The Mystery of the Trinity

John 16:12-15     “I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now.   But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come.    The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me, because he will take what I have to say and tell it to you.    All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what I have to say and tell it to you.  

Context:  The word “trinity” is not used in the bible but there are places where we can discern the existence of three “persons” in the life of God.  Especially in the book of John we find lovely images of the unity within the trinity:  One in three and three in One.   Today’s reading is one of those passages … We read about communication between the Father and the Spirit and Jesus in an intimate and relational way of being.

The doctrine (or the teaching) of the Trinity is not an easy one to understand because it is mystery.  This means it is beyond our comprehension … How can God be Three in One and One in Three?  Do we worship one God or three Gods?   Believing the Trinity means we believe that God is one in essence (Greek ousia), but distinct in person (Greek hypostasis).   Yet “person” does not mean person as we think of a human person.  The Greek word hypostasis simply means “individual reality.” 

Going Deeper:   Take a moment to read John 17:20-26 which is our reading from 2 weeks ago on perfect unity.   Jesus the Redeemer and God the Creator are One … and we can infer that Spirit the Sustainer is One with them both.   There is an interpenetration and interrelatedness that is beyond us.   And we are not alone.  Jesus begins this passage by saying “I have many more things to say to you, but they are too much for you now.”   How can we know this God veiled in such mystery?   Jesus promises again and again that he will send the Spirit who will teach us all things about God.  

We are like the disciples, fully human and sinners alike, every one of us.   And we cannot bear all we need to know all at once.    The disciples were not ready and we are not ready.  When we are ready, the Spirit leads us and teaches us what we can bear when we can bear it.  O how I long to know more and more and more … yet I wait patiently until I am ready to hear and trust and obey ... for it is obedience with which we can judge our maturity.  Jesus said “Love others as I have loved you.”   When Jesus talks about love he is talking about agape love … the love that commands us to commit ourselves to reach out to others and to love them as we are loved.  How full of love are you for others?  

Jesus calls the Spirit many names:  Advocate, Counselor, and Helper.  In this passage, Jesus says the Spirit of Truth will come.  What is truth?   In this context it means “reality.”   The reality of the Trinity is not one that we will ever understand with our rational minds or our emotional hearts.   The Trinity and the love inherent within the relationship between God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer can only be understood with the soul … and by this I mean the “center of one’s being.”    So … how is it with your soul?

Pondering:  Leo Tolstoy wrote a story in 1886 called Three Hermits which undoubtedly was told and re-told, passed on and on, changed here and there ... remember the game of "gossip?   Anthony de Mello tells a shorter version of this story with some differing details in The Song of the Bird.

A bishop's ship had anchored at a remote island.  Since he only had one day there, the bishop was determined to use the time profitably.  He strolled along the seashore and came across three fishermen, mending their nets.  In broken English, they explained to him that their village had been converted to Christianity by missionaries centuries before.  “We Christians!” they proudly proclaimed.  The bishop was impressed.  But, in talking some more, he discovered that they had never even heard of the Lord’s Prayer.  The bishop was shocked.  “What, then, do you SAY when you pray?”

 “We lift eyes to heaven and say, ‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us.”

The bishop was appalled.  This would never do.  In fact, it sounded almost…heretical.  So the bishop spent the whole day teaching them the Lord’s Prayer.  And, even though the fishermen were slow learners, they were finally able to struggle through it before the bishop sailed away the next day.

Months later, the bishop’s ship happened to pass by that same island.  The bishop paced the deck, recalling with pleasure the three men who were now able to pray, thanks to his patient efforts.  But while he was lost in his thoughts, he happened to look up, noticing a spot of light to the east.  The light kept approaching the ship and, as the bishop gazed in wonder, he saw three figures walking on the water.  The captain, too, was amazed and he stopped the boat so everyone could see.  When they got within speaking distance, the bishop recognized the three fishermen.

“Bishop!” they exclaimed.  “We see your boat go by the island, so we come to see you.”   “What do you want?” asked the awestruck bishop.  “Bishop,” they said.  “We are very sorry.  We forget lovely prayer.  We say, ‘Our Father, in heaven, holy be your name….’ Then we forget.  Please tell us prayer again.”

With a quiet voice, the bishop answered, “Go back to your homes, my friends.  And each time you pray, say,

‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us.”

As you ponder this story ... 

         how does it illuminate your understanding of the Trinity?

         do you think in terms of "Three in One" or "One in Three?  

         what is your reasoning?  does it make a difference?

         why do you think the bishop thought the prayer was heretical? 

         why do you think the bishop spoke quietly?      

         what does this story say to you about prayer?

         does this story invite you to deeper prayer?

         

See my imamosaic blog post for further reflections on this story and the Trinity ...

Prayer:  Praying with the Icon of the Holy Trinity … The icon of the Trinity was painted around 1410 by Andrei Rublev.  It depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre but is often interpreted as an icon of the Trinity.  The image is full of symbolism - designed to take the viewer into the Mystery of the Trinity.

• Prepare your icon by arranging you screen so that you can see it well.  
• You might desire to click on the icon to see a larger version of it
• An icon should be illuminated when you pray with it ... I use one small candle to light up the face of the icon.  In this photo I illuminate it for you
• Sit comfortably in the silence before the icon so that you are able to gaze into it.   
• Over time the icon begins to examine you as you examine it ... 
• As you come to "know" the icon you will find companionship with the Trinity
  

See my website for more information on praying with icons ...

O God, I praise you: 

Mighty Creator, Christ our Redeemer, Spirit our Sustainer.   

You reveal yourself in the depths of our being, 

drawing us to share in your life and your love.  

One God, three Persons, 

be near to all people formed in your image, 

close to the world your love brings to life.   

We ask you this, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, 

one God, true and living, forever and ever.  Amen.

Pentecost: Filled with the Holy Spirit

John 14:8-17, 25-27        Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”   Jesus answered, “I have been with you a long time now. Do you still not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?   Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you don’t come from me, but the Father lives in me and does his own work.   Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or believe because of the miracles I have done.   I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.   And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.   If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.    “If you love me, you will obey my commands.   I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you.   “I have told you all these things while I am with you.   But the Helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.   “I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

 Icon:  Descent of the Holy Spirit

12th century Byzantine Artwork, public domain     

http://www.arthermitage.org/Pair-to-the-Icon-Descent-into-Limbo/Icon-Descent-of-the-Holy-Spirit.html

Context:   In Luke 24:49, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to the disciples but they have to be patient and wait:  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”    This promise is fulfilled in Acts 2:1-12.    Pentecost is the day we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the gathered faithful.  

This week’s gospel passage is located early in the farewell discourse during which Jesus consistently talks about his relationship with God as “one” or “union” with God.  See last week's post for more info on union with God.  He also repeatedly talks about his future, “I am going to the Father.”  The disciples are anxiously wondering about their own future and what they will do when their dear teacher “leaves” them, so Jesus begins to teach them about Spirit.   Spirit is parakletos {par-ak'-lay-tos} which means one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate or one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor or one who comes alongside.   Various bible versions translate this word for Spirit as Helper, Comforter, Counselor, and Advocate.  The Message translates paraclete as Friend.

Jesus also refers to the Spirit pneuma {pnyoo'-mah} (movement of air) of Truth aletheia {al-ay'-thi-a} (candour of mind which is free from affection, pretence, simulation, falsehood, deceit) which furthers amplifies what we know about God and who is sent in the name of Jesus.    In this passage, we learn that the Spirit will 1) be sent to us by God 2) teach us everything 3) help us remember the teachings of Jesus.


Going Deeper:  Take a moment to read the fulfillment of the promise in Acts 2:1-12 with all of your senses as you allow it to play out in your mind.  Consider what you see, hear, smell, taste, and what you can touch and feel as you read … When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a noise like a strong, blowing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them.    There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world.  When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.  They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking from Galilee?  Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own languages? We are from different places:  Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome (both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!”  They were all amazed and confused, asking each other, “What does this mean?”

