Loving God, from Creation right up to the present time, you have loved us with an everlasting love.  Help us to continue to grow in our relationships with you and with one another, teaching us by your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    When we think about the Trinity, or baptism, or even the whole story of salvation, what better place to start than with creation?  Both our first reading and our Psalm today point us in that direction, and believe it or not, Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all involved in creation – as well as Woman Wisdom, which we’ll address in a moment.  But first of all, the Trinity – one God in three Persons.

    Most people would have no problem saying that God the Father – or God the Creator – was involved in creation.  In fact, we already said that in the Apostles’ Creed today - “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”  In fact, that is the main job that God the Father has: creation – not only in the beginning, but continuing to sustain that creation and to bring into being a new creation.

    However, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were also involved in creation – as one might expect with three persons who are totally at one.  Scripturally speaking, can you tell me how we know that the Holy Spirit was involved in creation? [responses] The main passage that I think of is right there in Genesis: “the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2, RSV).  This is also translated as the power of God or a wind from God, since in Hebrew, ruach means at least three things: Spirit, wind and breath.

    What about Jesus, though?  Could it have been that he was also involved in creation?  Our minds have a little more trouble with this one, since we know that Jesus was not born until many years after creation.  However, his divine nature is eternal and has always existed - long before his human nature ever came into being.  And, just as with the Spirit, there is at least one passage of Scripture that describes Jesus’ role in creation.  Do you remember hearing it?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. ... And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son (Jn. 1:1-3, 14).

    This is how the gospel of John talks about Jesus – as the divine Word become flesh.  And so, all things were created through Jesus, with the power of the Spirit, directed by God the Father.  However, then there is divine Wisdom, or Sophia (which is the Greek word for wisdom).  Our reading from Proverbs today was all about Wisdom and creation, and how she was there rejoicing as God created the heavens and the earth.  Over the centuries, some Christians have tried to make sense of Wisdom by connecting her with Jesus and saying that both of them are actually the second person of the Trinity.  However, this doesn’t quite make sense to me, as Proverbs makes it clear that Wisdom was created, whereas the divine Word - or Jesus - is eternal.  And so, Wisdom seems to be this other figure who shows up every so often - especially in Proverbs - and is a partner with God in creation and in teaching human beings.

    It’s been a few years now since the book The Shack came out, but those of you who read it may recall that it also included both the three persons of the Trinity and Woman Wisdom, who had a lesser but essential role.  While you may or may not agree with how the Trinity was portrayed, the book did give a sense of what it might look like for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be completely one in their thinking and yet have their own unique jobs to do.  We do not worship three gods, but one, who is revealed in three Persons.

    Of course, it is Jesus who is easiest for us to picture, for he is the one who became flesh and lived among us.  Yet, he was still in tune with the Father and the Holy Spirit even during his time on this earth and often spoke about both of them and his relationship with them.  He also spoke about the relationship that we would have with God – through Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit.

    Today’s gospel from John tells us that one of the Spirit’s jobs will be to guide us “into all the truth” (16:13).  One way to think about this is that the Spirit will lead us to Jesus, who is the way and the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6).  However, it is also helpful to think about truth in terms of relationships.  In one commentary on today’s readings, the point is made that “all truth is known in personal relationships” (Sundays & Seasons).  When you think about this, it makes sense.

    I can live all by myself and not talk to anybody and believe that all sorts of things are true.  However, I might be totally out to lunch.  The only way that I would actually learn what is true and what isn’t is in relationships with others and with God.  Of course, there may be times when you and I are in relationship with one another, and each of us has our own version of the truth.  In matters of faith, we always need to defer to the Holy Spirit, and to allow that same Spirit to lead us into the truth through Jesus.  At the same time, we need to continue to address things in relationship with other people of faith, and in relationship with God, and while continuing to study the Scriptures.

    This is the kind of community into which Thompson has been welcomed today.  Each one of us is welcomed by God through baptism, as God says to each of us, “You are my own precious child, created in my image.  I love you so much that my Son gave his life for yours.  Because of him, I give you forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life.  I also give you my Spirit, so that you might grow in relationship with me and with others in the community of faith.”  Of course, parents and sponsors also help us to grow in those relationships.

    However, I also want to point out today that it is not only children who learn from their parents, but sometimes parents who learn from their children.  There is a glorious verse in today’s Psalm that is later quoted by Jesus.  “You whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children” (Ps. 8:2).  When Jesus quotes this in the gospel of Matthew, it comes out a little differently: “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself” (Mt. 21:16).

    The context in the gospel of Matthew consists of children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Mt. 21:15).  Of course, the religious leaders get all upset about this and say angrily to Jesus, “Do you hear what these are saying?”  That’s when Jesus quotes the Psalm – perfect praise from the mouths of infants and children.  We don’t give children nearly enough credit for their knowledge of God!  At the same time, this also shows us that you don’t have to be able to explain the Trinity in order to praise God.

    And so, today, we quite simply give thanks.  We give thanks that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).  We give thanks for the promise of new life that God makes to us in baptism.  And we give thanks for the gift of God’s love, which is “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5).  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

The Holy Trinity (C)                            Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
May 26, 2013                            Psalm 8
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                    Romans 5:1-5
Pastor Lynne Hutchison                        John 16:12-15

 © 2013 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved