Holy Trinity Ankeny

The good news is that we are born of the Spirit and children of God. By God’s grace alone we are beloved and nothing can change that. The bad news is that we are born of the Spirit and children of God and so sent into the world as lambs among wolves to share God’s love with the world. That can be frightening. Yet, God never intended us to passively wait for Jesus to return to bring love, peace, justice, and joy. We are to be participants in the process of resurrection. How do we do that? Jesus tells us exactly what we need to know.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do the wrong thing, the bad thing, the hurtful thing? It is easy to get angry, ignore someone in need, or yell at your child or spouse. Paul would say it is easy because we are enslaved by our desires and the expectations of the world. We have been set free in Christ from these slave masters. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection and through the Spirit’s call, we are free to be the people God made us to be. It all just takes some practice…

So many times we overlook others due to the labels placed on them. Too many times we notice others but do not see them. In laying down the labels and seeing others, we change not only them, but ourselves and this world.  This is our calling.

Theologians from Augustine to Bonhoeffer have said that a god who can be explained is not a god at all. The Trinity is ultimately a mystery that keeps us from ever being able to define or confine God. God must be so transcendent that the bounds of space and time can contain God. Yet, God must also be present in our time and place. God must be wholly other than us and yet somehow be in us. The Holy Trinity is the announcement of God revealed in the cross and resurrection. A boundless love between Father and Son that reaches out to all who hear the news.

On the Day of Pentecost, we remember the mighty rush of wind and the tongues “as of flame” that signified the coming of the Holy Spirit to the first followers of Jesus. We gather not really expecting the same kind of show. So, is the Holy Spirit a reality in our lives? According to Paul, whenever we cry out, “Abba, Father!” it is a sign of the Spirit. When we see the violence and suffering all around us, we cannot help but cry out to the one who has claimed us as “children of God” and “heirs of the reign of God.” We know the world is not as it shall be. We long for God’s reign to come. That is a sign of the presence of the Spirit.

Paul and Silas are in prison after a life-threatening beating. By all normal standards, they are not free. Yet, as the story in Acts unfolds, we find that the prisoners in jail are freer than the folks who put them there. The people of Philippi have become outraged that Paul healed a demon possessed young girl who was making money for her captors. Enslaved by greed they cannot see the cruelty and evil of enslaving a child for gain. The gospel of Jesus Christ has a way of redefining things. It turns the world we think we know upside down and reveals that freedom is slavery and slavery is freedom.

The Book of Revelation is full of frightening images and suffering which seem to fascinate many. Dragons and six-headed beasts rising from the sea certainly terrify. And yet, according to the news, the world we live in is just as terrifying. Shootings, war, pandemic. The goodness of God’s creation seems to be worked away by the evil around us. Into that, The Book of Revelation speaks of a New Jerusalem that promises hope, peace, and healing. In fact, the New Jerusalem is already under construction…

Jesus commands us to love others “just a I loved you.” (John 13:34) We usually love with limits. There are certain people who are beyond love’s reach: the unrepentant, those who do not believe as we believe, and those who commit grievous sins that are beyond forgiveness. And yet, that is not how Jesus loves. His love is limitless. He loves even you.

The Book of Revelation is a terribly misunderstood book. The images of death, destruction, and chaos are frightening – especially when used by preachers to frighten the faithful into more church attendance, giving, or volunteering. The question the terrifying images raises is not, “How can I avoid the struggle and suffering of the world?” Rather it is, “Who is worthy to lead us through the trials and usher in a new creation where our tears will be wiped away?”

Saul (Paul) was a terrorist. Ananais was a coward. Simon Peter denied Jesus three times. Yet, all three are subjected to the power of the resurrection and are changed. What does the resurrection do, not just to Jesus a long time ago, but to us in this place and time? That is the question…