Body

"Reflections Of God"

(Psalm 8:1-9, Matthew 28:16-20)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

INTRODUCTION:

Did you hear the story about the Three Stooges? It seems that Moe, Larry and Curly had been selected as candidates for an intelligence test. (Go figure) They were examined by a whole battery of doctors, educators, psychiatrists and psychologists. It came to the math section of the test and the chief mathematician asked Curly, "What's three times three?"

Curly did calculations on his hand and in the air. Rubbing out a portion and starting over. Finally tallying up the answer, Curly proudly announced, "274."

The doctor shot him one of those astonished looks, wrote down the answer and then turned to Larry. "OK, it's your turn. What is three times three?" Larry had gone into one of his vacuous daydream states and didn't really hear the question. When the doctor nudged him and said, "You can answer, today, if you'd like," Larry smiled and said, "Tuesday."

The doctor shot Larry one of those astonished, what tree did you fall out of looks, wrote down the answer and then turned to Moe. Moe of course had been watching all of this and called his partners "Imbecile, numbskull" and all those other Stooge words of endearment. The doctor asked Moe, "OK, let's get it over with, it's your turn. What's three times three?"

Moe smiles real big and says, "Ahh, that's easy. Nine."

"That's great," says the doctor. "How did you get that?"

Moe says, "It was simple? I subtracted 274 from Tuesday." (1)

Now, I'm not very good at math. I have trouble doing math with a calculator. But even I know that the math in today's Scripture doesn't add up. You see, today is Trinity Sunday. And the basic math of Trinity Sunday is that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. That's the basic premise of Trinity Sunday. We talk about God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "God in three persons, blessed Trinity." And yet, while we talk of "God in three persons" we speak of God as one God.

We use the ancient Hebrew formula of the Shema found in Deuteronomy to profess our faith in a single God. "Shema, Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echod." Or to translate "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." So how are we supposed to understand this new Math from the Kingdom of God? How are we supposed to understand the Trinity?

First we have to realize that the Trinity is a mystery that has to be taken on faith. One preacher told his congregation that the problem with the Trinity is that if you don't believe it you risk losing your soul, but if you try to explain it you risk losing your mind.

We're not called to unscrew the inscrutable. Some things can only be accepted as a mystery of the faith. Yet, while we can't fully comprehend it, we CAN understand some of it. This Three-in-one, Triune, Trinitarian God is best understood in relationship. Relationship with the world, with the Son, with the Spirit and with us. You see, each aspect of the Trinity is just a partial reflection of the "Fullness of God," that enables us to talk about our relationship with God. Let's look at those reflections. These won't be adequate but they might help us understand a little about the Trinity.

I. GOD THE FATHER, The Creative Reflection of God:

This Psalm reminds us that God is first and foremost, the Creator of all that is. From the tallest mountain to the smallest cell of the smallest insect to the smallest particle of the smallest atom, God created it all. God created every aspect of the universe, stars and sun and moon and the very breath we breathe. The very thought of the breath we breathe were all thought of and created by God.

One of the basic tenets of Christianity is that God is the force and the energy behind everything that is, was or ever will be. Without God there would be nothing.

This Psalm also reminds us that Nature bears witness to God. Who would believe that a butterfly can fly for 2,000 miles to escape the winter? That's exactly what the Monarch Butterfly does. Even though people have been skeptical, it's been documented and it is true. It is absolutely amazing that a little caterpillar, weaves a cocoon and then becomes a beautiful butterfly which flies through the air with the greatest of ease. And then will migrate 2,000 miles to avoid winter. (2) There are so many things in nature that are absolutely amazing. How can anybody think that it all came into being by accident, in a stew pot of juices and chemicals that was randomly struck by lightening? To me, that's more unbelievable than a God of Creation who did it all on purpose.

Science and technology fascinate me as they continue to do and create amazing things. But what is even more amazing is looking at a herd of Dairy Cattle and realizing that no matter what we have accomplished, the greatest scientists in the world have not yet figured out how to turn grass into milk.

"O LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" God is the Creative entity behind all that is. And God the Father is a Reflection of that creativity.

II. GOD THE SON, The Redemptive Reflection of God:

A. Speaking of God the Son, points to the Redemptive Reflection of God. This Psalm tells us that God is the Creator. It also tells us that we are the created. But created in a very special way, and in a very special relationship.

The Psalmist says: "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor." (3-5)

It's amazing to think that God, the Creator of all that is and was and ever will be; God the Father, chose to create us and "crown [us] with [the] glory and honor" of being in relationship with us. That's what Creation was all about. God the Father, created all of this world and this universe, for His beloved children, us.

But like Children we rebelled. We went astray. We sought our own way rather than that designed for us from the beginning by our relationship with our Heavenly Father. And having gone astray, having gotten lost, we needed to be found and offered a way back to the one who created us. Jesus, the Son of God, is that way back. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Redemptive Reflection of a God who loves us to no end.

B. It was one of those pitch black nights. Darker than dark. Cloud cover made it even darker. All of a sudden the quietness of the house was broken by a small voice crying, "Daddy, I'm scared!"

