Trinity – Holy Cross Episcopal Church

Trinity Sunday May 30, 2010

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Romans 5:1-5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 16:12-15

I have good news for you. You have inherited a magnificent mansion â€“ in fact, a palace, a castle, an estate of enormous expanse and magnificence beyond your wildest dreams. Itâ€™s very old, filled with art treasures and beautiful antique furniture. But itâ€™s also been renovated, brought up to date with new wiring and plumbing and all. Youâ€™ve been given the key to the front door; youâ€™re free to wander and explore; there are servants eager to show you about and attend to your needs and desires.

Iâ€™m talking about the Holy Trinity, and with it the whole theological and ecclesiological edifice that weâ€™ve inherited as Christians and Anglicans.

Romans 8:12-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Â John 3:1-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you

calling in the night. â€“Daniel L. Schutte

All of us, all human beings, have heard that call in the night. The call of something or Someone beyond ourselves, greater than ourselves. A Greater-Than that offers the hope of meaning to our lives here on earth, our struggles, our joys and sufferings.

Imagine two groups of scientists. The one searches the farthest reaches of the universe with powerful telescopes, offering data on what they see, further annotations in technical treatises, passed on to other experts who may be interested. The other group of scientists are standing around the rim of a huge crater in the surface of the earth, or perhaps in a submarine inspecting a deep concavity under the ocean. They are trying to work out what happened, what force, what dimensions and at what speed caused this impact, and what its consequences have been or are or will be for life on our planet.

I owe this analogy of the two groups of scientists to the Catholic theologian James Alison,* who says that it is the second group of scientists, those looking at the crater, who are most like us when we think about God.