Pondering:  What do you notice from the scene that has unfolded in your mind?   What do you see in the house as the wind from heaven moves in?   What do the people look like in your visualization?   How would you describe the “something” that was like flames of fire?

Can you describe the sound of the Spirit filling the room?   What does it sound like when people begin to speak in different languages?  Is there a language that you can understand?  If not, how does that make you feel?  What is it like to hear so many different languages being spoken all around you?  Can you imagine how you would feel to be in such a culturally diverse community?  Have you ever experienced anything like Pentecost?

What about smells and tastes?   Can you describe what you can reach out and touch?  How do you feel as your senses are heightened?   Can you connect with the mixed emotions of amazement and confusion that the people were feeling as they asked, “What does this mean?”   So … what does Pentecost mean for your life?

Jesus says the Spirit will cause us to remember what Jesus has taught us … Think about an issue that you are thinking about, perhaps even struggling with.    Take a deep breath and breathe in the presence of the Spirit.  What wisdom does the Spirit bring into your remembrance?   Is there a favorite Scripture verse or quote that emerges in your mind to comfort, help, or counsel you?    Is there as story that emerges that you can share with others to strengthen them in their journey of faith?

Prayer:  Find a red candle or holder and light your candle to symbolize the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  Quiet your mind and sit in the silence for a few minutes as you consider the power of the Spirit transforming your life as you surrender to union with God.

When you are ready, use this prayer to the Holy Spirit, written by one of the early church fathers, to close your time of study:

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit
by St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit
that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit
that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit
that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit
to defend all that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit
that I always may be holy. Amen.          

Following Jesus: A Prayer for Perfect Unity

John 17:20-26    “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.  I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.  “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.  I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.  Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!  “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me.  I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Context: John 17 is a prayer. Jesus “lifts his eyes” or “looks up to heaven” and enters into an extended time of intercessory prayer. I invite you to consider our study passage this week as the “Amen” (so be it) to this prayer. When someone engages in Intercessory prayer, the needs of others are lifted up to God. At this point in his journey, Jesus knows the testing and turmoil that lay ahead for him and for his followers. He extends this prayer into our future as he prays for everyone “who will ever believe” in him. Jesus prays that we will experience union with God!

Jesus expresses this concept of union by saying he is (and we can be) heis {hice} which is translated one … with God. The simple word that Jesus uses to express this spiritual concept of union or being one with God or being “in” God or God being “in” us is en {en} which can also be translated “by” or “with.” It is a primary preposition which denotes a position in place, time or state in a relationship of rest or receptivity. It is a way of “being” and not “doing.” As we all rest together “in” God, we experience perfect unity according to our study version this week which is the (NLT) New Living Translation. The Greek word translated perfect is teleioo {tel-i-o'-o} which means to make perfect, to bring to completion, or to add what is yet wanting, so that someone or something is fulfilled. Think about the way different translations put it:

• (NRSV) New Revised Standard Version: become completely one,
• (KJV) King James Version: made perfect in one,
• (NAS) New American Standard: be perfected in unity,
• (NIV) New International Version: brought to complete unity,

This prayer for Christian perfection (in the words of John Wesley, founder of Methodism) or Union with God (in the words of the mystics) brings together several themes that have emerged during our Following Jesus study: we are sent to give and receive love to people as Jesus was sent by God to show God’s love to the people of the world, we live and learn in community with one another as Jesus lived and led in community, we are called to love others as Jesus loves us, Jesus is one with the Father and expects his followers to be united as one with God and with each other.

As we grow to in our capacity to give and receive love, we become complete in Christ. Together we and those people we love come to “know” God or ginosko {ghin-oce'-ko} which means to learn to know, to become known, to get knowledge of, to perceive or to feel, to understand, to become acquainted with … God in Christ!

