READING: John Chapter 3 v 1-17

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?

Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven —the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

SERMON

Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. The Holy Trinity are words and a theological issue that took many years and many arguments to set as church doctrine or for want of another word “guideline”. The Holy Trinity is one of the hallmarks of our faith as Christians and one of the hardest things for us to define.

What does it mean, really, that these three divine persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit coexist in unity as co-equal, co-eternal and of one being? Is it any wonder that while there are countless ways of describing the relationship between the persons of the trinity, it is still considered a mystery of Christian faith? And so, how do you participate in a mystery?

The most enduring image of the trinity is surely the icon written by Andrei Rublev, a copy of which I carry around in my Bible, in which he interprets the Trinity as the three mysterious visitors to Abraham and Sarah described in Genesis Chapter 18.

The three visitors in this icon are depicted as angels, signifying that they belong to heaven rather than earth. They are sitting around three sides of a table. Their faces are essentially identical, representing the equality of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Rublev presents them as gender neutral – and if you look, you will see faces and hair that could be considered feminine, and yet bodies, hands and feet that are distinctly masculine – a mix that comes across as beautiful and other worldly rather than strange or disjointed.

The angel on the left (Father/Creator) is wearing a cloak of an unlimited shade, pale pink with brown and blue-green highlights, symbolic of the impossibility of portraying God in visible form. Above this angel is a building, symbolic of the Church and worship of God.

The angel in the centre (Son/Redeemer) is wearing a dark reddish purple tunic and a dark blue cloak, which are the customary garments for Christ in most icons. The colour of the tunic is symbolic of Christ’s human blood and his royal status. The blue signifies the mystery of his divine nature. Above this angel is a tree, the Oak of Mamre mentioned in the Genesis account of the three visitors, but also symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion and the wood of the cross.

The angel on the right (Holy Spirit/Sustainer) is dressed in a green cloak, traditionally the colour of life and renewal, and a blue tunic of divine mystery. Above this angel is a mountain, symbolic of the spiritual journey or spiritual ascent toward salvation.

And on the table, between the figures, is a dish containing the meat Abraham prepared for his guests. It rests at the focus of the circular arrangement of the angels as a symbol of the Holy Eucharist, the continuing renewal of the Covenant between God and humanity.

All in all, it is a beautiful image, one that I have had for a long time and still one that draws me in whether I know all of those details or not because I don’t have to know all of that to know that the icon is incomplete. There is an open spot at this table, a place for a fourth person to sit down. And we, each of us, are invited to sit there.

God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. The point is not that God created the world, but why God created the world. The answer being that God loves humans. This is clear, as we are the only ones out of all of creation that are made in God’s image, and we are given stewardship over everything else created. Male and female, we are God’s image bearers. We are icons. And God wants us to sit at the table, to share conversation and a meal, to be a part of the divine love that binds the three-in-one together.

Yet just as surely as we are called into relationship with God, we are sent out into the world. Just like when Jesus directed the disciples and instructed them to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and to teach about God’s great commandment to love one another.

This is our call too. It is not enough for us to only take our seat at the table. We must go forth and keep the promises made in baptism, and in so doing transform the world. May we always answer the call both to sit at the table and go forth into the world. And in the words of Paul, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” AMEN

PRAYERS

We come boldly to the throne of grace, praying to the almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for mercy and grace. We plead before your throne in heaven.

Father of heaven, whose love profound a ransom for our souls has found: We pray for the world, created by your love, for its nations and governments. Extend to them your peace, pardoning love, mercy and grace. We plead before your throne in heaven.

Almighty Son, incarnate Word, our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord: We pray for the Church, created for your glory, for its ministry to reflect those works of yours. Extend to us your salvation, growth, mercy and grace. We plead before your throne in heaven.

Eternal Spirit, by whose breath the soul is raised from sin and death: We pray for families and individuals, created in your image, for the lonely, the bereaved, the sick and the dying. Breathe on them the breath of life and bring them to your mercy and grace. We plead before your throne in heaven.

Thrice holy! Father, Spirit, Son, Mysterious Godhead, Three in One: We pray for ourselves, for your Church, for all whom we remember before you. Bring us all to bow before your throne in heaven, to receive life and pardon, mercy and grace for all eternity. Amen

Revd Kevin Charles