So when we were in the back getting ready to process in, the other clergy were making fun of this kind of band-aid thing I have on my head. They were actually mocking me. Oh, that’s not nice. And I didn’t have the opportunity to tell them that I had gone to the doctor this week, and they did a scan and they found that it was an alien probe that had been inserted. Oh, no. I ended up, they asked if I wanted to have it taken out, and we kind of drawn back to that movie Total Recall of Arnold Schwarzenegger when he had that probe that was taken out. And so they ended up taking it out, and I said, “So will I notice any change with that having been removed?” Really kind of blew me away. They said, “You’re going to be much funnier now.” (Laughter) I haven’t actually seen that actualized, but I’m really anticipating, so you have a lot to look forward to. (Laughter) What’s that? (Inaudible) He probably needs a probe. (Laughter)

So today is Holy Trinity Sunday, and I wanted to try to consider doing a couple of things. I’ve had these notes here that I scribbled down to do with Trinity Sunday, and I could certainly get into some of that, and I think I will here just for a moment. I also wanted to do something a little different, and that is to try to take some time to ask a couple of questions and to see if there’s any thoughts or any things that you would like to share. And those two questions would be, number one, do you have any questions or comments as to regarding what we do here, what we do regarding the liturgy and all that, what we do, and why we do it. And the second question, which is, I suppose, a bit more personal, is why do you come? So if you could just be considering those two questions for a moment about our gathering here, do you have any questions about what we do and why we do it? And then secondly, which is intended to be somewhat connected to the first, why do you come?

So regarding, just to make a couple of comments regarding the Trinity, the term “economic Trinity,” which may sound like an odd way to put that, but let’s call it the economy of God, how it is that God interacts with us, the definition of that goes like this, God the Father, revealed in Jesus, who remains with us in the Holy Spirit. It’s a way of trying to talk about the nature of God and the three persons of God, one nature, three persons. Not three natures, not three persons. One nature, three persons. God the Father, revealed in Jesus, who remains with us in the Holy Spirit.

Like any kind of theological definition that tries to give a basic foundational understanding, obviously that has its limits, because there might be a tendency to want to separate the three out as though that they are, in a sense, kind of doing their own thing at different places. So another way of saying that is God the Father creates, God the Son redeems, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies. But it’s important to not think about it in terms of when God created or creates, that God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are somewhere else in heaven doing their own thing. That they’re all intimately involved in that act of creation. They’re all intimately involved in that act of redemption. They’re all intimately involved in that act of sanctification.

See, even when we talk about receiving the Eucharist, our tendency is to say that we are receiving the body, and we are receiving Jesus, but you are aware, I’m sure, that the Father and the Holy Spirit are also equally present. We are receiving the Lord.

So the imminent trinity is another definition, but it is as God is in and of himself. And there’s where that word comes called “paracoresis.” It has to do with the dance of the Lord as he is in and of himself, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And it is this union, communion, interpenetration in the very midst of diversity, this dance of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And so the economy of God is how we could look and say how he has included us, but the imminent trinity is how and who he is in and of himself. Makes perfect sense, right? Okay.

So if we understand that God creates, God redeems, God sanctifies, then what happens as a result of us receiving the activity of God in our life who has created us, redeeming us, who’s sanctifying us, what else does he do on our behalf? The other thing that he does on our behalf is he invites us into that “paracoresis.” He invites us into that dance. He invites us into that place of intimacy that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share. So it’s not just that God created, God redeemed, God sanctified, but the other profound work of that is inviting you into that intimacy as to why he created and redeemed and sanctified you in the first place. Is to invite you into that, to bring you into that “paracoresis,” into that dance, into that communion, union, fellowship in the midst of diversity, that inner penetration that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share.

What’s another way of saying that? That’s what it means to be in Christ. That’s another way of talking about what it means to be in Christ. Is to see what the Lord has done and is doing on your behalf, but in the very midst of that, that he’s inviting you deeper and deeper into apprehending the wonder of that union and communion and fellowship.

Still with me?

So, if I were to ask you regarding the incarnation, Jennifer, did you do something or add anything to Christ’s incarnation? No.

Veronica, regarding the crucifixion, remember this is a rhetorical question. Did you do anything to complete or anything to enhance or anything to make greater Christ’s crucifixion? Personally? No.

Ben, did you by chance do anything to complete or make more profound or make better Christ’s resurrection? No, again?

Caleb, did you do anything to make better or increase or complete or finish the ascension of Christ?

So, Barb, did you do anything that enhanced, completed, fulfilled, made perfect the session also known as Pentecost?

So that means that we can look at that and to say that the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, and Pentecost, you could put, if you like, I’m just suggesting you could put all that within the context of the Lord’s finished work.

