John 3:1-9
A judge was interviewing a woman regarding her pending divorce, and asked: “What are the grounds for your divorce?” She replied, “About 4 acres and nice home on the property.”
“I mean,” he explained, “what is the foundation of this case?” “It’s made of concrete, brick and mortar,” she answered. He continued, “What are your relations like?” “I have an aunt and uncle, and my husband’s parents.” He went on to ask, “Do you have a real grudge?” “No,” she said. “We have a carport.” The judge persisted. “Tell me, does your husband ever beat you up?” “Yes… about twice a week he gets up earlier than I do.”
Frustrated, he asked: “How can this be then, that you want a divorce?” “Oh, I never wanted a divorce,” she replied. “My husband does. Says he can’t communicate with me.” What we have here is a failure to communicate, which describes Nicodemus with Jesus.
Nicodemus comes marveling at Jesus’ miraculous signs. He sees Jesus as a teacher favored by God, is curious, but fails to grasp his meaning. In all fairness, Jesus uses terms never taught like this among the religious leaders. Jesus says one must be born again, as in born from above, from heaven, but Nicodemus can only think in limited human terms. Jesus speaks of God’s kingdom and the Spirit freely doing the work of new birth, but Nicodemus, confused, asks: How can this be?
Today is Trinity Sunday, lifting up a rather confusing mystery of our faith: God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity. How can this be? Early church teachers saw it as a question of those who have no strong belief. Some like to ask how this or how that without ever learning the “how”, adding to the confusion. It’s a question that avoids spiritual truth.
A professor of mine in Scotland told the story of a bishop who, upon returning after 39 years in India, found many Christians confused like Nicodemus, practicing a unitarian faith:
stuck in the How – how do we do this or that, focused on programs or strategies to grow the church, relegating God to a generic role as Helper to Accomplish Our Goals. Then Professor Torrance declared with conviction: We must recover the Trinity!
His concern was for the church losing her center in the Triune God of faith, hope and love, because the Who is more important than the How. Many may ask how, but we believe in the Who that will not fail to save us.
When Professor Torrance was asked when is the “moment” of our salvation, he said the “real” moment was when Christ walked, died and was raised. But actually, he continued, there are 3 moments: 1) the kingdom of God eternal, believing the truth of Jesus, and being born of the Spirit – 3 moments coming together as the Trinity of salvation.
Without the Trinity what we have is a failure to communicate. Try to imagine: Worship would not be a gift of new life in the Spirit to participate in God’s kingdom with the Son. In our up-heaving and down-turnings, just imagine not having Christ’s prayers as our Priest before the Throne of Grace as the Spirit brings to us the help and comfort of the Father’s love. Without the Trinity, we would not be the Church that proclaims the love and forgiveness the world so desperately needs.
Professor Torrance shared this story: the IRA bombed a church in Belfast, trapping a father and daughter. When the father was pulled free, his daughter did not make it. He recounted to his rescuers the time beneath the rubble. He called out, “Annie, are you alright?” “Yes, Daddy.” Then she cried in pain. “Annie, are you alright?” “Yes, Daddy. I’m alright.” Again, she cried. Then with her last breath she said, “Daddy, I love you.” With tears, he then said to his rescuers: I can only forgive them.
Surprised by this, they asked: You forgive them? How can this be? He explained: after hearing his daughter’s words, he knew God’s love is greater than this, because God lost his Son, too. Then he felt the Spirit move him to
pray with Jesus: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. So, he said, you pulled me from the rubble, but the Blessed Trinity saved me!
Friends, hear the Good News, and let there be no failure to communicate: when we know Who God truly is, we can experience the kingdom, and the How will find its answer. As Jesus said: So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.