Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
Knowing that you belong changes everything. When faced with crushing self-doubt, insurmountable odds from outside enemies, and the brokenness of all that surrounds you… knowing you are loved, accepted, and empowered by the Triune God changes everything. You can face anything. You have confidence, you have hope, you have faith.
The prophet Isaiah had a terrifying encounter with the unfathomable holiness of God. In a great vision, he found himself standing in the Temple of God surrounded by Seraphs. These are heavenly creatures that are strange and frankly, unsettling. We don’t have a very clear idea of what exactly these things are, but they have 3 sets of wings and their name literally means “fiery beings.” We see this same word used to describe the poisonous snakes that had attacked God’s people in the desert on the way out of Egypt. So maybe they are fire angels? Fire serpents? Whatever they are, they sound scary and at least slightly monstrous. Their voices were echoing through the Temple as they proclaimed God’s praise. The ground started shaking violently and smoke began to fill the holy space Isaiah was standing in. Isaiah looked around and caught a glimpse of almighty God… sort of. Just the hem of God’s robe filled the entire Temple. This is as if to say “The houses you build for God, the ideas you have about God, they reflect only the tiniest fraction of God’s majesty and might. God is so much greater than we can possibly comprehend.” Isaiah’s response to this powerful, otherworldly, divine display of God’s might was to cower in fear. He begged God to leave him alone. “I’m not worthy. I’m too sinful and broken to be in such a wonderful, awesome presence.”
Today, churches around the world celebrate the festival we call Trinity Sunday. We describe God as three distinct persons, yet one single being. It literally doesn’t add up right. One plus one plus one does not equal one. And yet this is the best we could do with our words to somehow describe how the one God is creator, redeemer, and sanctifier of all that ever was, is, or shall be. This is the same Creator God who formed black holes that provide enough gravitational force to keep hundreds of billions of stars in orbit. This is the same Creator God who knows the number of hairs on your head. This is the Redeemer God who is not only utterly powerful, holy, and transcendent, but the one who is flesh and blood and deeply knows the struggles of the human condition. This is the Redeemer God who died and rose again to set all people free from sin and death. This is the Sanctifier Holy Spirit God who inspires kindness, mercy, and love throughout the world. This is the Sanctifier Holy Spirit God who miraculously grants hope and faith in the most hopeless places.
Isaiah went from feeling completely helpless to make any change in a broken world to feeling completely awestruck and unworthy to be standing in the presence of our unfathomably powerful and holy God. You just might identify with Isaiah. Like Isaiah, we face a world that is plagued by war and threats of war, political and religious corruption, and unyielding exploitation and suffering of the poor. Like Isaiah, we face a God who is utterly and overwhelmingly powerful and holy who desires to right all the wrongs of this world. Like Isaiah, we’re somewhere stuck in between these two overwhelming forces. Isaiah’s response may be our response… “No thank you. Find someone else please. You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not worthy to be part of this great salvation solution.”
But God comes to Isaiah and us. One of those fiery Seraphs touched Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal and proclaimed that he is worthy, he is made whole, he is forgiven. And just like that, Isaiah’s tune completely changes. He goes from “I’m not worthy!” to “Here I am! Send me!” Acceptance makes a huge difference.
The Triune God assures us that yes, we are worthy because God makes us worthy. We are worthy of dignity, mercy, love, and everlasting life because God has made us worthy. That assurance of God’s acceptance changes everything.
The apostle Paul encouraged the Roman church declaring to them that we Christians have not received a spirit of slavery from the Holy Spirit, but we have received a spirit of adoption. We are part of God’s family, not merely servants to God. We do not follow God, work on behalf of God, and dwell with God because we simply have to and we are afraid of God punishing us if we don’t. We have been adopted into God’s family. We are full-fledged members of God’s family. We are members of this family because God wants us to be. We can rest easy and let go of our fears of an uncertain future knowing that we are in the right place with the right God.
Paul illustrates this grace-filled acceptance and adoption with a powerful image. He writes, “When we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” Abba is a word in the same vein as “Mama” or “Dada” in English. It’s the first word a baby uses to call out to their parent. Imagine a little ten month old baby crying out “Mama!” or “Dada!” in the night. Maybe the child needs a diaper change or got scared by a loud noise… whatever it is they don’t feel safe and they need help. There is a powerful declaration of pure trust or faith in that simple cry of “Mama” or “Dada.” The child knows that their parent will hear their cry, will not fail to appear, and will care for the child. With this promised Spirit of adoption, we too cry out to our “Abba” God in faith knowing that we are loved, cared for, and will be answered.
We also encounter the incredible, holy, awe-inspiring presence of God in the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. It should be enough to terrify us. Our receiving of the Sacraments is equal to the harrowing vision of Isaiah. Earth shaking, smoke filling, otherworldly divine messengers singing, God’s booming voice… and yet, we are welcomed, loved, accepted, and empowered. In these waters, we are made dead to sin and alive in Christ. In these waters, our sins are drowned daily and we rise to new life every day. In Holy Communion we dine of the very flesh and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We join the heavenly feast that unites the faithful of every generation regardless of age, nationality, language… or even what side of the resurrection you are on- this meal unites all- including those who have died but are alive in Christ.
When you feel that splash of water or when you hold that bread in your hand, you are touching the triune Creator of the universe, the Redeemer of the world, and the Sanctifier of all people. You may feel unworthy to receive such a gift of mercy, forgiveness, hope, and life, but God has made you worthy. The Triune God has made you worthy of this incredible salvation gift, not through hot coals delivered by divine fire-angels, but through the simple invitations- “Come to the water!” and “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” Knowing that we are worthy and welcomed in the Triune God’s divine love, we cry out with faithful confidence in need and joy, “Abba!”
Consecrated Chicken Soup 