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Sunday 11 June ’17
The Holy Trinity
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Remember, as we have heard the story of creation on this feast of the Holy Trinity, that as Anglicans, we read the Scriptures differently than do some other Christians. There is perhaps no better text than the story of creation that can speak of different perspectives on the Scriptures.
Some Christians get way too caught up in the aspect of time in this first chapter of Genesis. They are absolutely convinced that creation came about in one week, precisely in six days, each 24 hours long. The seventh day was the first Sabbath.
From a human perspective, this makes sense. Only, friends, don't miss the fact that "the week" was nearly over by the time that we humans make our grand entrance. It was on Day 6, better known to us as "Friday," when God created humans.
Given the fact that we are almost last in creation, whose perspective then are we dealing with when we read the story of creation? Who witnessed it? Who was present for it? The answer is God no better text than the story of creation that speaks of different perspectives on the Scriptures.
Some Christians get way too caught up in the aspect of time in this first chapter of Genesis. They are absolutely convinced that creation came about in one week, precisely in six days, each 24 hours long. The seventh day was the first Sabbath. When we hear this story, therefore, remember that we are receiving the divine perspective. And here is the reason that this awareness is so crucial:
But do not overlook this one fact,
beloved, that with the Lord one day
is as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day.
–– 2 Peter 3:8 [ESV]
St. Peter reminds us that there is a clear difference in time between us and God. As a result, as Anglicans, when we read the story of creation in Genesis 1, time truly is meaningless. Could God have created everything in 6 literal days? Yes! But let's not stop there. God didn't need that long either.
But let's not get too caught up in that either. I say that because time really is irrelevant when we look at creation. The "days" of creation are chapters of an unfolding story. And in this story, there are two things that we as Anglicans believe are insignificant: How long it took, and how it was done. The only significant thing in this story is that God is the one who brought all things into existence.
Once we remember this, then it makes sense why we hear the story of creation on the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Some will say that this is a feast of a doctrine. I tell you this is a feast focused on the revelation of God. We read Genesis 1 and are encountered by God, by the fullness of God, who as the Triune God brought forth creation and called it good.
Remember that on the sixth day, at that moment when humans are created, we heard the following: “Let us make humankind in our own image.” God was not speaking to the animals or anything else that had already been created. This is nothing less than a conversation within God the Holy Trinity. Remember that the Father speaks the Word of Creation throughout this passage. Recall what St. John the Evangelist tells us about the Word of God. Jesus is the very Word of God, apart from whom nothing was made that was made. When we hear the Word of God spoken by the Father, therefore, make no mistake about the fact that we are encountering Christ, the eternal Son and Word of God. Remember also that when this Word is spoken, we hear of the wind from God that swept over the waters. This wind is nothing less than the Wind of God, the Spirit of God, whom we know from the Gospel and from the Day of Pentecost to be the eternal Holy Spirit. God is fully present and full active in creation; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the creator of all that is, seen and unseen.
As we celebrate God the Holy Trinity, the creator of us and all that is, we celebrate the gifts of God. Don’t forget that this creation has been declared good, and indeed it is very good. Sometimes we as Christians forget that fact. Some will tell us that creation was good before the fall, but from that point it has been damaged and is no longer good. Such a view simply isn’t faithful to the Scriptures. God created all that is, and proclaimed the whole of it good.
Perhaps we would rather not think about that because it reminds us that there were no accidents in God’s creation. We are tempted to think that Adam and Eve fell into temptation in such a way that we seem to think that the Tempter is an accident of creation and that the sin of our first parents was somehow a shocking development even for God that not even God saw coming. Maybe we think we can relate better to such a God who would declare creation good and then face later an unseen need to address a flaw in creation. Such a God might be more like us. But make no mistake about the fact that such a God is somehow less than God, the all-knowing, the all-wise, the all-powerful One, who is our creator.
I cannot give a good explanation for why God would bring forth creation in this way in which he knew that the Tempter would lead our parents into sin. It truly is a mystery!
But this creation in which we live is also more than a mystery. It is a foretaste, even as the Eucharist is a foretaste. Something greater and more perfect is coming. We know Christ to be in our midst in bread and wine that through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit become for us the Sacred Body and the Precious Blood of Jesus. But the day will come when we will see Christ no longer veiled in bread and wine. We will see the Divine and Human Body raised from the dead that ascended to the right hand of the Father. When that occurs, we will enter the new creation of God. Some believe this will be a renewed version of this creation. Others believe it will be a brand-new creation. Truthfully, I don’t think it matters much whether the new creation is new or renewed. What does matter is that this is the work of God that has already been declared good. And in this new creation, there is no sin nor death. The Tempter has no place there. This present creation is good. That creation for which we wait in joyful anticipation is perfect. As we celebrate today the Feast of the fullness of the revelation of God, let us embrace our God as the creator whose work is not yet complete, longing to see and be a part of that day when the victory of our creative God will be complete, and we shall walk with him forevermore as Adam and Eve once did long of old.
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Father Timothy Alleman
Rector of The Church of the Holy Cross
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