Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel... ~ Ephesians 6.19

10 June 2014

Trinity is a verb?

     As an editorial note, I can't believe the first sentence of this quotes Wikipedia. I found that my personal church history collection was sorely lacking and realize I must have relied heavily upon the library at seminary to get me through my history courses!
     According to Wikipedia, since the time of Pope John XXII (1316-1334) the Sunday after Pentecost has been celebrated in the church as Holy Trinity Sunday. The doctrine of the Trinity is a tricky doctrine in Christianity, even though it has been an official teaching of the Church since the Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.) because the Trinity as such is not named in scripture.
     In my study of scripture, in thinking about the gospel text from Matthew 28, and the creation story from Genesis 1, I have come to think about the Trinity less as a noun, and more as a verb. In a brief lesson in English, let me remind you about our grammar.
First a word about nouns.
Nouns are words used as subjects or objects of verbs, they are the thing acting or being acted upon; they are often described as 'people, places, or things.' Here are some examples of Trinity used as a noun:
The Holy Trinity created the cosmos, or The Holy Trinity is a mysterious part of Christian doctrine, or Faith is given to Christians as a gift from the Holy Trinity, etc. In each of these examples the Trinity is used as an identifier of God, or as an idea, or as a whole person, and none of these statements is incorrect.
Now a word about verbs.
Verbs are words used to describe action, state, or relation between a subject and an object. Here are some examples of Trinity used as a verb:
Her heart was Trinitized; or I Trinity, therefore I am; or He Trinities his life. In each of these examples the Trinity is used to describe a state of being, or a passive or active action, and none of these statements is incorrect.
Well, not incorrect strictly speaking in rules of grammar. Trinitized and Trinitied are both underlined in red squiggly lines on my screen. And the sentences don't make much sense because we don't use the word Trinity as a verb and have no frame of reference by which to make meaning.
      However, in thinking about the Trinity I have decided it is impossible to simply use descriptive words because the Trinity is never static, cannot be pinpointed, and refuses to be defined. With that being said, this is how I attempt to describe Trinity:
The Trinity is that which gives and sustains life. The Trinity is what enables us to love, to believe, to doubt, to feel. The Trinity moves in our flow of time while remaining outside the constraints of this world. He/She/It brings life from death and light to darkness. The Trinity is simultaneously spontaneous and calculated. The Trinity knows the ending of the story and continues to give creation freedom to live and play out the present...
     It is impossible to describe. So, I concede to the impossibility of the mystery and I leave you with one final thought:
Life Trinities and the Trinity lives so that all may come to know, love, and believe Trinity.

    

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