Proverbs 8.22 – 31
Psalm 8
Romans 5. 1 – 5
John 16. 12 – 15
A minister of a congregation was performing his annual Baptismal rites in a river. He
asked all his candidates to be Baptised, to go and stand waist – deep in the river. As he
was about to baptize, he told the group ‘well folks, when I baptize you everything that
goes under belongs to God.’ When he approached Charles to baptize him he noticed him
holding his wallet up in the air and out of water his entire body was inside the water.
Charles, there are too many of us who half heartedly commit ourselves to Baptismal
promise given in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and behave
like Christians of convenience holding certain things, certain comforts, certain petty ideas
and certain persons up not allowing a total drowning in the stream of the Triune God.
In the Scriptures, our God revealed himself as a person, not as a power or force or a
fairytale mega super being. He showed himself as the creating person a parental figure.
Jesus in his Jewish style called him Abba Father. The same God manifested himself as
the redeeming person in the form of a human being called Jesus, who called himself as
the Son of God. He was present from the beginning even before the universe was created
as the Book of Proverbs proclaims. He also exhibited himself as the sanctifying and the
unifying person in the form of wind and fire. Jesus asked us to call him the Holy Spirit.
The dogma of the Trinity has been so much debated, questioned, talked about, but still we
cannot fathom out its deep reality. Theologian Theron Price was once asked by a young
person why the Trinity is important. He offered four suggestions. First, “It is important
that we take seriously what our forbearers have formulated, with great wisdom and
devotion.” Second, “However, one does not become a Christian be believing ideas they
have formulated.” Third, “The doctrine of the Trinity is the Church’s way of trying to
say in one piece, what the Bible seems to be saying in many pieces.” Fourth, “The
Trinity is a an attempt to express as an idea, what Christians have learned through
experience.”
Though we do not know the full implications of these names, one thing we are certain
about our God. We profess and worship a God of love, He is the source of love, act of
love and the end of love. As Paul writes in his letter today, we even boast of our
afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces proven
character, and proven character, hope, and hope produces proven character, and proven
character, hope, and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured
out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Truly we take pride
in asserting ourselves that, we are the children of God who loves us so much that He
created us out of nothing, that He redeemed us out of our inner darkness, that He decided
to stay with us as Emmanuel though Jesus, and that He continues to act in us, through us,
to offer fuller life to the entire human family and the universe.
Therefore, a true Christian cannot just be individualistic but he/she is to be community-
oriented. A Christian of Triune God finds in his/her life fulfillment and joy by being
united, being connected with family, group, team, and community. Christian personality
never excludes anyone on earth because of his/her differences. A Christian believes that
he/she belongs to one and only one family of God’s children. He/she cannot consider
himself/herself a lonely island. Being a child of God is his /her pride; belonging to a
family or community is his/her strength. We should continue to carry within us the ideal
Christian identity and personality and enjoy it fully to the brim.
Paul always greeted his Christians saying: “The grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” And this is how the priest greets
us whenever we come to participate in the Eucharist. We believe a God whose nature is
relationship of love. He is community of love. He always risks love; His nature is so
intimate that people like Moses could request Him to ‘come then, walk in our company.’
So now we know, why for more than two millenniums we Christians base all our words
and actions and actions on love. Our entire Christians life has become a life of love. We
love God and worship and serve him as best as we can. That is why we forgive, tolerate,
united, encourage, support share and care even die for the cause of love of God. We, the
community of God’s love, join together in love today to participate in a love-meal
instituted by Jesus. Let us be nourished with his love and go to our valleys and
mountains to announce and witness the same love, we experienced in today’s Eucharist.
God bless