SMILE
I like taking pictures. It seems as though I always have. My hobby started when I was in
elementary school in Nevada. I had one of those new Kodak “Brownie” cameras that I
got for my birthday. I liked the way that my photograph was more than just a nice picture;
it captured a moment in my life. You might even say that it captured an idea or maybe
even better, it captured a relationship, a relationship between those people in the
photograph, and sometimes their relationship to me as they smiled into the lens of my
camera. Somehow taking pictures of others made me feel accepted and even loved at
times. The scripture readings today are kind of like that. They are a snapshot into our
communal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What better time to look into
that relationship than this Sunday following Pentecost, the Sunday of the Most Holy
Trinity.
“The first reading is taken from the Book of Exodus. As the second book in the Bible,
Exodus captures some of the earliest images of God to emerge on the pages of the Old
Testament. The storyline of Exodus is dominated by Israel’s dramatic release from
slavery in Egypt and the early stages of Israel’s forty-year journey through the
desert toward the Promised Land. In today’s reading, this is the second set of “stone
tablets” containing the Ten Commandments. The original set was destroyed by
Moses
when, out of anger, he broke the stone tablets on the base of Mount Sinai
upon discovering that some of the Israelites had made a golden calf and were
worshipping it (see Ex 32:19). What is noteworthy in today’s reading is how God is
characterized: a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and
fidelity.” Moses’ reverence and humility before God, along with his apology for the
sins of the Israelites, should be heard in the context of the blasphemy of the golden
calf. Through all these experiences, Israel was gaining important and early insights
into the nature of God and their relationship with him as One who is forgiving,
patient, and faithful to his people Israel.
The Gospel reading from John is one of the best-known texts of the New Testament.
It speaks not only to the intimacy and love between the Father and the Son, but also to
the passion our God has for the world. God’s love for the world and for all people is
1
deep and profound. God sends his Son “not to condemn the world,” but rather to offer
“eternal life” to all who believe. The Gospel of John frequently focuses on the
importance of believing in Jesus. In the first half of the Gospel, Jesus’ “signs”
(miracles in the synoptic Gospels) inspire
belief in his followers. Yet believing is
inspired not only by signs Jesus performs but also by encounters with him. The
Samaritan woman at the well and the other Samaritans (4:4-42), for example, come to
believe in Jesus through their encounters with him. The same is true for the man born
blind that Jesus heals (9:1-41) and for Martha in Jesus’ raising of her brother, Lazarus
(11:1-44). Each of the characters in John’s Gospel came to new insights into God
through their relationship with Jesus.
The second reading is taken from the concluding remarks in Paul’s Second Letter to
the Corinthians. It is a beautiful and calm ending to an otherwise very difficult letter.
Second Corinthians is, in fact, Paul’s most personal and apologetic letter. Throughout
the letter
Paul defends himself against his opponents in Corinth who challenge his
authority and status as an apostle. Paul defends his apostolic role and authority based
on his sufferings for the Gospel (see 2 Cor 11:22-29) and his mystical visions
and
revelations. Despite the high emotions and troubling tone of the letter, Paul ends with
words of encouragement for the congregation to live a holy and peaceful life with one
another. The final words provide one of the New Testament’s earliest Trinitarian
formulas: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” For Paul, grace, love, and fellowship are the
defining characteristics of our triune God As Christians, this best defines the terms of
our relationship with God.” Dr. Daniel J. Scholz
Trinity, incarnation, and paschal mystery—all words that underpin our understanding of
God, but are not found in Scripture. Early Christians wrestled with a reality, Jesus the Son
of God who rose from the dead, that was beyond their language but not beyond their
belief. New words were needed to capture these new experiences of God.
Theological language tries to capture the reality of God (can’t you hear God smiling!). In
ancient times Israel, the people of God, realized that there was only one God, and
2
monotheism was born. They needed language about God that would stand up to the
culture and religious beliefs that surrounded them. This was the God who led them out of
Egypt, that place of slavery, and formed them in the desert. This God stood with them
and stood with Moses and pronounced the name Lord. Their Lord was “merciful and
gracious, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Who wouldn’t want to find a
God like this? This God could pardon them and welcome them as his own.
After Jesus, the idea of God needed refining. Jesus had been revealed as the Son of God,
who was sent into the world to give us eternal life and then he who would send the Spirit
of God to form the community of the church. Indeed, God was still one and yet much
more complex than we had realized. The early church wrestled with this three-in-one God
for a few centuries and decided to call this reality Trinity.
So what do we see in the picture that we have just taken? We see a faithful Father who
seeks our friendship and chooses to live with us and to love us even as he forgives our sin.
We see this love made visible for us in the person of the Son, Jesus, sent to walk among us
and show us what it really means to be human and divine. We see the Holy Spirit, our
advocate, sent by the Father and the Son to guide us into family life within the Holy
Trinity itself. Calling God Trinity does make a difference. It helps us realize the love of
God that is beyond human understanding and yet is “homely” enough to invite us into its
beauty.
We have seen three images of our God through the lens of Holy Scripture. More than just
an image, we have captured an idea of the Trinity, or maybe something even greater. We
have captured a moment in the relationship of the Persons of the Trinity. As we ponder
this image we notice that they are not just looking at each other with love, their smile is
upon the ones who are looking at them. We are all loved even as we gaze upon the source
of that love. How could any of us not fall in love with a picture like that!
Deacon Alan Christy
June 15, 2014
3