Sound okay so far? So remember when Jesus says on the cross, He says it is finished. And I’m not going to go to that right now about what it was that was finished. Remember, we still needed to have the resurrection, the ascension, and Pentecost to understand all of that.

But why am I asking those questions rhetorically, which may sound kind of elementary to do it that way? But to be able to impart to you and to me that understanding that we have done nothing on our own to complete the finished work of Christ. Are we all on the same page? That His incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His ascension, Pentecost was all His.

So when we say something like this, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can live the Christian life. He is the only one who can live the Christian faith. He and He alone is the only one who can do that.

You can’t do that because you didn’t have any part of it. You didn’t begin it, you didn’t complete it, you didn’t finish it. It was all His work. And when I say His, remember when I included that, the whole notion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it was all of the work that the Trinity did.

So to say, sort of like a “what if” that Jesus then is the only one who can live the Christian faith. That’s a game changer. That’s an absolute game changer once all of a sudden that awareness goes into a revelation, into an appropriation to be able to say, “He’s the only one who can do that.”

So to be able to talk about that in such a way that if I try to live my Christian life for Him, I’m going to fail miserably because I had nothing to do with it in the first place. So to try to live it for Him means that I’m trying to do it out of my goodness or my adding to what it is that He’s done. And I can’t add anything to it. He completed it.

You following me? And so to look at that, because sometimes when we hear that statement that only Jesus can live, only He can live the Christian faith, the Christian life, then at times when we hear that or if we haven’t heard it before or we look at that and we go, “Well, then what’s my role? What do I do? What am I supposed to do in that?” Because aren’t I supposed to keep my nose clean or aren’t I supposed to live this out? Aren’t I supposed to respond? Aren’t I supposed to be a good person? Aren’t I supposed to do all of that?

Well, I suppose in some ways you could say, I guess if you understand how that plays, that’s a response to the initiation, but that’s not what’s going on. What that means is you are invited to do what? As it says in Hebrews, to rest in Him. To rest in Him as He lives out His story in your circumstances, in your life, in your personality, He lives out His story in you because if you’ve invited Him into your life, and remember that’s, we kind of get it backwards. If you invited Him into your life to be your personal Lord and Savior, remember that’s not really what happened.

What happened was He invited you into His life, but we had this tendency to say even when we lead someone to Christ, “I led someone to Christ.” No, you didn’t. We say that a lot and I understand, I understand and I don’t mean that in any critical way because I understand the whole evangelical value of doing that, that we’re trying to do that. We have this tendency that we’re doing that. No, the Lord is there the one inviting and we are simply a tool that He’s using to be present at that moment to give that message as that word that Stacey had for Robin regarding Lydia opening up her heart to hear the word of the Lord in the first place. You see, that’s what happened to you. Every one of us at some level are a Lydia because the Lord opened your heart to hear His word and you said yes to it. Yes to His finished work.

And then we get taught that I’m supposed to live this out for Him through how I’m supposed to embrace all that I’m doing in the midst of this. And somehow we forgot the first move and the first move is it’s all Him and we’re invited into His story.

And then when we see our story, our specific circumstances, then what we do is we begin to rest in Him and to say, “How is it that you see me?” I’ve heard Barb say that numerous times when going through something, “How is it you see me right now in this what I’m going through?” How do you see this circumstance right now that I’m going through? Not how I see it, how do you see it?

That too is a game changer because it’s beginning to look at it from his perspective.

Did I lose you? You’ve probably heard this enough to know what that is. Think about that in the context of paracaresis. Think about that in the context that the Lord redeemed, the Lord created, the Lord redeemed, the Lord sanctified. He did this marvelous work and so you’re, let’s say you’re standing there and going, “Wow, I was created in His image and likeness.” And then sin entered the world and then He came and rescued me and redeemed me and removed the condemnation of sin and the control of sin. And now He’s in the process of sanctifying me. He’s doing all of that. And so, okay, what do I do now?

Dance.

Dance.

Dance in the paracaresis, in that place of intimacy, of union, of communion that is so profound as more and more our minds are renewed. Because doesn’t the Scripture say that you’re complete in Him? Doesn’t it say you’re seated in Him? Doesn’t it say you’re hidden in Him? Doesn’t it say you’re a new creation in Him? And that’s here, right?

I know I’m talking to the choir again. But if this is true, if that’s true, then somehow all of those things start to coalesce, start to have this whole kind of infusion, this communion, this union, this interplay into the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that we are invited into. That place of intimacy.

And so when we go through things, again, to remember who you are and whose you are, and guess what? Where you are. To remember where you are. Who you are, whose you are, where you are.

