Trinitarian Soundings - The God of Relationship

#love #trinity #jesus #holyspirit #father #newwine #nwnws #trinitarian #epiphany 

Theology, the Trinity... Where do we even start? The discussion this morning flows from the truth of theology, specifically, Trinitarian theology. How does a Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology play out in how we see the “other”? Where the body of Christ gets it right and where it does not.

As the Christian Scriptures reveal, the human is created in the image of the Trinity – A Godhead that does not remain absent or quiet throughout the course of history. We are not talking about a God hidden behind divine revelation. Rather, God is for us fully revealed and fully concealed in His self-disclosure.

The Christian Scriptures calls the reader into transformation –conversion—which is not a static event, something that happens once in a lifetime, but a continual process of turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus, we are brought into the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end. 

The Trinity is the paradigm by which we are to live. It is dynamic in relation; thus, God's being is His eternal, intrinsic communion. So what then of today? Are we relationally wired by the God of  creation or have we become machines programmed by our own hands?

 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. 

Where to find New Wine: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newwinenewwineskins Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwnws Instagram: https://instagram.com/newwine_newwineskins Podcast: https://anchor.fm/newwinenewwineskins Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/new-wine-new-wineskins Web: http://www.new-wineskins.org/

Who is this One they call Three? How do the many created relate this God who is Three in One?

I am one who appreciates stretching… Maybe not to the point of rupture, but close… One of, if not the greatest forms of stretching has come through my faith seeking understanding. It is a stretching brought on through the inquiry of who is this God celebrated at Christmas, elevated at Easter, awed by the multitude, and crucified by the many? Who is this God called Trinity and why follow Him? Is it more profitable, more comforting, more secure to follow the one they call Christ, or should I continue on my own way, forging ahead on my own, self-made path?

Stepping into the dialogue of faith and life happens through a multitude of ways, yet arguably no way stretches, contorts, illumines, or calls upon us for a response more so than a step into the truth of Jesus. Who is this man who claims to be God? And what is the connection between Jesus and me? That is, the human is created in the image of a God who is relational, so what then are the implications for life, for church, for our engagement of the world? How does the Christian understand Jesus so to then understand the one standing in front of me? 

So where does one go to know Christ? To know the Christian God, and who is this God called Trinity? How does a Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology play out in my life and how I see the “other”?  

As the Christian Scriptures reveal, the human is created in the image of the Trinity – A Godhead that does not remain absent or quiet throughout the course of history. We are not talking about a God hidden behind divine revelation. Rather, God is for us fully revealed and fully concealed in His self-disclosure. As a result, the Christian Scriptures invoke participation… they beckon the reader to transformation. The movement to God, with God, from God is not a static event, something that happens once in a lifetime, but a continual process. And for those whose inflamed heart burns for the Son they find themselves pining after… longing for… continually turning toward the Son, who leads us, in union with the Holy Spirit, into an ever-deepening relationship with the Father. Thus, we are brought into the very life of the Trinity, that communion of love without end.

The Trinity is the paradigm by which we are to live. It is dynamic in relation; thus, God's being is His eternal, intrinsic communion. The Trinity provides not only the paradigm but also the process and protection of the relationality of humanity. For it is through the action of the Godhead that humanity gains relational access to the riches of the dynamics of revelation.

The words of Gregory of Nazianzus draw this to mind as he writes of the Triune God: “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One” (Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 40.41).

Trinitarian theology is rooted in a relational foundation that recognizes people are created in the image of a relational God and as such, are not things, generic products, or numbers, but mysterious and unique subjects with inherent worth and the right to self-determination in fostering vital community. Therefore, we should not use and abuse one another. Yet today we experience the loss of personhood through the promotion of consumption. Forget what lies ahead. Push aside the risks. Consume. Consume.

In our push for consumption we consume— inadvertently at first - one another. Now, in our intentional consumption, we not only gain the whole world, but experience the loss of personhood. Today, the widespread loss of personhood and the reduction of persons to things robs all of us of our priceless worth and leads us to consume, deconstruct, and devalue the one sitting before us.

Trinitarian theology is communal and as such recognizes the truth, the necessity of community. It is best done in community, a community in which there is space for otherness and difference given God’s personal space for otherness in the divine life and in the world.

Our identity as relational people of the Triune (relational) God is foundational to our purpose and our activity.

As the great Dr. King illumined:

There is still something to remind us that we are interdependent, that we are all somehow caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  Therefore whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. 

As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a million dollars.  As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than thirty years, I can never be totally healthy.  I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. 

As those created in the image of God, we must account for each human person in all their distinctiveness as being important in addition to their shared humanity. We must cherish each human person as equal in worth and dignity. We must focus upon the heart of the person and not their behaviors, their productivity, so that we might be as Horton the Elephant who reminds us, “after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small.” 

New Wine Uncorked: Epiphany: God is with us! Entering the New Year throu...

The discussion this morning flows from the newness of the year while continuing in the goodness of our Christmas celebrations. Truth is, Christmas lasts forty days – from Christmas eve to the presentation of the Christ child in the temple (Feb 2), according to the traditional liturgical calendar. And the 12 days of Christmas run from the 25th of Dec through Jan 6th which is known as Epiphany. 

