Feast of the Holy Trinity

 


SERMON FOR TRINITY SUNDAY


We’ll begin by referencing a 1932 film called “Grand Hotel.”  We hear it being said, at least twice, that the Grand Hotel is a place where people come and people go. When Greta Garbo checks in early on, she delivers one of the most memorable lines in cinema history: 


I want to be alone. 


She is playing the role of an aging ballerina; a ballerina whose best days are behind her. When she performs, the crowds seem to be getting smaller and smaller. And the reviews are becoming increasingly negative. According to the schedule, she is to dance at a nearby venue. However, she is not sure that she can go through with it. She wants to be alone with her thoughts. She wants very much to be alone.  


It’s worth considering: what does the Lord want? Does he want to be alone? Actually, the evidence points the other way. His desire can be described as the opposite of Greta Garbo’s desire. God chooses to exist as a community of persons, or rather as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. He surrounds himself with angels. And if that wasn’t enough, he even creates us: the human race. All of this has been chronicled for you in the Book of Genesis 1:26-31. 


Nevertheless, when we proceed into chapter three, God notices something new. Suddenly the man and the woman are being careful to avoid him (3:8-10). What does their body language indicate? Effectively, they want to be alone. For Greta Garbo, it’s simply time taking its toll. But for Adam and Eve, they have no concept of time. And yet, now they will be entering directly into the world of time. They have to leave the garden—the place that had been set aside for them. For all practical purposes, they have stepped away from God’s plan. What remains to be seen is whether God will step away from them? 


Thankfully, the Lord has a “Plan B.”  He’s committed to staying in touch. In fact, he does much more than that. When we reach a stage identified as “the fullness of time,” the Lord will take his place here among us (Gal. 4:4). He follows us into the world of time. He bonds with us through the person of the Son. Then, subsequently, that bond will be maintained through the activity of the Holy Spirit. For what purpose? To lead us on a journey. Where to, exactly? We are once again going beyond the world of time. 


Are we heading back to the garden? That would be quite a favor. Can we really expect the Lord to bless us so extravagantly? Can we expect him to be that good to us? As it turns out, we are in line to inherit something more than a garden: we are being welcomed into the Lord’s domain; in scripture it’s called the Kingdom of God (1st Thess. 2:12). He’s being excessively good to us; far better than we deserve. 


You have to wonder: is this the behavior of somebody who wants to be alone? Definitely not. As was noted earlier, he has chosen to exist as a Trinity of persons. That in itself prevents him from being alone. His plans, whether plan “A” or plan “B,” have to do with moving the needle. Being a community of persons makes him less alone. Being accompanied by angels makes him even less alone. Imagine the needle moving further away from that “alone” setting. Finally, we are brought into the picture. And so the needle moves some more. What is it that motivates this divine initiative? It would appear that St. John provides all the explanation that we will ever need: God is love (1st John 4:16). When we call our God a Trinitarian God, it’s basically another way of saying that God is love. 

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