Jesus’ prayer of intercession occurs at the end of the last night he spends freely engaging the disciples with his final thoughts throughout their dinner. He prays right before he is betrayed by Judas in the Mount of Olives, where he is arrested and tied up by Roman soldiers and Temple guards on his way to death on the cross and resurrection into new life. His prayer is a very appropriate response to the suffering ahead.

Going Deeper: Read the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-26 again. Have you ever thought what it means to you to “be in” God or to be in a community who is “one with” God? If you have never thought about your relationship with God in this way you might try a “stream of consciousness” way of journaling. Take a blank sheet of paper and write: I am one with God when I … now write without thinking about what you are writing just let the words flow onto the page …

In his sermons, Meister Eckhart (echoing Origen, early church father) says … “If anyone were to ask me: Why do we pray, why do we fast, why do we do all our works, why are we baptized, why (most important of all) did God become man? I would answer: in order that God may be born in the soul and the soul be born in God. For this reason all the scriptures were written, for that reason God created the world and all the angelic natures: so that God may be born in the soul and the soul be born in God.”

So … why do you pray? Do you fast? Why or why not? Why do you serve God and others? Were you baptized as a child or an adult? What does your baptism mean to you? What do you think Meister Eckhart and Origen mean when they talk about “God being born in the soul and the soul be born in God? How do you feel about this way of expressing union with God? Have you ever felt that your soul was born in the “womb” of God? What objections, if any, do you have toward this language? How important is language to you?

Pondering: We live in a brutal world where perfection is often the ultimate goal of all of our endeavors … make no mistakes! Our cultural understanding of perfection is not the scriptural understanding. Inherent in the Greek word telos is a sense of spiritual formation through growth, completion, and fulfillment of one’s person-hood. God is always working to love us and to express that love to us and for us, encouraging us to express that love to others as an expression of our love and gratitude to God. God waits patiently for us to accept the love that is ours so that we can move toward union with God!

In The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning, a book written by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham, they state, “spirituality begins with the acceptance that our fractured being, our imperfection, simply is … imperfection lies at the very core of our human be-ing.” How accepting are you of your imperfections? How do your imperfections keep you authentic? How accepting are you of others person’s imperfections? “The spirituality of imperfection begins with the recognition that trying to be perfect is the most tragic human mistake.” Perhaps when we stop trying to be “perfect” we stop trying to BE God and allow ourselves to be “in” God. And finally, “the holy place, where God is made known, is the place where human beings discover each other in love.” Have you ever found this holy place? What is it like to “know” God?

Prayer: Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. Centering Prayer is not just a time of outer silence; it is a time of silence within the self.

How to engage in Centering Prayer … begin with 10 minutes (or whatever you can manage) and increase your time until you can sit in companionable silence with God for 30 minutes or more.

1. Choose a sacred word that has spiritual meaning for you. It will serve as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
3. When distracted by your thoughts (body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections), return gently to your sacred word.
4. At the end of your prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Source:  Contemplative Outreach for more information on Centering Prayer

Following Jesus: Spirit will Teach you Everything

John 14:23-29    Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.   I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.   I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.   You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.   I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me.

Context:  This passage is a somewhat indirect reply to the question posed by Judas (not Judas Iscariot but the other disciple with that name) who asked in verse 22, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?"    Jesus has been preparing the disciples for his departure for awhile and they just don’t seem to get it (so what else is new … would you?)  In this last evening before Jesus begins the long journey to Golgotha and his crucifixion … Judas is struggling to understand what Jesus has said … something he has already said (John 14:19) yet something that continues to be strange and difficult to understand.  Jesus tells them again and again that he will leave (by physical death) but he will return (in resurrected form) …

There are 3 promises of “presence” Jesus makes to followers that he does not make to the “people of this world”

1.    First of all, who are the ones Jesus will show himself to?  He will show himself to those who love (agape {ag-ah'-pay} sacrificial and unconditional love) him and who embody that love by their obedience tereo {tay-reh'-o} which means to attend carefully, to take care of and to guard the teachings of Jesus.    Jesus believes our obedience is enhanced by our understanding of Jesus and his relationship to God the Father, who is the “sender” of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus promises us that Father and Son will come to live in those who are “obedient” in love.

