Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
May 30, 2010 – Trinity Sunday

Romans 5:1-5 (NRSV) Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

John 16:12-15 (NRSV) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

           Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in Idaho Falls, won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. His premise was that people have been conditioned by alarmists who spread fear of everything in our environment through junk science. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "Dihydrogen monoxide" because:
1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.
2. It is a major component in acid rain.
3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.
5. It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
6. It decreases the effectiveness of automobile brakes.
7. It is found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.
He asked 50 people if they would support a ban on the chemical DHMO: 43 said yes; 6 were undecided. And only one knew that the chemical was ... water. Though truth was told, the facts were misleading. This resulted in poor judgment and inaccurate conclusions.
Today is Trinity Sunday. This day has been celebrated in the Christian church since the 10th century. It is on this occasion that preachers try to give some insight on the subject of the triune God.
Let me begin by saying that the doctrine of the Trinity does not attempt to explain God. It only explains to us in a very elemental way what God has revealed to us so far. To describe the tip of the iceberg above the water is not to describe the entire iceberg. So we Christians affirm the Trinity, not as an explanation of God, but simply as a way of describing what we know about God.
          The idea of the Trinity is not emphatically stated as a doctrine in the scriptures. Yet, by implication, it is stated many times over. Even in our Gospel reading for this morning we come in contact with the Trinity. In our passage from John, Jesus speaks about Himself, the Spirit of Truth, and the Father.
Early on Christians discovered that they could not speak about God without speaking of the three ways in which God had been revealed to them. This does not mean that there are three Gods. It means that there is one God who has been shown in three ways: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let’s think about allegories that help identify how the Trinity works. First, think about a three-way light bulb. At 150 watts, the bulb gives enough light to read a book in the middle of the night. To sit around chatting with friends one only needs to use the 100 watt setting. And when a situation calls for mood lighting, probably 50 watts will do. But no matter what the wattage, we are still dealing with a single light bulb.        
Or take an apple: An apple is made up of three parts: the skin, the flesh, and the core. Each part is unique and yet together they make up just one thing – an apple
Or what about a tree: There is the root, the trunk and the fruit. The root is like God the Father, invisible but you know it's there. The trunk with its branches is like God the Son, sent forth by the Father, visible and tangible. And the fruit of the tree is like the Holy Spirit. As the trunk connect with both the roots and the fruit to create a tree, our connection to Christ grounds us in the Father and by the power of the Spirit we bear fruit in the world for God’s glory.
          So we have the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But how does the Trinity impact our lives? Why is it important for Christians to claim One God in Three Persons?
Listen again to what Jesus says, this time from The Message:  “I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I've said, 'He takes from me and delivers to you.’” (12-15)
          Jesus focuses on “truth.” He says: “the Spirit will take you by the hand and guide you into all truths.” (13)  But what does Jesus mean by “truth?”
I’m sure you have heard someone say, “That’s truth with a capital ‘T’.” In this context, truth is equivalent to “fact” or “wisdom.” “But in John’s Gospel, ‘truth’ refers to Jesus Christ, who is “the truth;” (14:6) God’s truth.
It is the duty of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, to guide the community closer to Jesus, the Son and Second Person of the Trinity which then brings greater clarity about the Father, the first person of the Trinity. When we have a better understand of what Jesus has said as well as a deeper conviction regarding who Jesus is” we experience the fullness of God – Three Persons, One God.
This morning our reading from John’s Gospel comes just before Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion. Jesus knows that His disciples are on overload – they have reached a saturation point and cannot understand or take in anymore about Jesus or what is to happen.
We all know what it feels like to be on overload. Think about the patient who hears nothing more than the word “cancer” while the doctor lays out the prognosis and the medical course of action to be taken. Or what about the wife whose husband recently died. Because she is overcome with her loss, she cannot fully appreciate the support of her friends and family. Eugene Bay says: “There are things to be said about suffering, or terminal illness, or grief, or childbirth, or working on an assembly line, or war or destructive acts of nature such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, that cannot be borne, cannot be understood, by those who have not themselves had the experience.”
Fortunately, Jesus understands the impact of overload so His plan includes sending the Spirit of truth to guide His followers. Jesus wants the believing community to be receptive to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is with the Spirit’s help that the community can face the future with confidence and hope. It is the Holy Spirit that helps to “make sense out of what is about to happen.” (13)
Like the disciples, through the greatness of our God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – we don’t face the challenges of life alone. The Trinity works together to broaden our faith base and grounds us in God’s truth. Remember that 14-year-old’s science project on water. Though truth was told, the facts were misleading. This resulted in poor judgment and inaccurate conclusions. That is not what God wants in our faith journeys. God wants to guide us into all the truth
The definition of truth, as it comes from the Gospel of John, is Jesus Christ. And Jesus never misleads us. Our Triune God helps us to use good judgment and make accurate conclusions.
Sisters and brothers, it is the power of the Holy Spirit which draws us to Christ. The Spirit helps our faith to deepen and mature. As the Spirit guides our way, we gain assurance, we find hope. Remember, God the Father wants us to know God the Son and it God the Holy Spirit that leads to that knowledge – the truth found in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.  Amen and amen.