Trinity, Community, and the Image of God

Holy Trinity Sunday, Year C
Texts: Prov 8.1-4, 21-30; Rom 5.1-5; Jn 16.12-15

Today we celebrate the identity of God as triune: Father, Christ and Spirit. The idea of a God that is both one and three at the same time doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s because it isn’t an idea that was reasoned out and created; we experienced it. Trinity is what you get when you testify to the experience that the God of Israel raised Jesus from the dead. It’s impossible to really wrap one’s head around it, but in the end, what is truly important about the idea of trinity is not what it is, but what it means.

While We Wait

Easter 7, Year C; Ascension (observed)
Texts: Acts 16.16-34; Rev 22.12-21; Jn 17.20-26

Today is the 43rd day of Easter. The season of Lent has 40 days, but Easter has 50. It’s a reminder that the joy of Easter outweighs the somberness of Lent; that the feast is bigger than the fast. But this far into the season of Easter, the excitement of that resurrection morning has begun to wear off a bit. Alleluia! Christ is risen! But, where is he?

This week, we also celebrated Ascension Day. Ascension, 40 days after Easter, is the day when Jesus left his disciples and ascended into heaven. It marks the end of Jesus’ physical presence among his disciples, which we recognize by extinguishing our Paschal candle. He leaves his disciples with the promise that he will return, but he leaves them all the same. 43 days into Easter, 3 days after the Ascension, here we are, waiting.