The Trinity: Toward the World with Love (Jamie Haith)

The Trinity and the power of threes.

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Transcript

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Our reading today is Matthew 28, reading from verse 16. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. Lord Jesus, thank you for these beautiful words. Thank you for this wonderful moment in history. Thank you that we get to unpack this now and to think about what you are saying here. On this Trinity Sunday, Lord, help us to understand. Help us to understand who you are and help us to understand your love that we may love in your name. Amen. So many things, great things, come in threes. There's threes in literature, the three musketeers, three men in a boat, the three-body problem. Three in music groups, there's the Bee Gees, Crosby Stills and Nash, Z Z Top. Threes in songs, Eddie Cochrane's Three Steps to Heaven, The Commodore's Three Times a Lady, and don't forget Bob Marley's Three Little Birds telling us don't worry about a thing. Three in food, there's three beans soup, there's the BLT, and of course there's the ducken. If you don't know what that is, it's a turkey roasted with a duck inside and a chicken inside the duck. It does exist. I can't believe it, but it does. There's threes in film and TV. Where would we be without such classics as three men and a baby? Three amigos, and of course, Star Trek's Captain Kirk, who, as we all know, has three ears. His right ear, his left ear, and his final frontier. Sorry, I couldn't resist. So many things were designed to work best in threes, in triple unity, so much so that there is lots of talk in different contexts about the quote rule of three. Apparently, the rule of three works because human brains naturally process patterns of three as more complete, more satisfying, more memorable. Principle powers everything from persuasive writing to science and daily routines. For example, communication, public speaking. A triple in a speech is formerly called, I found this out, I didn't know this before, a tricolon. Three parallel words, phrases, or clauses placed in a row to create a sense of rhythm, a sense of completeness. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt's be sincere, be brief, be seated. More specifically, I found this out as well, a hendiatris is a specific type of tricolon where three successive words are used to express a single central idea. For example, Venividi Vici or Friends Romans Countrymen. Just yesterday I found a tricolon. I did. I bought some gifts back from I went on a little trip to, I was in France and I went to some of the battlefields to the Somme. And uh one of the things I got for the kids was one of these. This is a reproduction of the World War I John's Gospel given to the troops. It says on the front, active service 1914 to 18, please carry this in your pocket and read it every day. Isn't that great that that was given out to the men? On the inside front cover, Field Marshal Lord Roberts wrote a personal message that was printed in millions of these little booklets, these little New Testaments, these little gospels to the British soldiers. And this is what it says. I've actually written it down here because you can't really read it off there. It says, I ask you to put your trust in God. He will watch over you and strengthen you. You will find in this little book guidance when you're in health, comfort when you're in sickness, and strength when you're in adversity. Isn't that beautiful? Threes are everywhere. There's safety and survival, isn't there? Crucial drills that use tripartite steps to be memorable when crossing the road. Stop, look, listen. When you see a suspicious-looking bag on the tube, see it, say it, sorted. Even when you find yourself on fire, stop, drop, and roll. Business and marketing, many famous slogans use three words to pack a punch, just do it, Nike. I'm loving it, McDonald's. Finger licking good. Anyone know what that one is? KFC. Which itself is three. Then there's humor. The best jokes follow a pattern. There's the setup, the build-up, and the punchline. The rule of three is a foundational comedy formula based on construct, confirm, and confound. It works by using a list, a sequence of three things. The first to establish a predictable pattern, and the third breaks that pattern to deliver the punchline. I was gonna tell a joke now, but we haven't got time unless you really want one. No, I'll do it another time. Human experience. What about human experience? We naturally divide our lives into past, present, and future. We divide our lives into mind, body, and spirit. And of course, the great statement from the philosopher TK Max. Live, love, love. Then there's science and maths. Let me read you this: the universe is mapped in three dimensions, and matter fundamentally builds upon three quarks. Quarks are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Groups of exactly three quarks, known as baryons, make up the protons and neutrons at the core of every atom in the universe. I don't know about you, but I find that last triple unity out of all of them especially compelling because what we're talking about here is the very fabric of the universe. That's how it's constructed. So the question is: what if the nature of that design points to the nature of the designer? Taking it all together, it feels like there are clues everywhere. Clues that Jesus makes clear in this command to the disciples, this final command in Matthew 28. He introduces us to the greatest, the ultimate, triple unity in the universe, the trinity of all trinities, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not three separate gods, one God in three persons. And this standout, this standalone trinity, this holy trinity is not just a theological puzzle. It's more than a theoretical exercise for academics and scholars. What I want us to look at today, just briefly on this designated day, this Trinity Sunday, is how the Holy Spirit is not just a theory, it's not just a theological exercise. It's deeply practical. Or to put it another way, the Holy Trinity is not just for something for us to think about on a Sunday. It changes how we live our lives on a Monday morning. Jesus says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I find it fascinating that we get to read here in the name, singular, in our text today, doesn't say in the names of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because the understanding here is there is one God, perfect unity, but three persons. And we'll unpack a little bit more what how that can be. And then Jesus says this I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The Holy Trinity shows up in this passage all over the place, this moment of church commissioning. The Father authorizes the mission, the Son then actually gives the command, and the Holy Spirit is the one who empowers the church, as we saw last week with Pentecost. This is all about empowerment, this is all about movement, it's all about flow and the impact of love. The Holy Trinity is not sitting in heaven having theological meetings about itself. The Trinity is moving towards the world with love. So, in the time we have left, let's look together at five, just five aspects of the life and love of the Trinity that can help us in our own everyday lives. The first is this the Trinity means that God is relational. The Trinity means that God is relational. Before creation existed, God already had relationship. The Father loved the Son, the Son honored the Father, the Spirit moved in perfect unity with them. That means God did not create us because he was lonely. God has always existed in perfect love, and that changes everything. Some people think, I don't know where they get this idea, that God is angry first and loving second. But the Bible shows us love is not something that God occasionally does. Love is who God is. The Father sends, the Son saves, the Spirit comforts. The Holy Trinity teaches us that relationship is the core, is the starting point, is the center of all reality. And so surely the conclusion, the practical application for you and me from this is if I am made in the image of a relational God, then I have to be in relationship. We have to accept that isolation is very dangerous for us. You were not designed to do life alone. Lone Ranger Christianity does not work. Secret struggles grow in darkness, but faith grows and flourishes in community. I'm meeting more and more people that say, and these are friends from the from years ago that say I don't really do church anymore. And I always say to them, I hear what you're saying, and you don't need to to have the Christian faith. But there is something we talked about this here recently about the we of faith, not just the me of faith. There's something very special that happens when we gather together. We actually need each other, we need each other's faith to energize ourselves. That's why church matters, not just attending church, but being known when we come. Serving, laughing, praying, carrying one another, being willing to be there for one another. As we've looked at before, share, care, prayer. Really the core of what church community is. And the Trinity reminds us healthy spirituality means a moving towards the other, not away, not retracting. The Trinity means God is relational. Secondly, the Trinity means we all have different roles, but one mission. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, different persons, different functions, one purpose. And the church is supposed to reflect that diversity in unity and unity in diversity. And so many jobs to do in a place like this. Each is different but with the same goal. It's nearly World Cup time. Are you excited? Are you excited, Linda? Linda is over the moon excited. I've never seen her look so excited. Do you think England can win? Oh, come on. What is with us? Now imagine if the England football team turned up in Mexico or America and they went out there and all the 11 players on the pitch all wanted to be Jordan Pickford on the goal line. They suddenly got it in their head that they all wanted to be goalie. It would be the weirdest thing in the world. They're all pushing and shoving and standing on the goal line. What a mess. Every match would be lost. Let's pray they don't suddenly have that idea. Similarly, in church, we are here to complete, not compete. We are here to understand what is my the practical question here for what we see in the Holy, the Holy the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, they're doing very different things, but all with the same purpose. What about us as we dream of building this church over the next few years? Actually, you know, with the physical building being built around us, but also as a place of faith. What role has God given you? What position on the pitch, if you like, specific to you, that is necessary to the whole? Finding your gift, finding your thing, finding what is yours to do. If you haven't found it yet, then find it. Enjoy doing it. The Trinity shows us that unity is a great gift, but it doesn't require sameness. I once heard this great phrase: none of us has got it all together, but together we've got it. None of us has got it all together, but together we've got it. We need one another. The Trinity means we have different roles, but one mission, the Trinity means God is relational. Thirdly, the Trinity means we are never alone. Jesus ends with, I am with you always. This is powerful because the disciples, lest we forget, were very ordinary people. One disciple denied Christ. One disciple doubted Christ. And he wasn't alone. Verse 17 makes it clear for all time. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. That's written down in the gospel, so it was a big deal. Some doubted after all that they've seen, after all they've experienced. I don't know about you, but that gives me so much hope. God does not wait for perfect people or people to become perfect before he can use them, before he wants to use them. The Father goes before you, the Holy Spirit lives within you, the Son walks beside you, you're not abandoned. You say, I can't do this. Yes, you can. Because of the hope that that puts in your hearts that we will never be alone. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed today. Parenting can be a real strain. Work can be stressful. Faith can feel shaky. But the Trinity reminds us heaven is involved in your life. Isn't that wonderful? The Father cares for you. The Son intercedes for you. The Spirit strengthens you. You are not carrying life alone. You are doing life with the Holy Trinity. The Trinity means we never go alone. The Trinity means we all have different roles but one mission. And the Trinity means God is relational. What about this? Fourthly, the Trinity means the gospel is for everyone. Jesus says, make disciples of all nations. All nations. The Holy Trinity, the concept of the Trinity, the reality of the Trinity destroys spiritual elitism. The gospel is not just for one race. The gospel is not just for one class. The gospel is not just for one generation. The Father loves the world. The Son died for the world. The Spirit is drawing people from every nation. And so church can and should be one of the few places where completely different people can become family. That's one of when people ask me about this church, that's what I say. Oh, you want to see it. It's all ages, all backgrounds, all cultures. It's fantastic. It's a glimpse of heaven. And that's something to be adored and pursued. Old and young, rich and poor, different cultures, all united, drawn into the this flow of the interrelationship of the of the Trinity. I love Jesus so much. Only Jesus could build a movement where fishermen and taxmen, zealots and doubters, warflowers and loudmouths all belong at the same table. That's not human achievement. That's not that's more than leadership 101 from Jesus. That's divine power that does that. And that's been the history of the church for 2,000 years across the globe. The interrelational power of the Holy Trinity at work. The Trinity means the gospel is for everyone. The Trinity means we never go alone. The Trinity means we all have different roles but one mission. The Trinity means God is relational. Fifthly and finally, the Trinity is not just to be explained, the Trinity is to be experienced. Let's be honest, nobody really understands fully this concept. Every preacher who says, I uh I completely understand the Trinity, I don't know why it sounds like Mick Jagger, but it's just one sentence away. They're just one sentence away from accidental and ancient heresy. Because it's, I mean, it's almost impossible to understand, isn't it? You've heard the illustrations before. There's the comparing the Holy Trinity to water in three forms ice, liquid, steam. That falls into the heresy of modalism, the idea that God just changes forms between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because water cannot be all three of those things at once. Then there's the comparing of the Holy Spirit to a three-leaf clover. Three identical leaf parts but one plant. Problem with that is that falls into what's known as partialism, the idea that each person of the Trinity is only one-third of God. It's all very tricky. So I'll say at this point that the fullest and safest illustration I've ever heard is actually that of comparing the Holy Trinity to a three-note musical chord. And at this point, I need Peter on the piano. A three-note musical chord, each individual note is fully present, each individual note is fully active, each individual note is fully audible, and creates a singular reality without losing its individual identity when they're played together. So, Peter, we're gonna I'm gonna ask you for a major triad of your choice, and um, could we have a note for the father, please? You got that? That's God the Father. Can we have one for God the Son? Thank you very much. And finally, God the Holy Spirit. Can you do that again? One, two, three. God the Father. You got that? Now let's hear all three of them together, the Holy Trinity. Can you play the three together? You can still hear each one, can't you? Can you play it again? Round of applause for Peter. The best I've ever heard you. Let me read you this. I I I love this. I'm not sure I understand it because I can't read music myself, but I love it. It says, in theology, pericoresis describes the mutual indwelling of the Trinity, where each person completely permeates the others. In a three-chord note chord, the sound waves physically occupy the same air. You cannot physically cut a playing chord in half with a knife to separate the C from the G, as it were. They are entirely interwoven, yet each remains completely itself. Nice. But having said that, there comes a point when we have to simply step back and simply kneel and simply accept that there's mystery here. We're never gonna fully explain it. So as we celebrate at the heart of the Eucharist, magnum mysterium fide. Great is the mystery of faith. We can find a peace in that mystery. It's okay for it to remain a mystery. That's how it should be, because God is bigger than me. I worship him because he is so much greater. Christianity is not about explaining God perfectly, it's about knowing him personally. And you and I can experience the Holy Trinity: the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity, the Holy Trinity, this is not cold theology, it's a living relationship. In conclusion, the Holy Trinity teaches us that we were made for a relationship. We each have a role in God's mission. We never walk alone. The gospel is for everyone. And God is meant to be experienced, not merely analyzed. And Jesus ends with that promise. I am with you always. Not sometimes, not when you're feeling strong, not when you wake up that morning and go, Yes, I am a Christian. It's not like that. Because none of us are like that always. But God is promising us today, I am with you always. So step into this world with confidence. Because the Father loves you. And the Son saves you. The Spirit empowers you. The Holy Trinity is moving towards the world with love. Let's pray. Thank you for your goodness, Holy Trinity. Thank you for your beauty. Thank you for your love within yourself for one another and for each of us today. Help us to hold the mystery, enjoy it. And most of all to enjoy your love. Lord, this week I pray that each one of us would get a chance to love in your name. I pray that we'd have the opportunity to affect someone's life with your love. And so, Lord, I pray that you would soften us even as we come to pray now in our intercessions, even as we come to the communion table. Lord, I pray, Holy Spirit, would you invest yourself in us and give us the heart of the Trinity for the world? That we may love as you love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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