Let me begin with a Yiddish folk tale pertaining to this reading for today. Yiddish is a language spoken today by Orthodox Jews. (The term "Yiddish" is derived from the German word for "Jewish." Yiddish is a German dialect which integrates many languages, including German, Hebrew, Aramaic, and various Slavic and Romance languages. -Wiki.)
So, this Yiddish folk take goes like this: “Why did God not send an angel to tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Because God knew that no angel would take on such a task. Instead, the angels said, ‘If you want to command death, do it yourself.’ ” After all, how could even an angel of the Lord be willing to demand that Abraham slaughter, like a sacrificial lamb, the longed-for beloved son that he and Sarah had waited for, been granted and blessed with in their old age? The story we read in today’s scripture is called by Christians “the sacrifice of Isaac” and by Jews “the Akedah.” Akedah means “binding” in Hebrew so the story is simply called “the akedah” which is every Jew would know to mean the “binding” of Isaac. In Jewish synagogues, this is one of the readings of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). (Our church member Roy Mislang can tell you more about the history of Rosh Hashanah if you want more details.) ☺ Why did I choose this text? Pastor Akiko and I have been mostly following the lectionary readings and this was one of the four scripture readings for today. (The lectionary readings are a three-year cycle to read the Bible and used in many denominational churches. It includes scripture readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistles and the New Testament.) Pastor Akiko preached on the lectionary reading from Genesis 21:8-21 last Sunday. Therefore, I was led by the Holy Spirit to continue with this text for today’s sermon. The story begins, “After these things God tested Abraham” (22:1). And what do “these things” include? God’s call to Abraham to go to a land he had never been before; God’s promise to Abraham that he will be the father of a great nation; the long years of wife Sarah’s barrenness; the birth of Ishmael by Hagar; and the miracle birth of the boy Isaac whose name which means “laughter” because Sarah laughed when told she would have a baby in her old age. So, many things have happened and many more things will happen to Abraham. Abraham, at Sarah’s insistence and his reluctance, sends away Sarah’s maid/slave Hagar and Abraham’s first son, Ishmael. (Genesis 21:18-21) That was an awful thing for him to do and I am not entirely sure God would have condoned it. But God then tells Abraham: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you” (Genesis 22:2). Now this is an odd thing for God to demand. Isaac is the long-awaited son of the promise and Abraham and Sarah had been waiting so long for a child. Isaac is the only son Abraham has now at home but he is told to sacrifice him. This is shocking. There are even biblical texts that condemn and forbid child sacrifice (see Leviticus 18:21; Jeremiah 7:30-34; Ezekiel 20:31). It does not sound like a loving God. But God is giving Abraham a test (Genesis 22:1). God is testing Abraham’s faith and obedience. Still, I found this story about the sacrifice of Isaac quite troubling. I do not know which is worse – that God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac or that Abraham complies without protest. I believe God never had any intention of going through with it but Abraham does not know that at the time. I also wonder where is Sarah? Sarah is not here in this story known as “the Akedah.” She is not even mentioned. Where is she? Maybe she was still asleep and oblivious when Abraham and Isaac took off? Her absence just adds to the tragic nature of a near sacrifice of a child. Abraham obviously didn’t tell her or she would never have let them go. But she must have felt something was amiss. As a mother, I know I would give my life to protect my child and stop anyone else with my life for killing either of my sons. (Although it is ironic that people do send their sons to fight in wars where they are sacrificed for their country but that is a topic for another sermon.) But how could Sarah trust God? She has doubted God once before her pregnancy. This time did she overheard Abraham talking to God? Did she have a sense of what was going to happen? A Jewish rabbi friend told me maybe Sarah did know and she felt led by God’s Holy Spirit to go and get the best ram from their flock, secretly follow them, and let the ram loose in the bushes where it was caught and Abraham would find it to use it for the sacrifice. That is another interpretation of what could have happened in the story. We do not know because her voice is silent in this story. Abraham seems to trust God because God had told Abraham that he and his descendants would be numerous. The Lord took Abraham outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!” (Genesis 15:5) God also promises Abraham. “..and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3). Now God needs to know whether Abraham is willing to give up the thing most precious to him in all the world for the sake of being faithful to God who gave him that gift in the first place. Scripture says, “The two of them walked on together” on the third day. (Genesis 22:4) I can visualize them, father and son, as they walk together with a purpose and with love for one another and love for God. We have here the son who is carrying the wood for his own sacrifice. Did Isaac know what was about to happen or not? Rabbis have debated this question for centuries. Did he know? We can only speculate on whether he did or not. Something else interesting told to me by a rabbi whom I knew in Tokyo was that the first century rabbis, with no connection to Christianity but with many experiences of Roman executions, said of this detail: “Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice like one who carries his own cross.” “Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac’, but when he is about to slay Isaac and an angel of the Lord calls to him and Abraham says, “Here I am.” (Genesis 22:11). (“Here I am” — in Hebrew hineni. It’s the same word Abraham used to answer God’s call in verse 1: “Here I am.” Abraham is attentive to God, and equally attentive to his beloved son. Here I am. This phrase is also used in other scriptures and we will sing as our closing hymn today, “Here I Am, Lord” but that is actually based on Isaiah 6:8 and 1 Samuel 3:4 not on this passage.) When Abraham hears the angels and answers, “Here I am.” We can only imagine that his answer is one of unspeakable relief and hope. The Lord speaks, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Genesis 22:12). Fortunately, Abraham passes this most excruciating of tests: “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:12). (“Fear” by the way often means 'awe' in the Bible. It often directly translates into fear, like “fear of the Lord,” but it can also mean respect, reverence, and worship.) “Now I know.” Abraham trusted God but let’s remember that he had free will to decide whether he would trust God and obey. Scripture does not tell us that God neither knows nor pre-ordains how Abraham will respond. God imposes this one-time test on Abraham because God has risked everything on this one man, and God needs to know if he is faithful. (This debate can be found in the book “Getting Involved With God: Rediscovering the Old Testament” by Ellen Davis.) Then, God provides a ram to take the place of the beloved son. “So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’” (Genesis 22:14). This is also why the ram’s horn, the shofar, which Roy Mislang blows for us occasionally blows for us in worship services, is blown in Jewish special services. In today’s scripture thankfully the ram is sacrificed instead of Isaac. (There is a word-play here and in verse 8. The Hebrew word (ra’ah) translated “provide” is literally the word for “seeing.” So the last phrase can be translated, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided” or “On the mount of the Lord he shall be seen.” Given the association of Mt. Moriah with the Temple Mount, both translations speak truth about God’s presence and God’s providence. (“The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son” by Jon Levenson.) For Christianity, the sacrifice of Abraham’s beloved son Isaac has obvious connection with Jesus’ death. (That’s why Genesis 22 is one of the lectionary readings frequently used at churches during Lent and Easter season and it is sometimes read on Good Friday.) The willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son became for early Christians one of the greatest examples of his faith: “By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac … He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead” (Hebrews 11:17, 19). In the history of Christian interpretation, Genesis 22 is understood as a story of faith and as a foreshadowing of God’s self-giving in Jesus Christ. This story tforms the foundation of Christian faith – the story of the death and resurrection of the beloved son, son of Abraham, son of David, Son of God. Today’s story known as “the Akedah” shows us that God has a claim on us all. All that we have, even our own lives and those of the ones most dear to us, belong ultimately to God, who gave them to us in the first place. Our God is indeed an Awesome God! This story assures us that God will provide. Last week you heard how God provided for Hagar and this week you heard how God provided for Abraham. God provides for us in different ways as well and hopefully you can think of your own examples. There may be disappointments and trials we have to overcome in life, but God is present with us. Life with God is a gift and God’s blessings are freely given. Amen. ( Notes: The Akedah is a motif in many modern Israeli poems. See, for instance, the poems at http://ktiva.blogspot.com/2006/11/poetry-of-akedah.html )
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Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and meditations of our hearts together this morning be pleasing in your sight O Lord. You are our rock and redeemer. Amen.