Still three-quarters asleep Daddy responded, "You don't need be afraid, Daddy's right across the hall." There was a brief pause and the voice cried out again, "I'm still scared." A little more awake this time, Daddy replied, "You don't need to be afraid God is with you. God loves you."

This time the pause was longer . . . but the voice cried out again, "I don't care about God, Daddy; I want someone with skin on!"

After thousands of years of our being lost; after thousands of years of not getting God's message; after thousands of years of our wandering in the wilderness of our own sin, our Creator decided that the best way to demonstrate the redemptive love that God has for us, was to send "someone with skin on."

Jesus, the Son of God, is the Redemptive Reflection of God, who wrapped himself in flesh and blood; stepped out of heaven and into time to become one of us and walk where we walk, live as we live. This Jesus gave His life on the cross. And there, the One Who is perfect and sinless, wrapped in our pain and suffering, willingly and purposely put on the rags and weight of our sin like an old coat. Under the weight of our sin and degradation, He died so that we could see the Redemptive Reflection of God.

III. GOD THE SPIRIT, The Sustaining Reflection of God:

God also knew that redemption, alone, wouldn't be enough. The Children of Israel had been redeemed. They had been set free from slavery and marked as God's chosen people. But apparently the mark wore off or they forgot what it meant. So, God decided to do something new. And last Sunday marked that new thing. God decided to become present to everyone who believes through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the Sustaining Reflection of God. The Spirit sustains us and strengthens us in difficult times and reminds us of our calling. It reminds us who we are and Whose we are.

Do any of you remember St. Patrick's Prayer? It is a perfect example and description of the Holy Spirit being the Sustaining Reflection of God.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mind of friend and stranger.

The presence of God's Holy Spirit is simply God with us, every day in every way, through Christ Jesus the Son of God.

During the shooting of Ben Hur, Charleton Heston was training to drive a chariot for the big race scene. But Heston was having trouble with the chariot complained. "I can barely stay on this thing. I can't win the race." Cecil B. DeMille told Heston, "Your job is to stay on it. It's my job to make sure you win."

The Spirit is the one who brings the victories for God. Our job is simply to stay in the chariot of Faith and to live Christ like lives. (3)

IV. CALLED TO BE DAILY REFLECTIONS:

That brings us to back to our math problem. 1 + 1 + 1 DOES equal 1. One God, in three persons. One God in three reflections. One God: Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. But the truth is, we've only scratched the surface. It's still one of those mysteries of faith.

Besides having explained it, we could all utter a loud, "So what?" And that "So what?" is really the meat of the matter. For without a "So what?" it wouldn't make much difference. But then that's the point. It should and does make a difference. It makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Why? Because, just like the Trinity, WE'RE called to be Reflections of God.

We're called to be daily reflections of the One who created us, redeemed us and sustains us. We're called to be reflections for the world to see. That's what the Great Commission in our Gospel reading from Matthew is all about.

Jesus didn't say: "Go back to your rooms and homes and hide there safe from the world." He didn't say: "Go back to the way you've always done things." Or "Go back and keep the life changing Good News a secret amongst yourselves."

No, Jesus said: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We've been commissioned to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and be reflections of God and God's glory in the world today.

Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. One of the saddest sight of all was the little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities. Early one chilly morning, an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little boy with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts.

The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the boy was standing. Through the steamed-up window he could see the pastries as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully. The soldier's heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. "Son . . . would you like some of those?" The boy was startled. "Oh, yes Sir, . . . I would!"

The American stepped inside and bought a dozen doughnuts, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the boy was standing in the foggy cold of the morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are."

As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the boy ask: "Mr. . . . are you God?" (4)

We are never more like God or reflect the love of God more than when we give and share with others unselfishly.

CONCLUSION:

The Trinity is hard to explain. No explanation is large enough or thorough enough. But then I'm not so sure I want them to be. My faith wouldn't be tested. And a God that I could thoroughly understand without question would be much to small. We may never understand the fullness of God or the revelation of God in the Trinitarian Reflections of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we CAN be reflections of God and God's love for us and the world. We can be reflections and carry out Christ's Great Commission.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

____________________________________________________

Bibliography

1. Adapted., Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), June 1999

2. Preaching Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)

2. (Leadership Journal, Max Lucado, Summer 1992, p.22)

3. Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), January 1984

Other References Consulted

* Dynamic Preaching, Apr/May/Jun 1999 Vol XIV, No. 2. (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)

* Emphasis, May-June 1999, Sermon Prep Version. (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH)

* Homiletics, May/Jun 1999, Volume 11, Number 3. (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)

* Lectionary Homiletics, Volume X, Number 6, May 1999, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)

* Sermon Mall - Trinity Sunday 1999, www.SermonMall.com

* LectionAid (Software Version), Volume 7, Number 3, 1999 (LectionAid, Inc., Wichita, KS)

*The Clergy Journal, Feb:1998, Volume LXXV, Number 4, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)

*The Clergy Journal, May/June:1998, Volume LXXIV, Number 7, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)