God’s grace, peace and
mercy be with you. … My focus is Acts, chapter two, where Peter addressed the
men of Israel. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I
rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[1] Now that our feet are
within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit
enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we
pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Anthony de Mello tells of a pastor whose ship anchored at a
remote island. Since he only had one day there, the pastor was determined to
use the time profitably.
He strolled along the seashore and came across three
fishermen, mending their nets. In broken English, they explained to him
that missionaries converted their village to Christianity. “We Christians!” they proudly
proclaimed. The pastor was impressed. In talking some more, he discovered
that they had never heard of the Lord’s Prayer. The pastor was shocked. “What, then, do you SAY when you pray?”
“We lift eyes to heaven and say, ‘We are three, you
are three, have mercy on us.’”
The pastor was appalled. This would never do. In
fact, it sounded almost heretical. So, he spent the whole day teaching
them the Lord’s Prayer. Even though the fishermen were slow learners, they
were finally able to struggle through it before the pastor sailed away the next
day.
Months later, the pastor’s ship happened to pass by that
same island. The pastor paced the deck, recalling with pleasure the three
men who were now able to pray, thanks to his patient efforts. While he was
lost in his thoughts, he happened to look up, and notice a spot of light to the
east. The light kept approaching the ship and, as the pastor gazed in wonder,
he saw three figures walking on the water. The captain, too, was amazed
and he stopped the boat so everyone could see. When they got within
speaking distance, the pastor recognized the three fishermen.
They exclaimed, “Pastor!
We see your boat go by the island, so we come to see you.” Awestruck,
the pastor asked, “What do you want?”
“Pastor, we are very sorry. We
forget lovely prayer. We say, ‘Our Father, in heaven, holy be your name….’ Then
we forget. Please tell us prayer again.”
With a quiet voice, the pastor answered, “Go back to your homes, my friends. And
each time you pray, say, ‘We are three,
you are three, have mercy on us.”[2]
Have mercy on us. Most
pastors like to skip Trinity Sunday because people expect them to explain the
Trinity in simple terms. So, in addition to the story of our three amigos, let
me outline it for you – Persons, Pentecost and a Postscript.
First, Persons. We
often use symbols to explain the Trinity – from Patrick’s clover to geometric
designs. We find symbols of the Trinity in many churches – the equilateral
triangle and overlapping circles. Mathematicians and engineers may prefer
triangles and circles, but they are static. If you want to understand the dynamics
of the Trinity, you really have to observe and live the family experience. Families
are dynamic. Think of any family – the First Family or the Royal Family, your
in-laws or your neighbors. Based on your observations of the outer dynamics of
any family, you determine the breadwinner and the spender, the problem solver
and the troublemaker. You surmise their mission in life and predict where the
children will be in 20 years. You rely on them for assistance or aggravation. We
base our assumptions solely on what we know as outsiders.
Hollywood tries to give
us an experience of the inner dynamics of family life – be it the Robertson
Family, aka, Duck Dynasty or the
Dysfunctional Housewives of Any City in America. However, reality TV has
limits. You cannot live the experience of that family. The only way one grasps
the inner dynamics of any family is by living in it.
So it is for Jesus – as
the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He knows the Father. The Father knows
him. Together, they dwell with the Spirit. John tells us that Jesus revealed
himself to believers. Over the past few weeks, we heard Jesus’ promise to send
the Holy Spirit. In today’s passage, he discusses the Holy Spirit with
Nicodemus. Jesus claimed, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.”[3] Perhaps Nicodemus needed an
infusion from the Holy Spirit to accept this teaching.
As believers, we accept
the truth from Scripture that there are Three Persons of the Holy Trinity –
Father, Son and Spirit. We observe their outer dynamics – creation, redemption
and sanctification – all performed with loving-kindness. We surmise that the
inner dynamics of the Three Divine Persons is strong enough to overcome Satan,
sin and death. We rely on their love.
From Persons to
Pentecost, my 2nd point. Today’s passage picks up where we left last
week – Peter’s Pentecost sermon. Pentecost was an agricultural feast where Jews
celebrated not only the harvest but also the giving of the Torah. It was known
as the Shav – u’ – oth or the Feast of Weeks. This festival was celebrated 7
weeks or 50 days after Passover. It brought farmers from Mesopotamia,
Judea, Cappadocia, Asia, Egypt, Libya and Rome to
Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot. They came to thank God for the harvest and
for the Law. To them Peter made a fundamental presentation of the Gospel. And
while Jesus could not convince his hearers, by preaching Christ crucified,
Peter stirred the hearts of some 3,000 that day. Scripture tells us that he converted
and baptized 3,000 people. Through baptism, Peter brought them into the inner
family. They observed the community of believers from the outside, and then
experienced it from the inside. Peter baptized the people who heard the Gospel
as members of the Church, a believing community, a dynamic community of people that
reflected the loving relationships of the Holy Trinity in their inner and outer
activities.
Believers are members
of a believing community, a Pentecost community. … Are we members of a
Pentecost community? Are we a Pentecost people? … We are – liturgically. From
now until Advent we are in The Season of
Pentecost. Our corporate worship reminds us that the Holy Spirit is active
in our lives. Hence, we celebrate the Sundays of Pentecost.
Like the first
converts, we too were baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit. We received forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Because we are attuned to the Holy Spirit active in our lives as a
faith community and individual believers, we are a Pentecost people.
Are we a Trinitarian
community? … Again, yes. These Sundays are also Trinity Sundays. They remind us
to focus on the dynamic power of all Three Divine Persons of the Trinity active
in our lives. Therefore, according to our worship, we are members of a Pentecost
and Trinitarian community.
There is another way to
know if we reflect the loving relationships of the Holy Trinity in our inner
and outer activities – by asking outsiders what they observe. … This week, ask
some outsiders how they see us. Do they see us as Spirit-filled people? Do they
see us as a dynamic community? Would they say that we reflect the loving
relationships of the Persons of the Holy Trinity? Does our living proclamation
of the Gospel stir their hearts to the degree that they are kicking in the
doors to enter our church? Think about that this week, and really ask someone.
Ask anyone. If we are a Pentecost people, a Trinitarian community, it should be
easily observable.
That brings me to my third
point: Postscript. … Cindy and I used to enjoy camping. We no longer have to do
that because we live on 21 rural acres. We enjoy the luxuries of water, gas and
electricity as well as the open spaces. So, these days, we sort of enjoy
glamping. Yet, camping is an activity every Christian should embrace.
Camping is Biblical. Abraham
and Sarah lived their whole lives in tents. Moses and the Israelites camped 40
years. When David decided to build God a fine house, God revealed His
preference for a tent. So, guys, buy your wives camping stoves.
We read in the Gospel
of John, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”[4] Many Scripture scholars
interpret the verse this way – He pitched his tent among us. During the time Cindy
and I have been married, approaching 11 years, we have pitched our tent in nine
sites over California, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and finally, Pennsylvania.
Less than a month after
arriving, you asked me to pitch our tent here and worship with you. As we
worship together, we pray to the Holy Trinity for the grace to be grateful,
especially to the people who camp or glamp closest to us – family, neighbors,
and friends. As we do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.[5]
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