When I was in my 20s, I had a friend that would tell me all the details about the concerns she had with her boyfriend. In those days I was far less experienced than I am now, but somehow I thought that I was a far better listener and communicator than I actually was. I had yet to study pastoral care or counseling, and though I had studied psychology in college, I was probably more arrogant than confident. So, as my friend shared all her concerns about her boyfriend, things that were pretty personal, I listened to her with great intensity; at least, so I thought. And as I listened to her pour out her heart, I started to think to myself just how horrible her boyfriend seemed to be. And once I finished listening to her, I started telling her all the things that, in my opinion, her boyfriend ought to do differently. Truth be told, I don’t remember much more about our conversation than the fact that her boyfriend sounded terrible so, from that place in my heart, I responded to her. I gave her full of advice, ideas, and suggestions of what she should do about this “boyfriend” of hers. It wasn’t long after this “conversation” that she started sharing with me less and less. I noticed that she would call me less often, talk with me less often; she distanced herself from me, and wouldn’t share deeply with me in the way that she used to. Looking back now I can see clearly that it was because I really hadn’t been as good a listener to her as I had thought. Though I thought of myself as a great listener, the truth was that I hadn’t listened to her in the way that she had needed me to. I had listened for me, not for her. The truth is that good listening, active listening, requires intentionality, a choice to make sure that people feel heard. But many of us listen, myself included, we listen almost automatically. Just like we breathe without thinking, and blink without thinking, many of us just naturally listen without thinking much too. And just like breathing or blinking, there’s not a day that goes by where we don’t listen. Listening is part of our lives at school, work, or at home; in church or in the hospital, when hanging out with friends, or alone in our rooms, until it’s just as natural to us as breathing. We listen in this way every day, naturally and automatically, but the question I have for us today is this: How do we listen? Are we being intentional about it or not? For those of us who go to church regularly, we live each day with the hope that God will be pleased with us. We want to know just how God wants us to listen, not only to God but to each other as well. We want to know God, and to know that God is pleased with us. So, we open the Scripture to seek an answer. Today’s scripture not only gives us good examples of how God listens to us, but the flawed ways in which we humans listen to each other too. Abraham and Sarah were chosen by God, who had told them that even though they were old and childless, that they would somehow be able not only to have children, but to have so many children, descendants through them.. Quite a big vision, considering that they were old and still did not have a child of their own? After all, they were in their 80s; how could that ever be possible? But after waiting for 13 years or so, God finally blessed them with a son, whom they named Isaac. Isaac grew well, and was weaned (Genesis 21:8) and, to celebrate Isaac’s successful weaning Abraham threw a big party; a time of great joy and gratitude to God! Despite the joy and the party, Sarah’s eye’s and heart fell upon something else instead. Her eyes came to rest on the sight of Isaac playing together with Ishmael - his step-brother born to Hagar her slave - and she got offended. She was upset at the idea that Ishmael might also inherit, just as her son Isaac would (Genesis 21:10), and she could not let that happen. So she tells Abraham to cast out both Hagar and Ishmael, so that what she was afraid of might never be more than a fear or a concern. Let’s pause here and take a moment to think, and ask ourselves, what was Sarah doing here? Was she really listening to God, or was she doing something else instead? Well, verse 9 shows us Sarah “seeing” Issac and Ishmael at play. She relies only on her sight, and she reacts to that sight with action. But at no point does she pause and listen to God. This is so very human, isn’t it? This is exactly how we all tend to be! We witness something that concerns us, something we find shocking or upsetting and then, without even pausing, we move immediately into taking action against whatever it was that shocked us in the first place. We move right from seeing into action, without stopping to listen to the voice of God. We see, and think we know everything; we act, but don’t make room for the voice of God. We simply don’t listen. Of course if we keep reading today’s Scripture, we start to see what Sarah could not; God’s intentions start to become clear. God has plans for both Isaac and Ishmael, plans for each boy to prosper and to grow, and to multiply God’s people not just through one of them, but through both of them. Through Isaac, the line of Abraham’s descendants would