During last week when Members of Parliament were sharpening their arguments and daggers for the coming election, there was a remarkable moment of unity in the House of Commons. That moment was when Craig Mackinlay, who had lost his arms and feet to sepsis, walked back into the chamber eight months after he very nearly died from the disease. The whole scene was very moving to watch. Every MP from every party stood up as one body and gave him a standing ovation. So what was it that turned the House of Commons, whose very architecture shouts out disagreement and dispute and whose members are so often shouting at each other, what turned the Commons into a body of people united in their response? It was, of course, the courage and resilience of one man, now being called the bionic MP. They were drawn out of their squabbling and disagreements and inspired by the personification of courage standing before them.
Today is Trinity Sunday, when we contemplate the mystery of God, a mystery hinted at in that wonderful reading from Isaiah. I appreciate that mention of the Trinity and the mystery of God could be a signal to switch off and think of Sunday lunch but I believe what we celebrate today is of profound importance in our understanding of God, in the way we live our lives and, dare I say, in helping us decide how to cast our vote in the general election. Allow me to outline what I mean.
Trinity is essentially relationship. Viewing God as Trinity draws together the different ways that God has intervened in our world. We think of God the Father who created the world in the first place. We think of Jesus Christ, God the Son, who, as a human being, showed God’s love for the world and pointed to ways out of the destructiveness of humanity – this is what Good Friday and Easter are all about. And we think of God the Holy Spirit which is the way God is at work in the world today – this is what Pentecost is all about. Three different acts where God has been and continues to be active – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We mention all these every week when we say the Creed. When God has been active as the Father creating the world, as the Son redeeming the world and as the Holy Spirit permeating the world, he is not like an actor who comes on stage as Father wearing one hat, then goes off stage and returns as Son wearing another hat. He then exits again returning wearing yet another hat as Holy Spirit. No, that’s not how it works. It is closer to (and this is the best analogy I can think of) a set of triplets who are closely related because they come from the same source and yet they are three separate beings. Triplets come from the same egg, have nearly identical DNA but are separate people.
Returning to the Commons last week, all MPs, regardless of their differences, rose as one to welcome Craig Mackinley. They were inspired by his courage and they were drawn together, united and acted as one in their praise and congratulations. When Craig Mackinley looked around, he would have seen them as one body, even though the body was made up of very different people with a variety of views. Now, I am not suggesting for one nano-second that the Holy Trinity can be compared to members of the House of Commons but this event provides a helpful image. We know, through the actions of Jesus Christ, that we are loved greatly by God. We heard in the Gospel a few minutes ago that God loved the world so much that he sent his Son to help deliver it from its destructive tendencies. Indeed, God exists for the world, though God is not dependent on it for his existence: this, again, points to the fact that God loves the world and that each of us, in God’s eyes, is loveable, even though we may not always think it. Regardless of what we do or don’t do, this love will never be removed – we are surrounded by it whether we recognise it or not. The God who created each of us loves us and wants us to flourish, often despite ourselves. So, God is inspired by love for us. When we, in turn, look and focus on God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, whether we focus in prayer, reflection, study or imagination we learn something about relationship that brings energy and renewed life to us in our own worlds.
Trinity is relationship and the dynamic of that relationship is a model for us all. It is a relationship of interdependence where each respects the integrity and otherness of the others so that each can thrive and flourish in their own right. They look out for each other. They ‘dance’ together, respecting and honouring their differences. This is called the Dance of the Trinity which is depicted by many artists highlighting that the Trinity is not a top-down hierarchy but a lively, dynamic relationship. It models for us how relationships can enable us all to flourish. Let me highlight three points that emerge in this.
First, we flourish by doing all that we can to help others to flourish. It is a mutual flourishing. Our flourishing depends upon others being able to flourish, whether those others are in our home, in our church, in our community or in other parts of our world. We cannot flourish unless others can flourish in their own right.
Secondly, in order for all to grow and become the people we were created to be, one cannot dominate or control the other, one cannot force or even expect the other to act in any predetermined way, to think or believe in a particular way. Each person needs simply to be.
Thirdly, there is a need for us all to be vulnerable. Being willing to be vulnerable is to be strong, it is not to be weak. All persons of the Trinity have shown themselves to be vulnerable – it is through vulnerability that they have shown and continue to show love.
I end by returning to the House of Commons that can, as we have seen, act in a kind and encouraging way and be moved by the plight of others. We will be hearing a lot of promises and pledges from our elected politicians over the coming weeks. It will be interesting to hear how many will speak about mutual flourishing as opposed to one group flourishing at the expense of another. It will be interesting to hear how many use the language of domination, control and force. And it will be interesting to hear how many are willing to show themselves to be vulnerable, recognising that they have made mistakes and are open to learn from them.
Sermon preached at Wootton Courtenay, Exmoor, on 26 May 2024, Trinity Sunday. Readings Isaiah 6.1-8; John.3.1-17.
Bishop Brian Castle 