Total Pageviews

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Confused - Reflection Holy Trinity Sunday

Confused?
Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”
Jesus continued: the Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth …. He will glorify me, take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; and he will take from what is mine”
Confused?
There’s a saying, “The Holy Trinity is truly the mystery of God. If it was a human invention, we would have figured it out by now.”
Jesus said we wouldn’t understand, even as He gave us the truth of the Holy Trinity; One triune God, three separate persons of God but totally one, a community of love and self-giving.
The Holy Trinity’s self-giving love is unfathomable.
The Spirit speaks from the Son. Everything that is the Father is the Son. Whatever one has the others receive.
Love is from and of God the Father. The beloved is Christ, the Son. And, love exists in the Holy Spirit, the advocate that the Father sent to us.
There is no holding back, no hidden agendas, no manipulation. The completeness of the Holy Trinity is love.
Jesus asked us to be like this. Christ tells us, “love one another as I have loved you.” We are to love like the Holy Trinity.
Radical, but is it really? This love is how it is intended to be – We are created in his image. Yet humanity’s failing covered up that beautiful image. It’s became hard for us to open up our completeness (heart, mind, body) to love
We are created in wisdom. Wisdom has existed with God since the beginning. Wisdom is the word of God. Wisdom is the spirit of God. Proverbs says that wisdom was beside our creator “as his craftsman and his delight day by day.”
Wisdom is to live our life as a Godly experience.
And God “found delight in the human race.” Despite our failings, in delight God comes to us. He came as the Son; He comes to us in the Holy Spirit.
The Son came as a man to us to experienced suffering. In his word made flesh, God came to us, as us, and endure the cross for us. God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit had endurance for our sins.
The Holy Spirit gives the same gift, endurance.
Endurance in our suffering and afflictions; “Affliction produces endurance; and, endurance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint.” Our suffering is our cross. In the afflictions of this world we look into ourselves and find our faith, hope that does not disappoint. We find God.
With the strength of faith and hope, we live our life as a Godly experience.
The Franciscan Sisters, Poor of Jesus Christ operate a homeless shelter in Kansas City. One young sister in this congregation was asked about her life in hope, joy, and happiness surrounded by poverty and oppression. I am probably not quoting her exactly but her answer, “Happiness is Jesus to love, the cross to carry, and giving love to someone else.” (Three Dogs North Podcast, Episode 31 - threedogsnorth.com)
Her witness is Love as God loves us.
Not in this life will we understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity but maybe we can understand its love. Everything the Father has is love. The love of the Father is the love of Christ. This is love the Holy Spirit uses to glorify the Lord.
To love is joy and happiness living in the love of the Father. To love is seeing and loving Christ in others. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love is glorifying God by bringing love to the world.  Love is the wisdom and endurance of faith and hope.
The young sister has it right. Love as God loves us. It is a beginning to understanding the mystery.  By love in wisdom and endurance, we live life as a Godly experience.
The Word of God endures and in wisdom reminds us, “I have so much more to tell you.”
Y’all be good. Y’all be holy. Preach the Gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment