The Holy Trinity

Isaiah 6:1-8    Rev. 4:1-11    John 16:5-15

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the one Sunday in the year when rather than concentrating on what God does, we take a look at Who God Is.  In our first lesson, Isaiah has gone to a great deal of trouble to give us an idea of what God the Father is like, but for those of us accustomed to modern day special effects, the overall shocking scene may not have quite the impact it would have had centuries ago.  To really appreciate what the prophet is saying, we must set aside our modern sensibilities, and with respect and awe take in the reality of what Isaiah is telling us.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

This is marvelous, and for the ancient listener, this would be a breathtaking, awe-inspiring description.  But since we are centuries beyond the time when these words were spoken, what are we modern listeners meant to think and feel?  How should we respond?  It is almost impossible for us to know, but fortunately, the terrified prophet knew exactly what to do.

And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

It all sounds a bit archaic until we remember, we too are sinners, small, and miserable.  Thus, we begin Trinity Sunday with a reminder that though we are called, chosen by God, on our own, without Jesus, we are not clean, and we are not worthy.

Then comes a lesson from the Revelation of St. John the Divine which we did not hear, because, though it is appointed for today, at Mystic Side we use only two of the three appointed lessons.  In his Revelation, St. John the Divine, like Isaiah, takes a stab at putting into words the experience of standing before the throne of God.  I ask you to take a moment, listen, and use your imaginations.

There in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Have you ever been caught outside during an electrical storm, or stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon?  Dig down into your own lives and personal experiences and find, if you can, a moment when you were faced with a power and majesty so great you felt both terror and amazement that reached into your bones.  Then, hold that thought and realize it is as nothing compared to the experiences, the visions that Isaiah and St. John the Divine share with us today.  We are meant today to recognize and stand in awe of the unspeakable majesty and the unthinkable power of God.

Jesus said, "Now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.

All of a sudden, we move from the blindingly magnificent glimpse of God in His heaven, to a dinner scene with a bunch of scruffy guys and their Leader.  From seraphim and many eyed beasts, flaming torches and crystal lakes, we enter a small upper room furnished with rough hewn wooden furniture and lit by oil lamps.  The food smells, the lamps smell, and probably the men and the women who serve them also smell.  It is the feast of the Passover, Jesus’ last meal with His friends, and He is telling them something very important, something they don’t understand.

One minute we’re straining to grasp the other worldly visions of prophets and saints, and the next, we’re sitting in a stuffy room with a bunch of men, having supper.  The second image is so much easier to imagine, and that’s the point!  God knew that his beloved children lacked the ability to even begin to conceive of Him in His majesty, and were too terrified of Him to love Him.  So God came down.

In today’s Gospel we meet up with the second Person of the Trinity, with Jesus, as He is about to return to the First Person of the Trinity, to the Father.  He sits with His followers and tries to explain to them about leaving and Love. 

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

As he sits at table with His friends, Jesus is well aware that their own will isn’t going to be enough to carry them through the days ahead.  Facing his betrayal, He knows it’s going to take more than inner conviction to support and guide them as they face the terror of his arrest and execution.  He knows they love Him, but their love alone isn’t enough to sustain their faith. 

Jesus knows that we too love Him, and that we also lack the strength to do all he has commanded us to do, and to always remain faithful to Him.  He was right about His followers.  After His arrest they denied Him, and scattered, terrified of being found and arrested.  He’s right about us too.  So, to strengthen our love and to secure our faith, to support us and guide us, enter the third Person of the Trinity, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. 

What is the Holy Spirit?  It is Love that adheres to our souls and burns away our imperfections.  It is the Love that unites us to Jesus, to the Father, and to each other.  It is the Power that makes possible the living Body of Christ, the Church.  It is what gives us the strength to remain faithful and to be the ones who carry on Jesus’ work, the work of radiating God’s Love throughout the world. 

In today’s Gospel we see Jesus at the feast of the Passover.  On the first Sunday of the month, whoever possible, we celebrate our Passover feast, the feast of Holy Communion. We will join Isaiah in lamenting, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a person of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”  We do this at the confession, and though we are spared a burning coal pressed to our lips, after the confession we are absolved of our sins.

Then we join the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven as we sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might.”   Finally, after the blessing of the bread and wine, we receive communion, the Real Presence of Jesus among us today. 

This is Trinity Sunday, when we venerate and give thanks for and to the Holy Trinity - the God of thunder and lightning, the God of sandals and dusty roads and long wearying days, the God of fire and of love.

Let us pray:

Father, you sent your Son to bring us truth and your Spirit to make us holy. Through them we come to know the mystery of your life. Help us to worship you, one God in three Persons, by proclaiming and living our faith in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.