was interesting to see us “talk heatedly” through our breaks. We didn’t spend as much time attacking the other’s faith as much as we spent defending our own.
Funny thing is that he knew my weak spot all too well and it was his check-mate move.
QUESTION THE HOLY TRINITY WITH RATIONAL THOUGHT
I could rationally talk about them individually. I can talk about a FATHER that loves me enough to give his only SON for my sins and about the SPIRIT that guides my steps to help everyone I come across but how could I say that these THREE persons and ONE God without falling into the dangerous polytheism?
The apostle Paul talks in his letter to the Romans very distinctively. First of all he calls us to recognize we have an obligation… But he makes sure we understand that it is not towards our flesh but towards the spirit. How is it that he makes that distinction? WHY is it that he makes that distinction? It is fun how in that letter he refers to each person of the Trinity separately.
First he talks about the father but he doesn’t mention the father directly. He addresses us by calling us “Children of God” because we are led by the Spirit of God. Then he moves to explain that the spirit makes us free and we are not to feel as if we are slaves. I am thinking that Slaves live in fear of their Masters but this Spirit is freeing us, but from what? On the reading we see the word “SPIRIT” on caps… Why? If I am talking about a spirit it is just a spirit but if it’s in capital letters it implies a name. So Paul talks about the FATHER and about the SPIRIT as if they are the same, but what about the Son?
Well…
The SPIRIT makes us free so we can share the same place as the Son and we are offered sonship. The Greek word for Sonship is HUIOTHESIA (I hope the Greek scholar doesn’t kill me) and the meaning is “Placing as a son”.
In the Gospel we find Nicodemus which is part of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish Ruling Council. He comes to Jesus and calls him Rabbi and recognizes that Jesus comes from God and gives Him a reason why he KNOWS he is from God. Jesus then starts to tell Nicodemus that no man can see the kingdom of Heaven unless they are born again. Nicodemus instantly starts going on with his “HUMAN” mind and asks how anyone can be truly born again if they are old?
We are born again every day… EVERY DAY…
We are born again EVERY DAY and multiple times… We are given so many chances to be born again. When we see someone starving and begging for food. When we second guess ourselves when we see that beggar at a traffic light. Everytime we have to make a choice whether we help someone or not we are given the chance to be born again.
No… No we don’t. You cannot say that you have accepted Jesus and you are born again when you turn a blind eye to someone in need. You cannot say you are born again in Jesus when you see someone with disabilities trying to get into a building and not hold the door for them, which is what we are trying to do at St Stephens creating a space where “All are welcome” to worship and grow and just to be accepted.
A place where the color of your skin, your ethnic background or your sexual orientation IS NOT IMPORTANT!!!! They are part of your personality, they are part of who you are and you are a beloved child of God.
The thing is this. We are loved by the ONE God that is three persons and each person loves us in a different way. We have three ways we can learn to love one another. Can you think of multiple ways to love your brother and or sister?
