In the name of God, source of all being, eternal word, and holy spirit.
In the name of God, source of all being, eternal word, and holy spirit. Amen.
The word of the day today is three…… in one.
In its earliest form there are two more verses to Holy, Holy, Holy:
In Thy name baptized are we,
With Thy blessing are dismissed;
And Thrice-Holy chant to Thee
In the holy Eucharist;
Life is one doxology,
To the blessèd Trinity.
To the Father; and the Son,
Who for us did deign to die;
And to God the Holy One,
Who the Church doth sanctify;
Sing we with glad jubilee,
Hallelujah! Lord, to Thee.
http://hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/h/h/o/hhholord.htm cf. The Hymnal 1940 Companion, p. 178.
We baptize and are baptized in one name, whoever we are, among Christians. We are baptized in the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are sent out, in the Great Commission, that Matthew relates at the end of his Gospel, to all nations, and to baptize in the one name, that is the Trinity, God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And we are blessed at our going forth from this assembly, in the words at the end of today’s Epistle reading, in that name. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
One name. Wait a minute. Isn’t that three names? If we wanted one name for God would we not, like the earliest Hebrews, like Moses, ask for one? Whom shall I say you are? And get that great non-answer, I am who I am. Which leaves it a mystery. (Ex. 3:13–15)
You can’t blame us for trying. Source of all being, eternal Word, and holy Spirit, comes close. Creator, word, and sanctifier, meh. Those are attributes or functions. And clearly the Trinity is personal. God the Father is a person, God the Son is a person, God the holy Spirit, mysteriously, is a Person. And yet, God the Holy Trinity is one God.
One being. Three persons. No wonder we say it’s a mystery. And throw up our hands, in praise….. or in prayer. In the hymn Saint Patrick’s Breastplate, we bind ourselves, as if putting on the armor of God, in the singular name of the Trinity.
I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The Word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
By whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
http://hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/t/p/a/stpatric.htm
The hymn does not provide a formula, but a promise, and a prayer. A way forward, into and through the mystery, into an intimate and personal relationship.
And that is really what Trinity Sunday is about: relationship. God to Godself, yes, and God to us. It is as if the three persons of the Trinity were dancers. This is the dance, the holy dance, the interplay of the persons of the Trinity, that God beckons us to join.
We join in the Eucharist, we join in prayer, we join in Baptism and all the sacramental rites; we join at our death. And again at the new birth into eternal life, that is the resurrection. The dance, a circle perfected, in the Trinity.
We join in every day of our lives, and the lives of the ones we love. And those we see no longer. And those we have never, or have yet, to meet.
God the Father, Source of All Being, in your generosity you make room for all that is to come to be. In your enfolding embrace we live our lives.
Merciful Father, be kind to us in our folly and grant us the wisdom of the spirit and the love and grace of the son as you bear us into being within the womb of creation.
Jesus, Eternal Word, you call us, bringing us together, whether or not we were there with you by the lakeside in Galilee, or in Jerusalem and Judea, or not. You walked down the hill from Nazareth to the lake and there by its shore you began to gather us, your people, your chosen followers. You lead us, still, by the power and through the inspiration of the holy spirit, holy spirit that you bequeathed upon your followers.
Holy Spirit, you are the God we know. Jesus left you as his legacy to us. Holy Spirit, you are the God we encounter. Jesus left you as his gift to us. The Father made us. But you are the God we see. How do we see you? We see you in the manifestations of your works. You fill us with grace and insight. You give us courage and wisdom. Indeed, you are called ‘the spirit of wisdom’.
God, three yet one, we pray to you, we proclaim you, we baptize in your threefold name, always calling us through the threeness into the One.
For in three persons you are one God. We experience you in creation, salvation, and the ongoing transformation of our lives in communion with you. Be with us as we go forth to proclaim the good news of your love, your redemption, you care for all your creation. And celebrate with us in joy.
In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
