Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 4 June 2023, by Dr. Hope Antone. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 and Matthew 28: 16 - 20

“I am with you always”

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” That Trinitarian blessing from the apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians (2 Cor. 13:13) is part of the epistle reading for Trinity Sunday. However, I decided to focus on the creation story (Gen. 1:1-2:3) and the Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20) for today’s sermon.  

 

Before we continue, may I ask a question and feel free to raise your hand if you have done it: Have you ever thought of what the Trinity means to you? 

 

I’d like to confess that growing up as a pastor’s kid, I took the doctrine of trinity for granted. I always heard my father or pastor say the benediction with the Trinitarian phrase, “in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit.” From my mother, who used to be a Catholic, I learned to make the sign of the cross while whispering the same Trinitarian phrase. 

 

It was not until I entered the Divinity School as a student that I began to learn about the disputes, debates, disagreements, and arguments of the early church fathers which led to the formulation of the doctrine of trinity. The word “trinity” itself is not in the Bible, but the justifications for it were often based on scriptures. 

 

How can one God be three persons at once? How can three persons be one God? Are the three persons equal in the same divine essence? Disputes around these and other questions reflected the diversity of theological perspectives. Proponents of theories that were judged as heresies were excommunicated. So it was not unthinkable that blood had been shed, empires got divided, and the church split due to different understandings and explications of this belief in God in three manifestations.  

 

Some of you may have heard the story about St. Augustine, one of the church’s theological giants. According to one version of the story, Augustine was walking along the beach one day, taking a break from writing his treatise, On the Trinity.[1] While contemplating the mystery of the trinity, he came upon a little child digging a hole in the sand, then running to the sea, filling up his hands (other versions mention a spoon or a shell) with seawater, and then running back to pour the water into the hole. After watching the child for some time, Augustine asked, “What are you doing, my child?” “Trying to fill that hole with the ocean,” replied the child. “You’ll never fit the ocean into that small hole,” Augustine said. “Well, neither will you be able to fit the Trinity into your mind,” the child retorted.   

 

It was said that the little child vanished soon after that conversation, for he was in fact as an angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson.[2]   

 

As we observe Trinity Sunday today, may we humbly accept that it’s okay for us not to grasp fully the mystery and/or the paradox of the trinity. However, it remains our task as a church to continually make sense of it for our own context and time. So let us try to glean something from the scripture readings today. 

 

*In the creation story of Genesis 1, scholars have noted traces of the Trinity through the use of the plural sense, when God said,

"Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish … the birds … the cattle … the wild animals … and every creeping thing … upon the earth." So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”   

 

Bible scholars have interpreted the plural sense for God as referring to the community of the Trinity – God creating the world through God’s Word, through God’s Wisdom, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Likewise, humankind is depicted in the plural sense – male and female, rather than male or female. 

 

Moreover, there is rich diversity in God’s creation – creation that consists of matter – e.g., water, land and air; creation that consists of energy – e.g. light and sound; creatures that consist of matter and life – e.g., plants and animals; and creatures that consist of matter, life and soul – e.g., humankind. This rich diversity/plurality reflects something of God the creator/designer of all that is. 

 

God creating humankind in God’s likeness does not necessarily mean that we look like God. God letting humankind have dominion over creation does not necessarily mean that we have divine powers like God to do anything we like. It means that human beings are image bearers of God, called to be stewards or managers of God’s creation. 

 

As image bearers of God, we are called to reflect God’s nature and will for connectedness, relationship, companionship. There is interdependence of all that God made, for on such interdependence our existence, wholeness, and sustainability depend. 

 

As image bearers of God, we are called to treat one another with dignity regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion, and other identities. The creation story affirms that we share one true origin – and that is God, the creator and designer of all that is.   

 

**For the gospel reading (Matthew 28:19-20), we heard The Great Commission which includes the Trinitarian formula: 

Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:16-20) 

 

The Trinitarian formula has indeed become part of the ritual of baptism and the task of making disciples has become a part of the ministry of the church. However, it is the assurance, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” that, for me, sums up the meaning and intention of the doctrine of trinity. 

 

The trinity stands for God’s continuing presence with us in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves. Just as God the creator is present from the very beginning of creation, God through Christ Jesus is present in our struggles for liberation, and God through the Holy Spirit is present in our ongoing and future endeavors. Just think of what God’s assurance, “I am with you always,” implies if we truly believe in it. 

 

I’d like to make another confession: I don’t usually think of this myself except in cases when I would feel a deep sense of despair, panic or doubt. But if I could imagine that God is literally with me in all that I do, I think I would do better; I would be more careful with my words, my behavior, and my action, as an image bearer of God.

 

Just as the commission was given by God in Christ to the community of disciples, imagine what “I am with you always” implies if all followers of Christ took that seriously. Perhaps, “I am with you always” will make us more creative and innovative with our church ministries, especially that we are restricted in many ways these days; yet knowing that our true origin is in God the Creator/Innovator, the Father/Parent/Abba who loves us unconditionally and continues to create out of love. Perhaps, “I am with you always” will strengthen and empower our community to take acts of liberation for those who are in need and those who are suffering, knowing that God the Liberator, Christ Jesus, has already demonstrated that for us. Perhaps “I am with you always” will calm us down, when we are faced with doubt and uncertainty about the future, the future of our community, or the future of Hong Kong; and knowing that God the Helper/Counselor, Holy Spirit, has been promised to us. When we do these, perhaps we will become a truly relational church, reflecting our very relational God.

 

May it be so… not only on Trinity Sunday … but always… In the name of the Creator, Liberator, Counselor. Amen.