It's all about conversations...

From Helen

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, the day that we think of the majesty and glory of God as we think of the fact that God created us, God became one of us and God walks with us now as the Holy Spirit. 

This could be the most complex of all days but actually I think that it may be simpler than we expect. I want you to think for a moment of conversations. I as you know hardly ever talk ! I never have much to say, but more seriously have you ever thought about the number of different conversations we may hear a day. It may be other people talking to us, it may be us talking to other people, it may be the radio, the television, eavesdropping – and I am afraid we all probably do that from time to time but conversation can tell us so much. 

A while ago my Mum was going on holiday to Italy. She was really looking forward to it, but imagine my surprise when she told me that she was going to Cornwall. I told Ian that she wasn’t going to Italy anymore but Cornwall and she seemed really happy about it. I told Ian’s Mum about my Mum going  to Cornwall now instead. I asked my Mum what had changed, she explained that she was going to Lake Como not Cornwall and all I had heard was her say Como and I took that to mean Cornwall !

Life and conversations  can be very confusing. People have tried so many ways to explain how God can be three in one and one in three. Theologians have had headaches on this, lots of ways to explain the Trinity have been thought up but actually one of the best ones I think involves talking, and not just because that is something close to my heart.

There is a very famous icon of the trinity that has God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit all sat around a table. Around this table they are talking to one another. There is a unity in their appearance but there is something slightly different about each one of them as well. I was thinking that actually it is a painting of a relationship, of a conversation. I love the idea of God and relationship. Relationship like a conversation is something that we can understand.

In our readings today we heard more about the relationship of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the reading from Proverbs(8:1-4,22-310 we heard of wisdom, wisdom was seen as God coming into our world and giving us wise words to help us live our lives. From the beginnings of the Church, wisdom was seen as Jesus. Wisdom had been present before creation, wisdom had something to say to the world. 

In our epistle reading (Romans 5:1-5) we heard of us having a relationship with God ourselves through Jesus’ death on the cross. We heard of God as Holy Spirit pouring the love of God into our hearts, in our gospel reading (John 16:12-15) we heard of God reaching out to us and each part of God using the other part to speak to us. Almost like a relay race one part of God informs the other who in turn informs us.

Now a bit like Chinese whispers, here is where a relationship can get confusing. God existed before all time, each part of God was there and they worked as one, and before we get a headache we can think of the relationship of God and then start to wonder where we fit in. 

Each part of God talks to the other so that we can be invited into the relationship. I want you to imagine that you are in a really dark room, and think of how you will find your way to the door. In this dark room you suddenly jump as you realize that there is someone else by the side of you, and then your fear turns to joy when you realize that they have a torch and can help you find your way out. After this you notice that someone else has come into the room behind you and they are in the dark and so you pass them the torch so they can find their way out and this keeps happening until you suddenly realize that you are all outside in the light. 

God is in a relationship, He has a conversation going on and you are invited into this. When we turn to God and enter into that relationship with Him He passes us a torch, a light that is Himself so that we can walk in the world as His children. This is a relationship, a relationship of true love. God loves us all and He asks us to love Him too. If that is the only thing that we can ever remember in life – well, we have everything. AMEN