grow into a great and powerful nation, but through Ishmael a new line would be made too, giving rise to another great and powerful nation (Genesis 21:12-13). Suddenly the two boys playing nice together doesn’t seem so threatening, does it? What if Sarah had taken her opportunity then, watching the boys playing together, to listen to God instead of reacting to her own fears? Would she have cast off Hagar and Ishmael? What could she have understood if she had just listened to God instead of reacting to what she thought she saw? And let’s not lose sight of poor Hagar too! Poor Hagar and Ishmael. Sarah didn’t listen to God’s plan, couldn’t listen to God’s plan, and they had to suffer for it. It seems that way, doesn’t it? But even still, today’s story isn’t about judging who did right and who did wrong, because even as she suffered for Sarah’s unwillingness to listen to God, Hagar also did not listen either. Without any notice, Hagar was forced out of the home she had served, with her toddler in hand, first thing in the morning. She was given only a small amount of bread and water and, with those limited resources, were set free into the wilderness. Of course those small resources quickly ran out (Genesis 21:15), and that was it; game over. Seeing what was happening to her child, seeing thirst, and starvation, and death coming, Hagar could not bear to see anymore. She saw, and thought she knew what the future held. She said, “Let me not look at the death of the child.” So she left Ishmael under one of the bushels and “sat down opposite him a good way off. “ (Genesis 21:16) There, she lifted her voice and wept. (Genesis 21:16) Sometimes, when the pain we are experiencing is so overwhelming, so powerful, it never occurs to us to stop and listen. When we are suffering, listening isn’t our natural response. It’s natural for us to take action, to cry out, to pour out our pain, and to respond to it with action, any action, that might lessen our fear, and hurt, and pain. But God knew exactly whose voice most needed to be heard; not Sarah’s, not Hagar’s, but the voice of Hagar’s baby boy, crying out for human connection after being left alone, under a bushel. Crying out to live. Hagar’s pain was so great that she couldn’t even hear the pain of her own boy! We can say what a neglectful parent she is, but isn’t this how it often is for us? When our pain overwhelms us, when our fear takes control of us, we stop being able to hear the cries of others. We become deaf, so wrapped up in our pain that we can’t hear the voice of God calling us to love, grace, and mercy. In times like this, times of fear and pain, I have missed hearing the voices of my husband, my sons, and my daughter because the pain of listening was just too much. At times I have been unable to hear those quieter voices , unable to hear the voice of God, because my fear and my pain were too loud. And as a church, we need to remember that we run the very same risk; the risk of being so caught up in our fears that we risk missing out on the voices of the voiceless, the silent, and the suffering. . We see, but don’t listen. But God heard. God heard the voice of Hagar’s little boy; the voice no one else was listening to. The voice that no one else could hear. Remember, as she cried out to God too, Hagar’s voice was probably much louder than the cries of this tiny little kid under a bushel basket. But the volume of our cries don’t matter to our God. God chooses to listen to the smallest and weakest among us. But just because God starts there, just because God starts listening there, it doesn’t mean God ignored Hagar entirely. No, God talks directly to Hagar, asking “what troubles you, Hagar?” (Genesis 21:17) God begins the act of listening by hearing the voices of the smallest and quietist, those whose very lives are threatened by the fact that no one else around them will hear them. The last become first, and the first become last. I don’t think that God blames us for being unable to listen when we are fearful, stressed, or suffering; it's human nature. God understands that fear makes us deaf sometimes. But I think that today’s story encourages us to meet these situations with intentionality, pushing past our human desire to get lost in fear and hurt; to rely on the grace of our God who will tell us what we need to hear, even when we miss it. Hagar missed the cries of her own child, couldn’t hear God speaking through him, so God spoke to her directly. God said, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” (Genesis 21:17-18) God knew that Ishmael and Isaac playing together could be the start of two great nations having peace and love between them. And in this place, God knew that this boy needed to live; needed to be embraced and cared for. Hagar could only see death coming for her and her child, but God spoke differently. God would make a great nation of Ishmael. And this truth was spoken to a scared and suffering woman, a slave who would be later made into a queen by a God who hears us. By the way the name Ishmael means God hears. When we are ready to listen, God can and does share what God has heard to those who are willing to