For as long as I can remember I‘ve had a fascination for finding out how things work. When I was about seven I was given a torch for my birthday, and was intrigued how, at the press of the switch, it produced an amazing beam of light that penetrated darkest corners of our house. Needless to say It wasn’t long before I found myself taking it apart to find out what was inside. Gazing down at all the bits and pieces on the kitchen table I could see how it went together, but exactly how this collection of bits produced a beam of light was still a mystery.
The thirst for knowledge that we all possess has been a driving force throughout history, as men and women have sought to understand more about the world, and the universe. Advances in science, technology, medicine, and many other fields have changed the way we live, and brought us to a point in the 21st century where it seems as though we have the answers to almost everything. In reality there will always be another step waiting to be discovered or invented.
But in spite of living in materialistic, and high tech society there are millions of people around the world whose faith in God, in all its guises, is one of the most important, if not the most important parts of their lives, which fulfils the spiritual dimension of our human nature.
Unfortunately there are also those for whom the modern world is a barrier to faith. Some of my friends often ask me questions, some quite challenging, about my faith, and expect me to have the answer.
How for instance will prayer help someone who is terminally ill? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Is there such a thing as eternal life? They are not atheists or agnostics; in fact they have told me that they want to believe, but feel that the modern world, and some of the Christian doctrines are incompatible. Sharing our faith with others, which as followers of Jesus we are called to do, is not always easy, particularly since so much of what we believe seems to be shrouded in mystery.
Today the church celebrates the Christian belief in the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; one of the most baffling doctrines of the church. How can God be one, and three persons at the same time?
The first followers of Jesus who were Jews, believed absolutely in one God, so how did belief in God as Trinity ever come about? It was the experience of the first disciples—their relationship with Jesus, the strange events of the resurrection and, at Pentecost, the arrival of the Holy Spirit—which made them start to think hard about their understanding of God, and of who Jesus is. Jesus talked about the three persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and St Paul ended his second letter to the Corinthians with the words, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all”. The ‘grace’, as it is called, has been used by Christians for 2,000 years.
The realisation that God had been experienced in different ways had to be thought through. In particular, who was Jesus, and what was his relationship with God? For the first 300 years of the church, while ordinary Christians just got on with worshipping Jesus and trying to live as he had taught them, theologians and other church leaders tried to work out the relationship between God the father, Jesus and the holy spirit. Eventually, the creeds were produced: statements of belief about God, and trying to express what Christians were living out in their daily lives and regular worship. Although several different creeds emerged from this process, only two, the Apostles’ Creed and the longer Nicene Creed which we will say immediately after the sermon, are regularly used in services today.
In spite of these statements of belief in God as Trinity, our faith in one God, but three persons, is still strange and complex, and over the years different analogies have been used to explain it.
Saint Patrick is most often recognized for likening the Trinity to a shamrock, or clover illustrating that the shamrock leaf has three parts, and yet is one; in a similar way, the Trinity has three persons, and is still one God. The shamrock, the icon of Ireland, is worn on millions of Irish lapels on St Patrick’s Day.
Another illustration to help explain the Trinity is provided by a lighthouse.
Imagine that you are on a coast at night, or on a ship at sea. You see the light from a lighthouse from a distant point – but cannot see the lighthouse itself. The lighthouse has three key components
The Lamp = is like God the Father
The Lens = God the Son (I AM the light of the world)
The Beam = God the Holy Spirit.
The lamp is a powerful source of light so strong we cannot possibly look at it directly or closely, for if we tried, we would be blinded at once! The Old Testament records that neither Moses the great law giver, nor Elijah the greatest prophet were able to see God.
The lens focuses and directs the blazing power of the lamp, in John 14:9 Jesus says to his disciples, ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’.
The beam takes the light and projects it through the darkness, a beacon to warn seafarers of danger and bring them safely home.
These analogies may help us to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, but they are only pointers, a starting point. Our belief in the Trinity and other doctrines of our faith summarised in the creeds, although important are the beginning of faith. It is what follows, as we experience God’s love, and how that love affects our lives; how his presence enables us to grow as followers of our Lord; that helps us to glimpse the real meaning of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But how we might ask does our belief and faith in God make this experience a reality.
The key lies in today’s gospel reading which perhaps aptly for today is also laden with mystery and potential misunderstanding. Jesus teaching and miracles in Jerusalem had clearly made an impression not only on Nicodemus a Pharisee, but also other Jewish religious leaders. As a result he wants to understand more about Jesus, and so perhaps for fear of being seen he comes to Jesus at night and says to him;
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."
Nicodemus had not really asked a question, but Jesus knew what was in his mind, ‘if you are the Messiah as some are inclined to believe, how must we enter the kingdom of God of which you have come to establish, and about which you have said so much’.
Jesus turns to Nicodemus and looking him in the eye says, "Very truly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus is puzzled "How he asks Jesus, can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again?"
Jesus answers "Very, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.
Our Christian journey begins with our baptism, the outward sign that our sins are forgiven and by which we become members of the church, Christ’s body on earth. This outward sign of cleansing with water also marks the beginning of our rebirth which is both holy and spiritual. Exactly how this happens is a mystery, something which we cannot explain, but something which we experience deep within ourselves. Jesus explained it to Nicodemus by comparing it with the wind. We do not see where it comes from or where it goes, yet we hear it and feel it.
Our deepening awareness of the Holy Spirit within ourselves enables us to see things differently, to change, and to grow into the likeness of our risen and ascended lord. As a result his words and actions recorded in the gospels are no longer a historical record of his teaching and actions on earth, but a living reality, and as a result he speaks to each one of us directly.
What of God the Father. How do we experience him in our lives? The bible begins with the story of creation, of which we are a part; a sign of Gods amazing power and love. The beauty of creation that we enjoy is the visible and outward sign of god’s presence. Not only the natural world, but also when it is used correctly the scientific discoveries and technology. But there are many other ways in which God reveals himself to us. Through the bible, his holy word. In our prayers when we are in communion with him. Through worship, and chiefly through his love for each one us which manifested itself supremely in sending his son into the world to be our saviour.
Let us pray that led by the spirit, in the love of the Father, and in the life of the son, we may encounter God the holy Trinity in our daily lives.
