Divine Relations
Romans 8:12-17
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
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Following our celebration of Pentecost and the Church's birth, we arrive at Trinity Sunday, which reminds us of how all of this was made possible. Or I guess we should say, "who," made this all possible, the Godhead, three in one. The question of what the Trinity is: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, has bounced around the minds of theologians and philosophers throughout the ages. And to this day, the best explanation for the Trinity is that it's a holy mystery. We affirm that we worship one God, yet we understand this God as three simultaneous expressions of the divine encapsulated into one being. Yet, our focus for today isn't on the doctrinal history of the Trinity or philosophy; it is on the relational aspect of the Trinity, which sheds profound light on how we live our lives today.
You could say the Trinity is the first example of communal living we find in Holy scripture. From the beginning, we see the play between God and the Spirit, which hovered over the formless void of creation. And while Jesus does not make his appearance until the New Testament, we hear about the one who is our advocate, the one who prays for us, and the one who will come to show us the path of life. This close-knit divine community relies on a sure understanding of identity. Knowing, knowing who we are as people created in the image of God. If we can understand who we are in the eyes of God, free from the judgments of culture and society, we might discover a sense of freedom to live in the knowledge of knowing we are loved and free to love.
Our freedom to know who we are and our freedom to love and be loved is grounded in this first divine relationship. God provides the framework found in the laws of the Word. Yet, rules and principles are not enough to free us from the shackles of fear and death. That is where Christ enters the picture and goes to the cross and dies for us, liberating our hearts from the darkness that grips us and tries to take hold. And then the breath of the Holy Spirit breathes new life. A life that brought Christ out of the empty tomb and energy that affirms those of us today that we are heirs of God's promises and life and love. How are we living into this transformational relationship we find in the fellowship of the triune God?
Transformation is pivotal if we are to understand better our relationship to the triune God, ourselves, and our neighbors. Transformation is critical because it opens up the innumerable possibilities that lie before us. However, if we aren't paying attention, things begin to go awry, and we still change, but not for the better. The foundation of our identity begins to erode, and soon then, we'll find that the core of our being is founded not on the liberating love of God but on the metrics that do not leave us feeling satisfied or filled. And what do I mean by metrics? I mean, if we aren't paying attention, we'll begin to measure our lives, not on how we live in the freedom of God, but on things like our salary, the number of followers we have on social media, whether we are attractive by others standards, and so on.
Our lives are meant to be different, though, and we aren't called to follow metrics of success that appear to work for others. And if we genuinely value making that kind of difference in our lives, we would work every day to make it a reality. In the thirteenth verse of today's reading, it says, "for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13) The Greek is forceful enough to indicate that this change is necessary to usher in the desired result. You must; we must live according to the Spirit of God, which binds us not only to our neighbor but to the Godhead three in one, who yearns for us to live a life free from empty pursuits and judgments from others.
There are so many lies that are told every day that go unchallenged. Lies that say if we don't make enough, then we've failed. Lies that say that those who've made mistakes when it comes to their life choices deserve what consequences come their way. Lies that tell those who work low-paying jobs, go into nonprofit work, teach, heal, or any other profession that focuses on loving our neighbor as ourselves should be happy they have a job, and it doesn't matter if the system or others takes advantage of them. Today, we are asked to challenge these lies that aim at degrading others and lies that seek to chip away at our self-worth, for we are glorified with Christ.
We all walk the path of life at varying speeds. Some of us will take a course that goes as the crow flies, while others will meander or walk the opposite way. Some will try to manipulate fellow travelers, while again, others will step in and free them. On this Trinity Sunday, how do you see yourself as being called and transformed by this divine relationship of the Godhead? How do you envision their work as being continued through you? As God has framed the workings of the world, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to turn it into a reality, and the Spirit of God summons all those who yearn for something more to follow this path of light, love, and life. Let us be travelers who find freedom in this law of love that is not founded on other's expectations for us but comes from the heart of God. And let us be for others that ray of light that liberates the weary soul from its time of trouble. Amen.