Trinity Sunday (Pt. 1)

My late mentor, Dr. Walter Bouman, told me that he used to dread preaching on Holy Trinity Sunday until he realized that the Trinity is simply the story of God. When we say "Father, Son, Holy Spirit" we are calling out the personal name of the God revealed in Israel's messiah, Jesus.

Theologians familiar with the work of Robert W. Jenson will resonate with that notion. Fans of biblical scholar N.T. Wright will recognize this understanding of the Trinity as the narrative of Israel's God. Based on their work, I wrote a constructive doctrine of the Trinity, which I've wrote about on this blog previously. Here's the run down for a quick reminder as you prep for Holy Trinity Sunday.

Forget about words like 'persons', 'substance', and 'nature'. Try talking about God like that and watch people's eyes glaze over. I've had several theological, philosophical, and historical courses at the graduate level on the subject and I still don't get it. Instead, tell people the story of God working through God's people to become all in all. Simply put, "God" is "the kingdom of God."

Living in the world can feel like exile. I don't mean that we don't belong here, like we're destined for life on another planet called heaven. I simply mean that this life is not yet as God ultimately intends it to be -- as evident through wars, disease, cubicles, abortions, the Patriot Act, Barry Bonds on the verge of breaking Hank Aaron's record, etc.

But God has news for us: the exile is over!

Wright says that Israel would know its exile is over when three events happen. One is that God's glorious presence called 'shekinah' returns to the properly built Temple. Jesus' disciples came to see shekinah in Jesus. [Insert here your own personal story of how Jesus is the properly built Temple of God's glorious presene and how he draws us into himself to be the Temple for God's glorious presence in the world.]

Another event is the beginning of the age of shalom, the time of never-ending righteousness, peace, and harmony. Death, distruction, and discord are overcome in Jesus' resurrection. The power of life and resurrection is Holy Spirit. Jesus gives Holy Spirit to his followers in his messianic mission so that the age of shalom, while not completely here now, already breaks into the world from the true Temple. [Insert here your own personal story of how Holy Spirit is transforming the world into God's righteous order of shalom.]

Finally, when shekinah returns to the proper Temple and shalom begins, we can be confident that Israel's God reigns in person, to be enthroned in Zion. For people in exile, praying the shema ("Hear, O Israel, your God is one . . .") indicates that Israel's God rules the world even when everything would seem to indicate otherwise. Jesus calls Israel's one God who reigns through him "Father." After Jesus comes in glory and brings to fulfillment the age of shalom, he will hand the kingdom over to his Father, to be king on the throne in Zion. [Insert here your own personal story of anticipating in hope the coming enthronement of our king.]

Jesus reveals that the three kingdom-inaugurating events are all unique characters in the story, and these three character-events together are the one kingdom of God. The exile is over, but we have not yet come to Zion for the enthronement of the Father in person. In the mean time, we follow Jesus as the leader of the exodus into God's promise.

The God whom Christians serve and worship is the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Together, they are the kingdom of God in which we are called to live and be. Nothing can be more important than knowing the identity of the God you worship. Come back tomorrow for part 2, when I will talk about why the Trinity makes a world of difference compared to other notions of monotheism.