Dearest e-votees-
This coming Sunday is the day of the church year where we emphasize the Holy Trinity.
God lives in the community of the Trinity and God is made known to us in the Trinity.
May God bless us as we gather in community and as we make room for others in our communities as well.
Peace,
Karl
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11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13, NRSV
Verse 13 of our appointed epistle lesson is a familiar one. It is featured prominently in many of our liturgical settings. It is one of the relatively few places in scripture where all three persons of the Holy Trinity are mentioned in one breath. It is often one of the very first things we hear when we gather for worship.
We begin with grace which we experience through Jesus. We cannot merit God's favor. We can't do enough to earn God's love. On our own and left to our own devices we fail to live the holiness that is needed. So God comes to us. Jesus enters into our broken places and makes right what we cannot. Jesus brings salvation as pure gift. Because it is gift we cannot lose it by not living holy enough. God's grace is for us and for all. All we can do is accept that gift and offer it to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
We continue on to God's love. God has so many superlative traits but by far the most important is love. God so loved the world that Jesus was sent to us. God loves us and loves all. It is God's nature to love and to be in relationship. The Trinity is a relational reality. We are invited into that reality. There is a well-known icon of the visitors who came to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre and announced that Sarah was to have a child.
You can see it at:
http://www.acrod.org/ministries/youth/arena/readingroom/iconography/hospitality
Some see in this icon the Trinity. And in that Trinity and how they are sitting they see an invitation for us to take a place at the table with the three already seated. This is a loving invitation from a loving God. God's love is for us and for all. All we can do is accept that gift and offer to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
We finish this verse with the invitation into communion or fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Because God comes to us through grace we are assured of our acceptance. Because God comes to us in love we receive God's unwavering care. Because we are loved and accepted we can grow in community with God. We are ushered into the divine presence and community. God's community is extended to us and to all. All we can do is enter into that community and extend that invitation to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
God says to us "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." God grant us ears and hearts to hear and to accept that incredible invocation. Amen.
This coming Sunday is the day of the church year where we emphasize the Holy Trinity.
God lives in the community of the Trinity and God is made known to us in the Trinity.
May God bless us as we gather in community and as we make room for others in our communities as well.
Peace,
Karl
------------
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Verse 13 of our appointed epistle lesson is a familiar one. It is featured prominently in many of our liturgical settings. It is one of the relatively few places in scripture where all three persons of the Holy Trinity are mentioned in one breath. It is often one of the very first things we hear when we gather for worship.
We begin with grace which we experience through Jesus. We cannot merit God's favor. We can't do enough to earn God's love. On our own and left to our own devices we fail to live the holiness that is needed. So God comes to us. Jesus enters into our broken places and makes right what we cannot. Jesus brings salvation as pure gift. Because it is gift we cannot lose it by not living holy enough. God's grace is for us and for all. All we can do is accept that gift and offer it to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
We continue on to God's love. God has so many superlative traits but by far the most important is love. God so loved the world that Jesus was sent to us. God loves us and loves all. It is God's nature to love and to be in relationship. The Trinity is a relational reality. We are invited into that reality. There is a well-known icon of the visitors who came to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre and announced that Sarah was to have a child.
You can see it at:
http://www.acrod.org/ministries/youth/arena/readingroom/iconography/hospitality
Some see in this icon the Trinity. And in that Trinity and how they are sitting they see an invitation for us to take a place at the table with the three already seated. This is a loving invitation from a loving God. God's love is for us and for all. All we can do is accept that gift and offer to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
We finish this verse with the invitation into communion or fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Because God comes to us through grace we are assured of our acceptance. Because God comes to us in love we receive God's unwavering care. Because we are loved and accepted we can grow in community with God. We are ushered into the divine presence and community. God's community is extended to us and to all. All we can do is enter into that community and extend that invitation to others which is exactly what this invocation in verse 13 does.
God says to us "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." God grant us ears and hearts to hear and to accept that incredible invocation. Amen.
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