seek God. God helps us to hear what God hears. God helps us see what God sees, and shows us ways forward that never would have occurred to us otherwise. In today’s passage, God opens Hagar’s eyes to be able to see water spring forth, right near the two of them. God hears them, in a way that means more than we might realize at first. This word here, “hear,” which shows up twice in verse 17, reads in Hebrew as Elohim Shama. And this word shama, means so much more than what it means in English. Our word “to hear” simply tells us that information has come into our ears, whether we bothered to really focus on it or not, but the Hebrew word here for hearing, Shama, means so much more. This word in Hebrew describes a focused, careful, attentive and active listening; an active listening that includes understanding and obeying what was just heard as well. It’s listening, understanding, and then taking action. When Hagar expects Ishmael to die, when she hides him and moves off because she couldn’t bear what she saw and expected, God shama’d the cries of the little boy, this suffering child who just needed some water and a hug. When Hagar was so confused by grief that she couldn’t even see the nearby well, God shama’d and made water available to them in the desert. “God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” (Genesis 21:19) How powerful our God is! God could have just made the water appear for Ishmael of course, but in this moment of listening, God chose instead to show Hagar how to participate in God’s ongoing saving work. God invites her to listen to God, and then take action for those voices that are too small, and too quiet to be heard. This is what listening, God’s truly, holy listening - shama - looks like. We have to acknowledge that we, as humans, aren’t always good at listening whether it’s to God or to anyone else around us who is suffering. No matter how hard we try, we just cannot listen and love in the way that God does. But that doesn’t mean that we should ask God to comfort us in our suffering and then just leave us there, trusting God to handle the suffering of others so we do not have to. No,we are called to pray to God, talk to God, be involved in active listening - a shama - in which we can take part ourselves. God doesn’t want us to see the struggles, and start crafting our own solutions to problems we barely understand. God doesn’t want us to do what I did with my friend, to see the situation and immediately start looking for ways to fix problems. God wants us to listen, and to hear God’s plan speaking from those unexpected places of love and compassion God has for us. Remember, our God is one who starts with listening, asking “What troubles you?” And when that’s done, the next thing God says is “Don’t be afraid.” So let us always remember to start there, by listening to what troubles the people around us, and then setting aside the distractions of our own fear so that we can embrace the surprising, unexpected work that God is doing among us; work that gives life in unexpected ways, and brings hope in unexpected times. As with Ishmael, the nearly voiceless cries of the weakest among us are where God chooses to begin the great work of love. So let us shama. Let us listen. And we can hear the voice of God together. Let us pray. God, help us to answer honestly when you ask us the question, “What troubles you?” Help us to cast aside our fear, so that instead of seeing and reacting to the fearful things we expect to see, we can hear your voice telling us about loving and wonderful things that we could never have expected instead. In Jesus’ holy and wonderful name we pray, Amen. “Isn’t it better if I die?”
Imagine hearing a 12-year-old say this in front of you. How would you feel and what would you do? Would you tell that kid to “stop saying nonsense” or ask them “What happened? Why do you feel that way?” My name is Sophia Mikhaela Mislang, and I am ready to share to all of you my untold story and how God saved me from the devil inside my head. Surprisingly, I said this line to God when I was 12, one year after moving to Japan. I was in 6th grade when the darkest time in my life happened. I didn’t know how to speak Japanese, or their culture and just have a good relationship with my classmates. I was also in my rebellious stage so I often had fights with my family, and going to school was frustrating and stressful. Not only because I couldn’t understand the lessons, but no one accepted me to be their friend. My biggest fear was my teacher telling us to “find a partner” since I knew it was either I was going to be paired with the teacher or the 3-people group had to do JANKEN. I thought my classmates who told me “You’re in charge of cleaning the blackboard” were my friends. And during break time, my brother would sometimes come to my classroom and I felt so embarrassed because I was always alone. I didn’t want to worry my family so I talked about it to them like it wasn’t serious, but they knew and my teachers knew. They tried to support me and I did appreciate it but nothing had changed. It was so repetitive and got worse that I didn’t know what to do. I started doubting