From our Rector – “Eternal Generation”

“Much Ado About Nothing” – this might be my take (today!) on the Doctrine of the Trinity, one of the first major theological assertions of the Christian church during its multi-millennial existence.

I know – it is a core, essential, and foundational belief for us as Christians, even though Christ did not assert its irrevocable presence in the Gospels. Theologians have long argued that the Trinity existed implicitly in the Scriptures (and, therefore, forever) in how God, Christ, and Spirit have been identified and manifest throughout our salvation history. God so loved the world that God’s Incarnation entered into our world, and Christ so loved God and Creation that the promised Spirit, God and Christ’s presence, would be with that Creation always.

Simple, right? The insistence that God’s power, God’s presence, God’s support have been, are, and always will be (note the common assertion of God’s person in all three). Somehow we, Trinitarians, get very excited and very anxious when this doctrine is challenged or distorted. My son, Seamus, when he was still in elementary school, said, “Dad, it’s like God has three faces, and it depends on which face you’re looking at that you know if it is God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.” I smiled, and later shared that with another priest friend, who quickly asserted, “HERESY!!!”

We become very defensive of our doctrines and traditions when they ask us to reflect on what we believe or don’t believe. I have always loved my atheist and humanist friends who shake their head at my faith. Often, they cannot believe some of the most outlandish assertions of our Christian monotheism. In fact, their challenges are often what help me to know what I do believe! “Do you believe that God is an old white dude sitting on a throne on a cloud throwing down lightning bolts on his creation?” Um…no, I don’t believe that. “Do you believe that God would not accept someone they created who could not reason God’s existence yet treated everyone and everything with love and support?” Gosh, no – I don’t think God would do that!

The same holds true with our assertions of Trinity. Yes, it is essential that we affirm that God was, is, and always will be; that God Created, Redeemed, and Sustained all of Creation; we profess that faith as we received it through scripture, tradition, and reason, along with our very real and corporate/individual experience of that reality.

AND, maybe we can see the wisdom in someone young…like Seamus. If you need to say thank you for the beautiful sunrise, it sounds like you’re looking into the face of God our Creator and Parent. If you are facing a difficult relationship and wish to overcome your anger and disappointment, turning to the face of Christ and remembering to love and forgive may be exactly what sustains you. Or, maybe you are afraid of facing a difficult journey of medical treatments on the road to what may not be a recovery and remission, holding fast to the presence of God’s Spirit may be enough to sustain you and those around you.

In truth, the “mystery” of the Trinity isn’t so mysterious. Embracing this deep belief in our faith is actually very real and very comforting. It isn’t something remote or imposed; it is at the very heart of our relationship to our God.

Wishing you the blessings of the Three in One, the One in Three.

Father Shawn