First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm: Psalm 29
Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17
Gospel: John 3:1-17
As we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday on June 3, let us pause to consider the power of three. You probably learned from your Composition teachers that three main points have a greater chance of creating a solid essay; not one point, not two points, not seven, but three. If you've arranged objects on a mantel or a sideboard, you've probably noticed that three objects most often leads to balance; more looks cluttered, less looks sparse.
If you're a breadbaker, you've probably experimented with braids and twists. There's something beautiful about a braid of bread:
Consider the braid, how much stronger it is than the individual strand. You can easily pluck individual hairs out of a scalp. It's much harder to yank a braid of hair loose from the body.
We worship a God in three persons, as we commonly understand it; I have long suspected that our God contains multitudes, but our human brains can scarcely comprehend a God-in-three, much less a God-in-millions, so we stop at 3.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about communities of all sorts, and I love this idea of God as a communal God, God dwelling as 3-in-one. Throughout our Scriptures, we learn all sorts of lessons about community, and in the New Testament, we begin to perceive that God, too, dwells in community. And God who dwells in community invites us to be part of that community.
On Holy Trinity Sunday, we might spend some time thinking about all the aspects of God whom we've met: Creator, Mother, Redeemer, Savior, Fellow Traveler, Inspiration, Father, Breath,Mystic, Provider, Healer, Leader, Spiritual Director, Dreamer . . . the list could go on and on. Which incarnation of God speaks to you most?
Which incarnation do you need to invite to be part of your life?
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