What about the Trinity?

So, I've been away for a bit... and now, I'm catching up. 

I had an excellent question offered after the sermon on Trinity Sunday.  

Here it is:

At the risk of committing heresy, doesn't the Trinity allow Christianity to connect with and inspire a wider group of people?

Those who need God the Father: A director, creator, loving parent

Those who need Jesus: A living example of God’s love active in human form.

Those who need the Holy Spirit:  A spirit connecting us all to each other and God; a guiding presence or common understanding; a gentle drawing into goodness.

Aren't the Father and Son, by definition, not equal?  Although at times they may be equal, the relationship necessitates one coming BEFORE the other and being MORE (at least for a while) – stronger, more powerful, etc.    For me, this underlines one of the major difficulties for religion: Finding language that makes Faith more, not less, available to those searching for meaning.

I love these questions.

I have no answers… but, boy oh boy, do I have a lot of love.

The struggle with the Trinity is that every time someone tries to explain it, it becomes a heresy.  For me, the Trinity is to Theology (and Faith) as an irrational number is to mathematics and physics.  You can’t resolve the square root of two, nor can you resolve Pi… and yet, we rely on even numbers and we use circles all the time.  When you think of if it, it’s as if every circle in our finite reality has, at its core, an infinite component.  A number that never ends….

My understanding of God, is satisfying, rewarding and understandable to me, but at its core lies an infinite mystery. 

And it does work for many, just  -as you describe it.  Some need an awesome God who directs, creates and loves – anything less is a “minor deity” and hardly worthy of commitment or passion.   However, there are also people who do not respond well to being “controlled” or overseen by another… they feel that their freedom of choice is infringed. Others also struggle with God the Father, because their own experience of “Father” has not been good or helpful.   A distant, violent or horrific Father can drive people away from the love of God, when we insist on the term Father.

At present Jesus is what is needed for a great many people – as we try to figure out what God’s love looks like; what God’s will requires… we look to Jesus and we can understand how the Cosmic God responds to a nagging next door neighbour.  Without the “human” expression of God, that would be quite challenging.

And a bunch of us need a Holy Spirit… present and intimate, active in the world right now, at home in my kitchen and inside my heart and head.  That still small voice giving me courage, reminding me of my responsibility for the world… giggling in times of joy when it’s best that I keep a straight face.

And the mystery of our faith is that they are all onyou e… one and the same.  Same substance.  They are the same “What”… but they are different “Who”s.   In practical terms, I don’t know how to think of them as one – I pray to God, I talk to Jesus, I feel the Spirit – they’re kind of different.  But my theology pushes me to imagine them as one…  no priority or subordination.  And maybe in this contemplation, I just be able to imagine the people in my life as one… without priority or subordination.  Or my place in Creation: without priority or subordination.    I don’t know..

What I do know is that the Great Schism: the first major division of the church into East and West: Orthodox and Catholic (Roman) was officially over the translation of the Creed that said that the Spirit proceeds from the Father.   Now, you’d think that the problem is that the Spirit proceeding FROM the Father would make the Spirit subordinate to or at least younger than the Father.  That wasn’t the problem.   There was no problem because the Spirit desired to proceed from the Father – the desire comes before the proceeding, so linear time is already messed up… and so the Spirit can proceed from and yet still be contemporary with the Father.  Follow that??

The problem is that the Spirit should proceed from the Father AND the Son.  By not including the Son; be having the Spirit proceed only from the Father, you have subordinated the Son. 

And so the church split.  One Church got the Pope and other got really long beards.   Did it really matter that much? 

It did to some.

Trying to understand God is like sculpting a great chunk of marble.  Every day you try to cut away all the bits that aren't “GOD” and reveal the beauty beneath… but every now and then, someone thinks that you've cut away the most important “God” part:  In this example, it’s the lack of Hierarchy that must not be cut away….

Which brings us back to your final comment  - our struggle is to go deeper and deeper, discovering new ways of thinking about God; new ways of being open to the Sacred and Divine.. but also to, provide a language that is communicative and inviting to others – others not immersed in 2600 years of Faith history.

I think that the best that we can to is to keep trying… becoming heretics and then trying again… Remember that Jesus was a Heretic and that yesterday’s Heresy is tomorrows Orthodoxy 

Thoughts?

When does Worship begin and why won't people be quiet for the Prelude?!

No questions came to me, no emails or singing telegrams arrived with questions arising from Sunday’s time of Worship.  However, in Tuesday morning Bible Study a spirited discussion was had about the Prelude and “Why can’t people be quiet?” during three minutes of reflective, musical time…

It was suggested by some that it’s simply rude to talk during the prelude: Rude to our Organist, Art Wenk, who puts forth great effort and shares incredible gifts with his music; rude to those who take the “Prelude” as a time to let go of the “outside” world, and prepare for the inner world, a transition from the mundane to the holy.  

“Why don’t we have some kind of signal, like the taping of the conductor’s baton before a symphony, to indicate that people should be quiet and pay attention”

“It bothers me that people are still talking as Lee-Ann begins the Call to Worship… they should be quiet and ready to participate”

These are all important concerns (and, it should be noted that neither Lee-Ann or Art were part of the discussion)

Allow me to opine…  I agree that there should be a time of transition; a time when we exhale, let of the world, let down our defenses and allow spirit, emotion and unspoken wisdom to inform us.   Formally (and formerly) the context for this time was created by a musical performance… a “Prelude” to worship, so that we would come to worship prepared.  The Apostle Paul encourages us to let go of our concerns with our brothers and sisters before we come to worship… the musical prelude is that “Spiritual Air-Lock” where we do that… let go and come into a new time and place.

Except that nobody seems to get it…

Except that we are no longer a group of villagers who see each other every day and so have no need to converse before the time of worship…

Except that we very explicitly place high value on establishing “Community” in worship and welcoming the “Stranger” as part of our ministry… and conversation enables the former as dramatically as “Hushing” and admonishing inhibits the latter.

Except that music is no longer a rare commodity… there was a time, that to sit and hear an organ play was a unique experience; now such music is readily available on my satellite radio or Ipod and therefore less often perceived as “special”

At Jubilee, with respect to all of those who share their gifts, often without proper appreciation of the community, we seem to get where we need to go, without following the old established traditions.

I would suggest to you that rather than performance we see Worship as a transformative event.  So, the church crier enters in the market place and calls the people to worship…. It makes perfect sense that people would still be speaking when Lee-Ann begins the Call to Worship, because it is a CALL… to WORSHIP.  It’s not Worship… it’s the call.  Worship has not yet begun.  

We call people…  we shake hands and great one another and then, a hush falls over the congregation as we retake our seats (kind of the desired effect of a musical prelude).  Next,  we share the announcements – the comings and goings of our community, settling business and matters with our brothers and sisters, as Paul recommended and prepare ourselves for worship.  Finally, we light the Christ Candle and share a Prayer of Approach….

In a very real sense, the hand shaking, ensuing hush and announcements are our “Prelude”; our transition from the outside to the inner world.  So, I don’t think that we are lacking in any way.

Having said that, I am happy to hear Art play anytime and anywhere… in complete reverential silence or in the midst of joyful welcoming conversation…. So I don’t want to change a thing. 

But that’s just me…  What about you?