Trinity Sunday
Ex 34: 4b-6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 3: 16-18
Dc. Larry Brockman
It’s all about the name!
Now, for a moment, consider your own names. How did you get them and what do they mean? First, there is the Family name. The root of some of your names probably refers to an attribute or skill. I have been told that my family name’s roots are in brick laying skills, for example. Others are named after their parents- like for example Erickson- son of Eric. The point is that each person’s name meant something- it was a way to define, to identify, who they were. As we became more numerous- the family name wasn’t enough to identify us. There were a whole lot of Smiths and Whites and Carpenters, for example. And so, we added one or more other names. These were often chosen to honor someone in our families. We say, for example that so and so is named after their Grandfather. Others are named after some hero or popular personality. And so, identity and honor are two main attributes of names. That is basically a trend that God instilled in us- because He wanted us to honor and respect His name and identity.
Now, in the first reading, the Lord comes down out of a cloud and the first thing He does is to proclaim His own name! He simply says- “Lord”, or in Hebrew “Yahweh”, meaning “I am who am”; the self-existent; the Eternal one. And then He repeats that name several times for emphasis. This name was considered so Holy and awesome by the Israelis that they wouldn’t even say it aloud. And so, we have a hint about why God wants us to know Him by name. God the Father wants us to know Him, honor Him, and respect Him and to recognize His identity at all times. In fact, the first several commandments, which were about to be handed down on those stones we heard about, lay it all out for us: I am your God; have no false Gods; and show me respect by not taking my name in vain and by honoring me on the Sabbath.
God the Father is the one who is eternal, who existed before anything else, and who will always exist; and the one who made everything. Indeed, He wants us to know Him for that- who He is and what He has done. He wants us to know and accept His name! When you think about how awesome the one and only God is, how can you possibly do otherwise?
Now God made everything that is, and it was all made out of Love so He could share it with His creation. Paul reminds us of that in the second reading. There he greets the Corinthians with a fascinating reference to the Trinity when he says: “The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” How many times have we heard that- but do we understand it.
We have just heard how God the Father gave emphasis to His name. But in the Gospel, importance of the name of God comes up again. We are told by John that unless we believe in the name of the only Son of God, we cannot be saved. Now lots of people hang up on this statement. Are we to take it literally? First of all, consider what the name “Jesus” means. This is the name the angel Gabriel told Mary that her child should be named. And it means- Jehovah, the Lord, is Salvation. “Christ” means the anointed one, or chosen one. So Jesus Christ is God from whom Salvation comes; and He is the chosen person in Human form to be the Savior.
We know that believing in the Name means a couple of things: It means believing in the identity of the name; and it means respecting the name and giving it honor. And so it is essential for everyone to believe that the one true God is the Salvation of the World and to respect Him, as symbolized by respecting His name. Those who do these things believe in His name. Those who believe in His name will be saved.
Now we hear that Paul also hopes that the grace of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with us. These are the things that God the Father gave us out of love. The Grace of Jesus Christ is captured by the life of Jesus Christ- the Gospel. We need to live the example of that Gospel to be in that grace. And the Holy Spirit works within us to bring us out of ourselves and to love each other; and share our Christian Joy with others.
It occurs to me that this is what our families are all about. Moms and dads share the Love of God and the Grace of Jesus Christ; and through the Spirit dwelling in them, they pass on the name of God and the message of the Gospel to their Children. The family is the living expression of the Trinity. And so what better way for us to celebrate Father’s Day than to celebrate the Trinity.
Our fathers play the role of God the Father in our family. They are the initiators of new life; they are responsible for loving their spouse and their family; and they act as role models by showing the grace of Jesus Christ as they interact with their Children and the outside world through the inspiration of the Spirit.
And so, my wish to fathers out there today this Father’s day is simply this: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you Dad’s out there today.
