Introduction
Contemplating God as Trinity takes our minds to a mystery that is beyond what we can name, and yet is closer to us than we can know. The world is made and loved into being by God, and it speaks to us of God’s presence above us around us and within us – ‘the whole earth is full of his glory’ (Isaiah 6.3). However, this world is fragile and so are we, but God’s empowering love and healing can make us into a people who reflect God’s glory, however unworthy we might feel.
Context
Made to reflect God’s glory
We are made in God’s image – not to live in splendid isolation, but to love one another. That God’s image is reflected in each one of us speaks to us of our human need for one another, and our completeness in God – found within the community of the gathered people of God. The Trinity is a window into the kind of love that characterises God’s relationship with us – self-giving, dynamic and radically inclusive. How well do we measure up to this kind of loving and living in our own lives and as church?
The bible readings for this Sunday also offer two pictures of God – the one who is surrounded by angelic beings in glory, and before whom all creation cries ‘holy’! This God, who seems beyond the writer’s reach, is also the God who reaches down to forgive and to heal – and then the God who gives us a task to do. This is a God who desires us to be in right relationship with God and with one another, and a God who relies on us to speak and live the message that ‘God so loved the world’ (John 3:16). The gospel depends on our ‘yes’ to the task of speaking and living the good news in the world – and that requires us to listen to what God is asking of us. How well are we listening to God’s call today?
Fragile – with care!
Our earth is both awesome and fragile. Freak weather conditions in America (floods) and India (heatwaves) and an erupting volcano on the Galapagos islands remind us how little we are in control of nature, and yet at the same time how responsible we are for our long term future on this planet. There are many examples we could choose to illustrate how our life on earth is under threat from climate change. In Ukraine, Iraq and other troubled areas we see how fragile human flourishing is and how delicate the balance of power can be in some areas.
What does it mean for us to live in unity? In this country politicians talk of being ‘in it together’ but what does that mean when the gap between rich and poor is widening. Is it possible to consider unity not as meaning ‘the same’, but as referring to God’s prioritising of the weakest and the least in the economy of the kingdom? When talk is about reforming Europe and conversation turns to the free movement of people and goods across the member states of the EU, how do we respond to what that unity might require of us? How do we learn as nations to be both united and differentiated? Why do human rights matter?
Reflection
How do we think of our life together as church? Do we expect that other people will be ‘like us’ or have we worked out how to co-exist in harmony enabling each other to shine and to grow so that together we reflect more and more of God’s glory? What might this mean in our education and learning as church? Can we see each stage of faith and of life as having unique insights and contributions to make?
What does it mean to be equals in the body of Christ? How might that challenge our thinking and understanding of about the place of (for example) children in our church? What opportunities exist for us as adults to learn from children and young people? How might this challenge our view of welcome (receiving gifts from the visitor, rather than us being the giver, perhaps?); or our understanding of evangelism (do we learn from newcomers to our church – or do we think that they need to learn from us?) How might this shape our understanding of leadership and collaborative ministry? Can we work towards a church where clergy and lay leaders each have equal but different gifts for the building up of the body?
What is our response to difference? How well are we working in partnership with neighbouring churches or faith groups? How easy, or difficult, is it for us to understand their distinctiveness and to value it, rather than seeking to make them ‘like us’? How does being ‘equal but different’ affect our priorities, planning and budgeting? What particular aspect of God’s image is communicated to us through the weakest, the smallest, the youngest and the poorest?
Prayer
God of glory,
we lift our eyes to you,
we open our ears and our hearts,
we listen for your voice.
God of tenderness and love,
we thank you for meeting us where we are,
for calling us always to new life and new hope,
for filling our lives with your presence,
for remaking and reshaping us.
God of challenge,
may we notice where you are calling us to something new,
and be ready to let go of the old.
May we never settle down to comfortable patterns of faith,
but live as a people on the move,
knowing that you hold our lives in your hands,
and you will love us to the end.
May we hear you in the rush and stress of our daily lives,
calling us to follow you.
May we receive from you the gifts we need to live as you want us to live,
and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
May we say ‘yes’ to your call.
Amen.
Questions
- Is there anyone who may need encouragement to use their gifts more fully or to understand what their gifts might be?
- How good are we in our church at making space for the gifts of others?
- When we look for volunteers are we thinking in terms of teams - or simply of filling in a gap?
- Does the church council or ministry team or equivalent work in a way that expresses unity in difference?
Action
What can you do to express appreciation of other people’s particular gifts this week?
Young People
- What particular gifts do you think each age group brings to the life of the church?
- Are they all equally valued?
- How can you tell?
Diane Craven is a freelance education consultant and writer. She has recently completed a PhD in Theology and Education, and is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England.
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