Our God is personal, and intimately bound up in who we are and what we do. We acknowledge Him as Creator and Lord, as architect of the universe and author of life. His Word became flesh so that He could enter fully into all of the dimensions and experiences of our human journey in the person of Jesus, son of Mary. He promised, then sent His Spirit to anoint, consecrate and live on in all who would come to believe in Him as Messiah and Lord. They would be witnesses in each generation to the God who is Father, Son and Spirit.
We hear again through our readings that God has been very active on our behalf, from the time of our ancestors in faith, during Christ’s life, right up to this present moment. We have been the recipients of our God’s continual outpouring of love, healing and forgiveness. Today our God invites us to respond as a grateful, rejoicing people, even as we see suffering and death all around us.
The readings today do not attempt to “explain” the Trinity to us, but they do reveal how God works. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The Scriptures reveal that when our God reaches out towards us we can get a pretty good idea what He is like. It is not a matter of doctrinal definition, but rather the experience of a loving God who does not give up on us, even when we give up on ourselves and Him.
God spares nothing. No effort is too much to make the point, even going so far as to give the Son into our hands. This enfleshed love can come to any of us and transform us. No one is left out of this loving embrace of God revealed to us in Christ.
God reaches out to us through Jesus, His Son and our brother, and who is the full sign of God’s love for all people. We may not be able to define this God of ours, or list all of His attributes, but this much we do know: our God is merciful, gracious and relentless in His love. If our life as the community of the people of God is as vital as Paul says it is, it will reflect the very real and active presence of the Trinity living among us and binding us together.
We do not celebrate a “doctrine” today. We celebrate the active presence of a God who continues to pour out His love on this community, journeying in faith.
