The Scripture Readings this week are:
- Hosea 11:1-4
- Psalm 130:5-8
- Psalm 131:1-3
- 2 Peter 1:16-18
The Sermon title is Images of God
Early Thoughts: When you hear or read the word God what images come to your mind? The wind? The old man with a long white beard? The village wise woman? "The Force"? What words do you use to describe your understanding of God? What picture might you draw to share your image?
The first Sunday after Pentecost is (in some traditions) known as Trinity Sunday. It is the only Sunday in the year designated to celebrate a theological construct rather than an event or story. On Trinity Sunday we are invited to explore that uniquely Christian understanding of a God who is 3-in-1 and 1-in-3.
In traditional language the Trinity is described as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost as I first learned it). There are other ways we have expressed it. I like Parent, Child and Spirit as it keeps the relational aspect. Another model which talks about the actions of God is Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. There are a variety of other formulas out there.
The challenge with the doctrine of the Trinity is that it is very difficult to explain in terms that make clear logical sense. Many ways we try to understand and explain it actually lead us to problematic statements, as this video shows:
Still, I think we need to try to explain how we understand God. Even if it is sort of like trying to grasp a cloud and pin it down we need to try. The beauty is that there is no one right way to describe God. There is no one right image. The challenge is that there is no single image that captures the whole picture. We have to use a variety of images, a wide range of language, to try to evoke all that God is in the world.
Father/Mother, Friend, Redeemer, Rock, Source of Life, Ground of Being, Creator, Love, Judge, Teacher. That is a brief list of terms that came to my mind in the last 30 seconds or so. All of them are terms that have been used to describe who God is. I suspect you can add to the list. You can add adjectives. You can add verbs about what God does. Trinity Sunday may have developed as a day to mark a specific doctrine, but I think it is a day where we can stop to think about the images we have of God.
So how do you describe God? What words or pictures enter your mind? You may be asked to share some of them on Sunday.
--Gord
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