And all of a sudden to begin to realize that the Christian life is impossible. It’s only Christ that makes it possible. And the more that we try to do it on our own strength and own power, the more that we see ourselves always questioning and always dealing with this sense that God’s displeasure is very, very close. Because we struggle so. Right?

And the more that our mind becomes renewed, it’s like our mind starts to catch up with what takes place in the Spirit. It’s fascinating, isn’t it, according to the Scriptures, what Paul will say in 1 Corinthians, you cannot talk about spiritual things to a carnal mind. Because the mind doesn’t get it. You can only talk spiritual things to a spiritual being. You are an enfleshed Spirit. You know when it says that the Lord will redeem body, soul, and spirit, the good news begins in your spirit and your soul begins to catch up. Your mind begins to catch up. That’s the renewing of the mind.

And see, the enemy is really, really good at trying to trick you into believing that nothing’s really happened. What if you begin to believe this, as to what it says? And what if you begin to believe when we celebrate this wonderful thing of Holy Trinity Sunday, of being able to say that you are invited, apart from His creating you, redeeming you, sanctifying you, that you are invited into this dance.

Don’t you love that passage in Zephaniah 3, 19, that the Lord dances over you. He invites you into that place, into that incredible place. And to say, “Lord, in every situation, moment by moment, because you are saving me moment by moment.” You know that as well, right?

Conversion and salvation happens continually. And in the very midst of, again, giving that to Him, it says there’s more joy in Heaven than over one who sees no need to do that.

The Lord rejoices over us when we let go of what diminishes who He’s called us to be in the first place. Can you imagine trying to dance like the jitterbug with your shoes tied together? And sometimes that’s what happens, is we get kind of tied up. And the Lord, you know, He wants to untie us, so there’s that freedom that happens.

Do you like that?

See, I think there’s something about this reality of Holy Trinity Sunday, that if we can kind of look at it and go, “I don’t know that I really get it, I don’t know that I really understand it, and if somebody were to ask me, maybe I’d come up with analogies and all that’s good.” But, no, we believe in one God, and I know there’s three. I don’t know how, what if you were to approach that and to say, “But how do you, how are you invited into that?”

See, that’s the good news. That’s why I mention that whole thing about the incarnation and the crucifixion and the resurrection and ascension and Pentecost to be able to look at all of that that He did for who? You. He did that for you. And I know you’ve heard this before, even if you were the only person that was ever created, He did that for you.

So, when you look at various analogies, like you can look at the water one, right? The clover one. I think the sun one’s always been, I think the sun has always been a valuable one. You’ve got the orb, you’ve got the sun, you’ve got the light, and you’ve got the heat. Okay? Another really good one is music. And I didn’t ask you guys to do this beforehand, but if you were to play three notes that make a chord, I don’t know if you can do that. Great. Can you play three different notes? Can you play them together? Got that? See, that’s another analogy. So, you’ve got three distinct chords. One chord’s not the other. I mean, one note’s not the other. The other note’s not the other. There’s three distinctness. But when you play them together, it’s a chord. There’s a harmony. There’s a harmony that happens when the three become one. They’re infused into that.

And you’re invited into that. You’re invited into the beauty and the wonder of all of that. That distinctness, that diversity, and yet the union and communion and fellowship you’re invited into that.

And Rick and I were talking about this one time. He came across this and it really spoke to him. And it’s a fact that Augustine came up with this one. And I still think to this day it is a profound way of talking about the trinity. The lover, the beloved, and the love that exists between them. The father is the lover, the son is the beloved, and the love that exists between them is the Holy Spirit.

So, if you have ever seen, and I’m going to, I would put this in the context of a younger couple because I think older people can have it even more profound than younger people. But if you’ve ever seen a younger couple and you look at them and you were to say, “They’re in love.” The way they look at one another. You know what I mean? You can just tell by the way they look at one another and all of that. And you can say that there’s something so special between the two of them. I can see the two of them, but there’s something else that’s so profound that draws them to one another that I’m just, let’s just say that you’re caught up with the fact of, “Wow, it would be nice if I had that one again.” That was an attempt at humor, it didn’t come over very good, did it?

But the notion of that love that’s there, you just see that. You hang up, no you hang up. You hang up, no you hang up. Some of you maybe never did that, I remember doing that.

So that whole thing that you’re invited into, that love between the lover and the beloved and the love between them, and you’re invited into them. To fully participate in that, because everything he’s done has been for you. See, that’s the good news that we carry out into the world. That’s the good news that sets people free. God’s for you.

And the bishop has said this often, “If you begin to get the revelation that God is for you,” it’s out of Romans, right? And you begin to steward that, you can change everything. And think of this passage, “He continually leads you in triumph.”

And who was the one this morning that had that word about aroma? Oh, maybe I heard it someplace else, never mind.

