The people of Israel did not have a concept of the Trinity as we now understand it (and even our own understanding can only be partial), but they absolutely understood that God desired a relationship with them. When, in the Book of Exodus, Moses ascends Mt. Sinai (for the second time), God comes down in a cloud and speaks God’s own identity: The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity. All of these are terms of the covenant God promises God’s unfaithful people. It is not insignificant that God passes before Moses as he speaks: covenant is not a static thing, for the love of God is not a theological notion but a dynamic reality, constantly changing and transforming us. In the canticle from the Book of Daniel that serves as our psalm this week, the three young men thrown in to the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar bless God as praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Even Nebuchadnezzar can’t help but be moved by the manifestation of God’s love for them; even he is transformed by God’s love.
It is in the New Testament that our understanding of God as Trinity begins to be expressed more explicitly. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, John’s Gospel reminds us. God was willing to sacrifice his Son for the sake of the salvation of all humankind, that all might have eternal life, a life with purpose beyond the finite. Jesus tries to explain the immensity of this truth to the Pharisee Nicodemus, but God is a paradox – both three persons and one – and only faith can take us beyond logic to a realm that is greater than any we know on earth.
We do know that, in the Trinity, God has revealed God’s self in three persons united by a bond of love so perfect that there is no separation between them. What is truly extraordinary is that God has shared that bond with creation, creating out of love, breathing life into that creation, acting always out of love. Paul reminds the Corinthians to embrace the unity, the community, the relationship to which they have been called, a unity in Christ that comes from God and is supported by the Holy Spirit. God draws each and every one of us into that great love; God wants us to participate in that love every single day: encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, Paul tells the Corinthians. God invites us to move past our own limitations as we embrace the dynamic relationship embodied most perfectly by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. What could be more beautiful (and extraordinary) than that?
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s 2020 Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
No comments:
Post a Comment