2 Corinthians 13:11-13 [1]    Matthew 28:16-20 [2] [2]

Grace to you and Peace for our Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I read a joke this week on a blog that begins with Jesus asking his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
And his disciples answer and say, "Some say you are John the Baptist returned from the dead; others say Elijah, or one of the other prophets."

And Jesus answers them and says, "But who do you say that I am?
Peter answers and says, "Thou art the Logos, existing in the Father as His rationality and then, by an act of His will, being generated, in consideration of the various functions by which God is related to his creation, but only on the fact that Scripture speaks of a Father, and a Son, and a Holy Spirit, each member of the Trinity being coequal with every other member, and each acting inseparably with and interpenetrating every other member, with only an economic subordination within God, but causing no division which would make the substance no longer simple."

And Jesus answers Peter and says, "What in the world ARE you talking about!?"

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday. The one Sunday during the year that focuses on this complex church teaching or doctrine: our belief in God who is known in three persons-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

It is important for us to go back and look at what prompted this often confusing teaching of the church and to see how it came into being. The reality is that it began with discussions and relationships. You see, after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension; after the Pentecost event in Jerusalem, which we celebrated and remembered last week; after Saul was transformed on the Damascus road into the apostle Paul; and then as new communities began to pop up because they were experiencing God's active ongoing presence in and among them; the new believers were asked to explain themselves. They were approached by non-Christ followers who were wondering who this new radical group of believers was. Whole communities were sharing things in common and they were regularly sharing meals with people of all different classes, occupations and ethnic backgrounds. Men and women were regularly gathering together. This was radical stuff and so people began to talk and wonder and question.

So when the new believers were asked to tell about the God they were worshipping, they wanted to communicate their experience of the creative, inviting God, who was calling individuals and new communities into being. One of the earliest formulations of how they understood this God was put forth by Paul in one of his letters where he bids the Corinthians farewell saying: The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (This sounds familiar because we begin every worship service with it.)

Eventually, however, as debates arose, more and more words and explanations were used to try and explain the unexplainable mystery of this God who is made known to us in three different forms. But let's remember the original purpose. The original purpose of the teaching was to facilitate the sharing of their faith with others.

This teaching is still important today, but not in the endless doctrinal formulations that have become part of Trinitarian discussions. When I have had the opportunity to talk with Muslim friends about how our beliefs are similar or how they differ, often misunderstandings about the Trinity come up. They say, "So you believe in three Gods, right? God the Creator, Isa Nabi or Jesus, and the Virgin Mary, right?" Well I have to admit, right out of my Theology 101 classes, I would take a deep breath and rattle off the proper teaching on the Trinity saying something about the co-equality of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I would probably add in some of the historical arguments that led to the writing of the creeds we use and how they differ and then I would clarify that although Mary is believed to have the unique role of being the Mother of God, she is not included in the Trinity. This would all depend, however, on the patience of the person I was speaking to.

One time after I had shared the teaching on the Trinity with a Muslim friend I used to work with, I asked her to share with me her understanding of Allah. She, too, went into a long explanation about the 99 beautiful names for Allah and the teachings about heaven in Islam. Later, however, I realized that neither one of us was sharing our faith with each other. We were merely sharing our mosque and church's teachings with each other. If that was all we had to share with one another, then we wouldn't get very far in our relationship with each other. God, for both of us, at least in those conversations, was limited to dead letters on a page.

I was reminded of this interaction in February when we had a leadership retreat here at Bethlehem. Our speaker was Jack Fortin and in his talk he made the comment that as Christians we are to share what gives us life and others will want to share what gives them life as well. He then said, "Going to our Center propels us into our world." These words stayed with me as I traveled to the Holy Land last month.

On the trip, I had the opportunity to run into my Muslim friend again (the one I just mentioned) with whom I used to regularly exchange and compare Christian and Muslim teachings.. Although we are the same age, our lives have changed significantly. She now has a degree in International Relations from Harvard University and works as a cabinet level advisor to the Palestinian National Authority. She told me how she is trying to bring fresh ideas and make a positive difference in this tense part of the world.

This time, when I was visiting with her so many years later, we talked on a much deeper level. We talked about our lives, about how things had changed and about how we both handled work, family, and life pressures. Our discussion was no longer on the theoretical level. When we got around to how she handled the immense pressures of international affairs as a single woman in a male dominated field, I asked her how she did it and from where did she get her strength. She did not hesitate and said, "Honestly, Beth, it is my faith in God that has given me such strength during these last years." And at that moment I knew we were on holy, sacred ground. We were at that rare deep moment in a conversation where we were sharing what gave us life and hope and joy. In that split second, I wondered if I would have something to share with her as well about the God I experience. Would I be able to articulate with words or provide a reason for the hope that is within me? And I turn that question to you today, would you be able to communicate your own hope in such a moment of sharing on holy ground?

Unfortunately, our conversation that day was cut short because she received a phone call telling her that she needed to prepare a briefing for a Turkish delegation that was coming to town that evening. But still, that conversation was very different from our previous ones. This one was full of sharing stories about what gave us life and hope. We were no longer sharing the teachings about our respective faiths. We were enriched in our understandings of what gives us hope. I look forward to returning to that conversation some time to share what gives me life and strength and to share what is at the Center of my life that propels me to live life the way I do.

As Christians, the name we have put on the Center of our being is the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The irony about the teachings about the Trinity is that the doctrine has often prevented us from experiencing the kind of God we claim to believe in: a God who is not limited to dead letters on a page, a God who does not only reside in the ancient past or in a certain period of time, but a God who throughout time is calling us into God's future. Our enduring, but ever-new experience of this God is one who is pulling us outside of ourselves to be in community with one another and in the continuing creation of this world. Our Bible passages this morning give us pictures of this inviting, sharing, and sending Triune God.

In the Creation story we hear the phrase, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion." The community of the Trinity initiates community in humanity with the creation of men and women, and then invites humankind-in all of its diversity-into the creative process. Our created image is to be found in creative, dynamic community with one another. And God's invitation beckons us to continue the invitation to others. The Gospel text we heard today repeats the continuing invitation to share in God's creative work with the second person of the Trinity, Jesus, who says, "Go and make disciples of all nations.." And the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, continues to lead us and guide us as we invite share and send, invite, share and send....

Just like that early, new Christ following community 2000 years ago, let us pay attention to our experience of God today, active and working in our midst. Let us hear anew how God is calling us to share in our discussions and in our relationships a new radical vision for living in Christian community: sharing things in common and regularly sharing meals with people of all different backgrounds. People may begin to talk and wonder and question. The question is will others know we are Christians by our teachings or by our love in our discussions and in our relationships?

On June 1 we will begin a new sermon series entitled:  "You've Got a Story to Tell." As we heed the call to go and make disciples of all nations, let us be strengthened in our ability to share what it is that gives us hope and life at the Center of our lives. Then, with God's promise, may we be strengthened in this meal we share and may we be formed again and again, created anew in the image of God, in the waters of baptism. Thanks be to this ever creating, inviting, sharing and sending Triune God. Amen.