“But He continually leads you in triumph.” He’s continually for you. Man, if we can get our head into the game about who and whose we are, then when we go through things, I can be reminded to sink back into Him again. Right?

So remember when I shared with you last Sunday? And apparently that spoke to a few of you, because maybe you were at the same place. When I’d said that when we came back from California, I had come down with a bug, and Stacey had as well. And I was in the process of overcoming that, but it had been a long day, and I was tired, and I didn’t feel very well, and I woke up. And the weather there in California and Idaho was spectacular. And came back, and it was humid, and it was raining, and there was all of that. And I was waking up, getting ready to come here, and feeling a bit sorry for myself. And all of that, and talked to the Lord about it, and I said, “Lord, I don’t know this stuff that’s going on.” You know, all this going on, and then I heard Him say very clearly, and remember I shared this with you last Sunday? You didn’t get that from me. You didn’t get that from me.

And when I said it last Sunday, and it didn’t happen today, but when I said it last Sunday, several of you laughed, and I said, “That’s what I did.” As I just started laughing, I thought, “You’re right, Lord. That’s from me.” And that was an invitation at that moment to sink into Him, to sink into Him at that moment, and not stay there in that place. And find reasons to justify staying in that place. If I had found reasons to justify staying in that place as the day had gone on, this again is a rhetorical question. Would I have felt better? No.

To forget who you are, and whose you are, and where you are, man, oh man, comes at a cost. Comes at a cost. That’s why again you’re like in the book of James, where it’s so amazing where James will say, “Don’t be double-minded.” The double-minded person is an individual who looks at themselves in the mirror, and then goes away, and forgets what they look like. They forget who they are.

This feast of the Holy Trinity is again an invitation to be reminded of who you are, whose you are, and where you are. Amen? Yes. Amen.

So, to take about maybe seven minutes regarding those two questions, anything percolate on either one of those for anyone as to why you come, or as to what it is that we do, and any comment as to why we do it or question?

I come for the Eucharist. What’s that? I come for the Eucharist. Okay, you come for the Eucharist. Very good. Could you even put more flesh on what that means to you? Or maybe you don’t want to say anything else. Maybe that’s good. I don’t know. That’s good enough. Okay.

I don’t know if I say this word right. I agree with Veronica, the Eucharist, and a chance to just tug on to heaven, to the point that you’re up there at the communion rail and you don’t want to leave. You just want to keep tugging on heaven. I can feel maybe a little bit of that at home in my prayer, but not like when I met the table, just that ability to tug on to heaven and feel like I’m tugging on. But I come for the perichoresis. Perichoresis? The perichoresis? The perichoresis? There is, if you know me, I have my gospel plain in the car real loud. You probably heard me bumping down the road. But there is something about being with the body of Christ and praising God. Do I praise Him at home? Yes. But it’s like you magnify it for me and my soul and in my spirit when Lynn and Jane are leading us in worship. And we are praising God and raising our hands. And I’m singing part of the chorus when it’s not time to sing the chorus because that’s what my soul feels like doing in terms of praising God. And everybody else is praising. We’re all doing this. You ever seen kids and they hold hands and say, “Bring around the rosy.” And they’re happy. And they’re going around. And everybody’s going around. And everybody’s dancing. We all are one going to God, praising who He is and what He is. And it’s a group rally for God here. We get a group rally. I don’t know what else to call it. It’s a group rally. And not that I’m looking around at anybody else, but you could just… The spirit, the Holy Spirit, you just feel it and you know it. Now, I missed a couple Sundays. And did I miss that? Yes. It’s like for me, there was a chunk, somebody took a chunk out of who I am and what I feel. And I have to be careful not to let the enemy take more from that. But when I have that with that corporate praise and worship, there’s nothing like it. It’s like I’ve got a big hump goal that I can take with me for the rest of the week until I get here. And I want to get here and get some more of it again. So it’s kind of like that, if that’s that paraconesis that you’re talking about, it’s like everybody is worshiping and praising in their own way. And we’re praising and all these praises are going and we’re throwing our crowns at God’s feet. And it’s just, it’s a wonderful, wonderful time. I can’t, I don’t, I don’t, I get some of that at home, but I don’t get it like I get it when I’m here with the body, with the corporate body. We are all worshiping together, corporate.

That was a long answer. That’s wonderful. So let’s leave it, let’s leave it right there. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. No, no, I’m really glad, but I think that’s so profound. So absolutely profound to be able to take that in and to look at that. And so just to let that Germany, why, why you’re here, why you come, why it’s important to you and why, like for you, and I don’t know if that’s for everybody else, maybe it is. But why you notice when you’re not, what happens when you’re not.