God. I locked myself in the school toilet crying, “I’m finally living in the anime world that I’ve always looked forward to. Why is this happening to me? Everyone hates me, everyone’s angry at me, and everything I do is wrong. What if I die instead? If I die,I’ll be going to heaven, I don’t have to deal with this, and I'll be with you God! Isn’t that what you want?” Again, I was 12 years old. The only excitement I had except for coming home from school was KUC. It felt like home, the people here greeted and welcomed me. I was also happy that there were a lot of kids who were mostly the same age as me that could speak English. Children’s worship, cheerful notes, Sunday School, and just KUC in general were the best therapy I could ever have. While being able to have conversations with people, my faith and trust in God truly got deeper. Thereafter, I met a very special Japanese girl at church who would always try to be friends with me and talk to me even though I couldn’t speak Japanese that much. One time my mom told me that my friend asked my mom if I was going to church. I tell you, it was the best feeling ever. She might have forgotten about it since she’s a kind person, but because of that sentence, “Is Mikha coming to church!?” It gave me hope. She knew my existence and it was the first time I felt someone wanting to be genuine friends with me in Japan that I never thought would happen. Fast forward to junior high school, I came to find out we were going to the same school, the same class, and even the same friend group. She was also one of my motivations to learn Japanese so I can be fluent and have conversations in Japanese like her. After years of hard work and commitment, maybe the Japanese people or the people who are fluent in Japanese might see that it’s not perfect but I can finally translate my script! God is good. All the time. I have heard a lot on the news that a lot of high-school students are taking their own lives because of heartbreaks, bullying, social media, etc... We children might be very annoying and selfish, but instead of judging them, please be kind to them and check in with them. We never know what a child is going through especially in their teenage years. And most importantly, talk about how God works in their life because he will never leave us alone and it makes a huge difference whether they have God in their heart or not. In conclusion, I just want to say thank you to the people who have saved my life during these 8 years of my journey in Japan. First of all, Adia. (If you’re watching) you’re the special girl I was talking about and thank you for giving me hope to live and to be myself. Ayami, Thank you for always treating me like your sister. Kuya Dom, Thank you for being so supportive and the best big brother I can rely on. Andy, Thank you for always trying to talk and listen to me especially when I’m by myself. Keiko-san and Madokka-san, Thank you for showing me that praising God is fun. Masami-san, Thank you for always treating me and my brothers like we are your children. Pastor Claudia, Thank you for always making the best cookies. Pastor Akiko, thank you for all the very empowering preaches.The Youth group!! I might be turning into a young adult already but thank you for just being the best. People of KUC! Thank you for your “good mornings”, it always gives me the best mornings. Rafael, Thank you for teaching me Japanese and have supported me in how to do my “1 minute happy time speech”where I had to make a small speech about what I did on the weekends in Elementary School. Because of you, I survived Elementary School. Aj, Thank you for not getting angry at me, listening to me and always wanting the best for me. Mom, even though we had a big fight this year, Thank you for always caring for our family and your sacrifices. You are the best. And finally dad, I’m sorry for not being the perfect daughter, I am a sensitive girl and have caused a lot of trouble. But thank you for always treating me like a princess ever since I was not even brought out in this world yet. Thank you that when I finally dared to open things about my life to you, you would always listen to me and support me when I needed you. You deserve everything good in this world. God has blessed me with a lot of great people in my life. If God took my life the time I begged him to take my life already, I wouldn’t be able to experience the anime world I was praying about and say my gratitude to everyone. This also means that I still have a purpose here on earth and it is to spread his love and kindness to everyone, even in the good and bad days. God works in the most mysterious yet perfect timing and I will be forever thankful for his goodness in my life. I will be leaving in a couple of weeks and I am very excited about what God has planned for me and my future. Thank you for listening and this was my untold story. Last week was Pentecost and we had a wonderful celebration here at KIC with music, lots of candles, kids processing in, a scripture reading of Acts 2 in nine different languages and people wearing red, orange, yellow or even blue to represent the flames of the Holy Spirit.
Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost and it is also known as Trinity Sunday. I have been thinking about what to preach on Trinity Sunday for some time and it has been a challenge to come up with today’s sermon. Many of our special church holidays are because of events that happened in scripture and then we observe these church holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. But Trinity Sunday is different. It is a doctrine – especially the doctrine of the Trinity. How would you explain the Trinity? Andy did a great job with the kids. And it is not easy to explain the Trinity. A pastor friend said she gave a children’s message - these kids were 3 and 4 year olds - on the Trinity and used a banana. She broke into three pieces and told the kids one banana and three pieces - three parts. The she gave the kids bananas. She then asked the kids so what do you know about God? Their answer – “God is bananas!” The Trinity is said to be a mystery of our faith.. A mystery, yes, but not like a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery which Detective Holmes solves by the end of the movie or book. But a mystery where God is revealed to us but not explained. Believers throughout centuries have tried to describe the Triune God. For example, St. Augustine who lived in the years 354 –430 AD. One day, when he was walking along the sea shore pondering the doctrine of the Trinity, he heard the voice of God saying to him, "Pick up one of the large sea shells there by the shore." So he picked it up. Then God’s voice said, "Now pour the ocean into the shell." And he said, "Lord, I can't do that." And the voice answered, "Of course not. In the same way, how can your small, finite mind ever hold and understand the mystery of the eternal, infinite, triune God?" The Trinity is indeed something we Christians cannot fully grasp yet we firmly believe. Here is another example. In one of his books Episcopal priest Robert Farrar Capon says that when humans try to describe God, we are like a bunch of oysters trying to describe a ballerina. We simply do not have the ability to understand something so beyond us. People have used lots of analogies to explain the Trinity – an egg with the three parts (shell, yolk, white part) or H20 (water, ice, steam) or a shamrock with the three leaves which was St Patrick’s favorite way to talk about the Trinity. The problem with all three analogies is that they’re way too obsessed with the math—how can three be one, or one be three? Three is not one and one is not three. That is just bad math. But as someone once told me, this is the correct way to explain: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. God is one but God is three distinct persons. That is what the Trinity is – three in one. God is one divine substance but what is made of three distinct persons. If you think about yourself, you are one person but you are made up of two different substances - you are mind and matter (“matter” is your psychical body). Or body and soul. God is one divine substance of each person of the Trinity. Each part is not 1/3 of one, but each person of the Trinity is a full part. Worrying about the math is not the core issue of trinitarian faith. The Triune God – God three-in-one, and one-in-three – reaches out and draws humanity into the life and work of God. Here is another explanation for the Trinity by Rev. Dr. Jeremy Begbie at Duke Divinity School and lecturer in Cambridge who specialises in the interface between theology and the arts. He said it isn't words but musical notes. in points out that if you sing a C, the note fills the whole room, no more in one place than another. If you add the E and then the G, each note fills the room, one doesn't crowd out the other - and the chord they form together are far more lovely than the single note. There are plenty of verses in the Bible about God the Father and Jesus the beloved Son and the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals God is the Father/Creator (Ephesians 4:6, 1 John 3:1), God is the Son/Word (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 5:20; John 3:16, Colossians 1:15), and God is the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 4:30). In reading scripture, we realize that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all the same but all distinct. All three are co-equal and co-essential (of the same essence) and yet the three are one. They are not working independently of each other but together. Each person of the Trinity possesses fully the divine substance. Father is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Three persons but one God and the relationships. This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of our entire communion with God and our dependence on God. To explain this a bit more, we can look at the Shield of the Trinity or Scutum Fidei (Latin for "shield of faith") made in the 12th century. Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_of_the_Trinity) The links are non-directional. So the following twelve propositions can be read off the diagram:
Some people (not me) may think of God as an old man with a long beard and the son is much younger and the father existed before the Son but that’s not true. God is the creator and Son has always existed. The eternal Word came down as flesh and so is fully God and fully human. The Son had always had this relationship. Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit enables Jesus’ followers to understand the Scriptures, sanctifies them, guides them to maturity in Christ, gives guidance for life, comforts them, empowers them for service, and bears witness in the hearts of believers that they are children of God. The Holy Spirit was always part of the Godhead. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2). Genesis also says, “let us make humankind in our own image according to our likeness.” Notice the use of “our” and “us.” (Genesis 1: 26-31) God from the beginning is a community. The triune nature of God assures that God is in fellowship with God’s self. In the beginning is Creator, Word and Spirit (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) all bringing forth creation. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word became flesh. Through him…” (John 1:1-3) Last week was Pentecost and we had a wonderful celebration here at KUC with music, lots of candles, kids processing in, a scripture reading of Acts 2 in nine different languages and people wearing red, orange, yellow or even blue to represent the flames of the Holy Spirit.
Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost and it is also known as Trinity Sunday. I have been thinking about what to preach on Trinity Sunday for some time and it has been a challenge to come up with today’s sermon. Many of our special church holidays are because of events that happened in scripture and then we observe these church holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. But Trinity Sunday is different. It is a doctrine – especially the doctrine of the Trinity. How would you explain the Trinity? Andy did a great job with the kids. And it is not easy to explain the Trinity. A pastor friend said she gave a children’s message - these kids were 3 and 4 year olds - on the Trinity and used a banana. She broke into three pieces and told the kids one banana and three pieces - three parts. The she gave the kids bananas. She then asked the kids so what do you know about God? Their answer – “God is bananas!” The Trinity is said to be a mystery of our faith.. A mystery, yes, but not like a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery which Detective Holmes solves by the end of the movie or book. But a mystery where God is revealed to us but not explained. Believers throughout centuries have tried to describe the Triune God. For example, St. Augustine who lived in the years 354 –430 AD. One day, when he was walking along the sea shore pondering the doctrine of the Trinity, he heard the voice of God saying to him, "Pick up one of the large sea shells there by the shore." So he picked it up. Then God’s voice said, "Now pour the ocean into the shell." And he said, "Lord, I can't do that." And the voice answered, "Of course not. In the same way, how can your small, finite mind ever hold and understand the mystery of the eternal, infinite, triune God?" The Trinity is indeed something we Christians cannot fully grasp yet we firmly believe. Here is another example. In one of his books Episcopal priest Robert Farrar Capon says that when humans try to describe God, we are like a bunch of oysters trying to describe a ballerina. We simply do not have the ability to understand something so beyond us. People have used lots of analogies to explain the Trinity – an egg with the three parts (shell, yolk, white part) or H20 (water, ice, steam) or a shamrock with the three leaves which was St Patrick’s favorite way to talk about the Trinity. The problem with all three analogies is that they’re way too obsessed with the math—how can three be one, or one be three? Three is not one and one is not three. That is just bad math. But as someone once told me, this is the correct way to explain: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. God is one but God is three distinct persons. That is what the Trinity is – three in one. God is one divine substance but what is made of three distinct persons. If you think about yourself, you are one person but you are made up of two different substances - you are mind and matter (“matter” is your psychical body). Or body and soul. God is one divine substance of each person of the Trinity. Each part is not 1/3 of one, but each person of the Trinity is a full part. Worrying about the math is not the core issue of trinitarian faith. The Triune God – God three-in-one, and one-in-three – reaches out and draws humanity into the life and work of God. Here is another explanation for the Trinity by Rev. Dr. Jeremy Begbie at Duke Divinity School and lecturer in Cambridge who specialises in the interface between theology and the arts. He said it isn't words but musical notes. in points out that if you sing a C, the note fills the whole room, no more in one place than another. If you add the E and then the G, each note fills the room, one doesn't crowd out the other - and the chord they form together are far more lovely than the single note. There are plenty of verses in the Bible about God the Father and Jesus the beloved Son and the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals God is the Father/Creator (Ephesians 4:6, 1 John 3:1), God is the Son/Word (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 5:20; John 3:16, Colossians 1:15), and God is the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 4:30). In reading scripture, we realize that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all the same but all distinct. All three are co-equal and co-essential (of the same essence) and yet the three are one. They are not working independently of each other but together. Each person of the Trinity possesses fully the divine substance. Father is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Three persons but one God and the relationships. This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of our entire communion with God and our dependence on God. To explain this a bit more, we can look at the Shield of the Trinity or Scutum Fidei (Latin for "shield of faith") made in the 12th century. Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_of_the_Trinity) The links are non-directional. So the following twelve propositions can be read off the diagram:
Some people (not me) may think of God as an old man with a long beard and the son is much younger and the father existed before the Son but that’s not true. God is the creator and Son has always existed. The eternal Word came down as flesh and so is fully God and fully human. The Son had always had this relationship. Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit enables Jesus’ followers to understand the Scriptures, sanctifies them, guides them to maturity in Christ, gives guidance for life, comforts them, empowers them for service, and bears witness in the hearts of believers that they are children of God. The Holy Spirit was always part of the Godhead. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2). Genesis also says, “let us make humankind in our own image according to our likeness.” Notice the use of “our” and “us.” (Genesis 1: 26-31) God from the beginning is a community. The triune nature of God assures that God is in fellowship with God’s self. In the beginning is Creator, Word and Spirit (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) all bringing forth creation. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word became flesh. Through him…” (John 1:1-3) |
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