2.    Next, trust in the Spirit pneuma {pnyoo'-mah} a movement or rush of air in the physical sense but also the spiritual movement of “the power by which the human being feels, thinks, and makes decisions.”    We come to know the Holy Spirit as the manifestation of the resurrected Jesus.   Jesus knows the Spirit as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, and Counselor.  God the Father sent pempo {pem'-po} Jesus and now Jesus promises that God the Father will send pempo {pem'-po} the Holy Spirit to teach, instruct, explain didasko {did-as'-ko} and to recall to the mind or bring a sense of remembrance hupomimnesko {hoop-om-im-nace'-ko} of all that Jesus has taught.   Although the Greek word pempo {pem'-po} is simply translated “sent” this word has a sense of transformation that is embodied through its use in this passage.

3.    Finally, Jesus gives extends the promise of peace eirene {i-ray'-nay} to us all which means to live in a state of national tranquility, to be exempt from the rage and havoc of war, to exist within a state of harmony between individuals, security, safety, prosperity, felicity, and to be receptive of the Messiah's peace … the way that leads to peace emerging from the salvation, or healing/wholeness found in Christ, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ.   Finally, Jesus gives them a sense of what they may feel when he leaves.  He tells the disciples not to be worried or afraid tarasso {tar-as'-so} which means agitation, troubled within, inward turmoil, disturbance, disquieted, restless, stirred up, fearful, filled with dread, anxious, and distressed.  Easier said than done!

Going Deeper:  Throughout the farewell discourse in the book of John, Jesus has made it clear that his followers love him by serving others.   Love for Jesus is not just an emotional feeling.  Love for Jesus is love that results in action.  Whether we know it or not, to live that kind of love in action, we will need the constant presence of God in our midst which is promised by Jesus in this passage.  Through the power of Spirit, we are enabled to do for others what we cannot do in our own power.  Halleluah!  Praise God!  

How can we surrender our feelings of abandonment when God seems to disappear in the hour of our greatest need?  We can take a deep breath and remember the Spirit who lives with us and in us and all around us.  The Spirit carries us, undergirds us and keeps us from crumbling in the face of trials and tribulations.

Remember this beautiful poem … One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.  In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.  This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”  -- True Author Unknown but claimed to have been written in slightly different versions under different titles by at least 4 different people:   Mary Stephenson, Margaret Fishback Powers, Carolyn Carty, and Burrell Webb

Pondering:  The disciples were facing a great testing of their faith. By all accounts they failed in their faith even though Jesus had promised God’s presence in the Spirit.  Have you ever faced deep trials and tribulations?  Have you ever felt abandoned by God in your greatest hour of need?  How did you make it through from one side of your suffering to the other?   How was your faith strengthened by your experience?

Jesus knows the Spirit as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, and Counselor.   How do you experience the Spirit in your life?    How would you describe the Spirit to someone who was seeking to know how God works in your life?   How could you help them to see the Spirit working in their life?

How do you understand the relationship of the Trinity?  Are you more comfortable with the more traditional Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or does the more contemporary Creator, Word, and Spirit resonate in your soul?  Why? 

Jesus seems to indicate that we express our love for God when we love others.  How do you express your love for God through your service to others?  When you think about issues of the world that affect others negatively where do you have your most passionate feelings?  

Jesus said, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give.”  Have you ever felt the kind of peace that Jesus gives?  How would you describe it?  How does the peace of Christ manifest itself in your life?  What would you recommend to someone seeking this peace?  When you say the words, “Peace be with you” what are the implications of that in your relationships with other people?   

Prayer:  Pray this Prayer to the Holy Spirit as a communal prayer … sensing the communion of saints surrounding you spiritually … Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.   O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.