Dodging Tomatoes and Embracing Mystery

Living the Trinity in Truth, Hope, and Wisdom

Homily for Trinity Sunday by Father Dave Bauer

Trinity Sunday is the one Sunday out of the year when I believe all people entering the church should have to go through screening devices for weapons such as eggs, tomatoes, rocks, and firebrands. The reason is simple. It is the Sunday when it is suggested our homilies should deal with the doctrine of the Trinity. It is also the Sunday when more heresy is preached in the church than any other time. Thus, I wish to spare myself from the teeming masses seeking to eradicate heresy.

The Trinity is mystery. After all of the formulations to which we assent, we find we still do not understand the Trinity. In spite of all of this, we can say we do know some things about the different ways God has shown himself to his creation. So while I won’t try to explain the Trinity, I will talk about the ways God has been with his people.

In the Old Testament, we have a God who is holy, high and lifted up, but desires to be with his people. He is the God who in Genesis chapter 3 came into the Garden in the cool of the evening to walk with the man and the woman. He is the God who spoke to Moses from a burning bush, whispered to Elijah on Mt. Sinai, and corralled a recalcitrant Jonah. He is the God who sought to live with his people.

In the New Testament we see another facet of God: Jesus as the shepherd who went out searching for lost sheep. A father’s heart that did not waste a second but was running down the road towards his prodigal son, calling for the servants to kill the fatted calf because there was going to be a party when he saw his rebellious son—who had taken an early inheritance and spent most of the money on fast cars, fast living, and faster women while wasting the rest of it—came to himself and started the long road home. Jesus’ ministry was to help us come to ourselves and be found.

Jesus told his followers he could not stay with them forever. He had to return to the Father. So he ascended to his Father. On that Sunday we celebrated last week, Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the people of the Way—the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells within us, guides into all truth, helps us hope, and teaches us wisdom.

So we come full circle in the 21st chapter of Revelation, where John sees the heavenly Jerusalem descending from heaven. At long last, God dwells among his people. What started in Genesis in the Garden ends in Revelation in the City. God dwells, lives, is with people.

So what does all that mean to us? It tells us a little about the Trinity. At a minimum, the doctrine of the Trinity tells us that eternal truth: God wants to be with his people. God wants to be with us. He has found a way. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us Immanuel—God is with us!

How then do we live if God lives with us? We first of all need to live as the wise but be as harmless as doves. Wisdom in the Old Testament is the ability to get along with both God and other people. It is not enough to get along with God, nor is it enough to get along with others. Wisdom is getting along with both God and other humans.

In our time of political turmoil, perhaps it would be good if each political party added a plank to their platforms that said, “We believe in getting along with others regardless of political persuasion.” What a change that could make in our political discussions!

We are also people who are to live in hope. In the short passage from Romans, the word “hope” is used three times. We are people who are to live in hope. We do not live in the overcast and dark lands where despair overwhelms, but in the land of hope where we believe tomorrow will be better than today.

We also live in the truth. The Holy Spirit guides us into truth. We have all heard it said that we create our own reality. That implies that reality and truth are situational and changeable. The thought is that we can judge truth and reality. However, truth and reality judge us, not the other way around. Our perceptions of truth and reality may be transient and changeable, but truth and reality are independent of our judgment of their veracity.

Living with God means we live in truth, hope, and wisdom.