Epiphany is the entrance – the presentation of hope, peace, joy to all of humanity– the reality of love with us. After all, God is “with us”—Emmanuel. Jesus manifests the divine presence in his entire incarnate state.

So where do we find ourselves this week? A couple days before the Biblical manifestation/presentation of Jesus for the world’s sake? Is the inn of our heart open for guests, or have we already closed off to all that stands before us? 

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NWUncorked ConsumeChristorOther

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws 

Followers of Jesus are called to consume Christ. And yet this world would have it that we consume it and its products. 

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Kayla, and Matt are joined by Matt’s mom and Kayla’s Granny, Beth Farlow and Sarah Gonzales, Kayla’s sister-n-law, and together they step into the lush fields of consumption. What do consumerism and the Church have to do with one another? In a world of consumption, what is the Jesus follower to do? Is all consumption wrong? 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good.

 

Where to find New Wine: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newwinenewwineskins 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nwnws 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/newwine_newwineskins 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/newwinenewwineskins 

Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/new-wine-new-wineskins 

Web: http://www.new-wineskins.org/

New Wine Uncorked: Following Jesus: Into the Promise Land or the Polluted Landfill

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws 

Following Jesus means that you know Him, or at least have an idea of where He is leading… So what then of the path in front of the Jesus follower? Is it a path of promise or a polluted one drowning in toxic “love.” 

In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Phil, Kayla, and Matt traverse the wonderful terrain of love… When we follow Jesus on to the path of love, where exactly does this path lead? And am I equipped to walk such a path? 

Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship. 

Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, New Wine seeks to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good. 

New Wine Uncorked - Love Beyond Limits: The Impossible Possibility?

#love #trinity #jesus #newwine #nwnws Knowing God’s heart means consistently, radically, and very concretely announcing, through our words and deeds, that God is love. And in this proclamation, we announce that every time fear, isolation, or despair begin to invade our soul we not only know this is not something that comes from God but that in such times our hearts have to cling ferociously to God. In this episode of New Wine Uncorked, Phil, Kayla, Jim, and Matt traverse the wonderful terrain of love… Love of God, Love of self, Love of neighbor. Recorded live on Fridays at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

New Wine Uncorked - Community and Individuality: The Truth of the One an...

What does it mean to be a player on the world's stage? And what of this idea of being a player in God's drama of salvation? 

In this episode of New Wine UnCorked, Phil, Matt, and Jim enter into the dialogue of faith and life by examining the truth of our created community. That is, if it is true that the human is created in the image of a God who is relational, what then are the implications for life, for church, for our engagement of the world? How does the Christian dialogue with the world without being tainted by the world? How do we recognize and realize our place on the world's stage so to enact our own faithful performances? 

 Dialogue is the truth of participation as dia via Latin from Greek dia-logos invokes a participatory conversation. It is interactive. From dia "through" + legein "speak." Going through the Word so to engage through our word, Phil, Jim, and Matt seek to uncork the impossible possibility of the human and our pursuit of this Uncommon God so to realize our common good. 

 Recorded live on Friday’s at 10am (pst) New Wine UnCorked seeks to step into culture with a heart bent towards engagement, reconciliation, and relationship.

For the sake of the other

Read John 13:1-35

A gospel that does not reconcile is not a Christian gospel at all. And reconciliation is rooted in love. Yet so often we do not really believe that the proof of our discipleship is in our Love—that we love the Lord our God so that we might love one another.

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (v35).

To be in love with Jesus is to become as He is. That is, our love for Christ is manifested not only in our willingness to live as He did, but also to sacrifice for the sake of the other.

Participating in the will of God occurs when through the Holy Spirit, Christ becomes the pattern of our life, when He becomes our first love. As Paul writes:

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5.1-2).

A life that has this world as its first love seeks peace and hope in the comforts of the world. But a life in love with Jesus stands in stark contrast to a life lived in love with the world. For the truth of the Christian faith is that peace and hope are only found in the One who is peace, the One who is hope.

Jesus does not tell us that life is all about comfortability, and yet in Christ we find comfort. Jesus does not tell us that life is all about the easy road and yet in Christ we find that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. To have Jesus as our first love is to live out His love for the sake of the world. To have Jesus as our first love is to not only remember that audacious claims of Scripture that tell us how Jesus joyfully “endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God," (Heb 12.2), but more importantly, to embrace and embody the way, the truth and the life of Christ by running “with endurance the race that is set before us” by looking to and loving fully the author and perfecter of our faith—Jesus Christ.

To love Christ is to live sacrificially and in so doing you will receive generously the joy of life! Who do you love?

Our Bridge

Read John 10:1-39

This past Wednesday the Church celebrated Ash Wednesday, and with it, we celebrated the beginning of lent. Lent marks out the 40 days leading up to the greatest representation of love this world has ever come to experience…

It is my hope that over these next 40 days each of us would stop, contemplate and reflect…

How many of us have found our bridge over troubled water?

Not many of us find someone who will lay down their life for us – someone to become our suffering. Sure, most of us have close friends, but even in these friendships we come to find that there is a limit to how much they will sacrifice for us.

In today’s world of consumerism and utilitarianism, it is hard to find someone who is as Simon and Garfunkel sing of in their cover of Elvis Presley’s song:

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Truth is, the world does not promote a sacrificial lifestyle. Our society seeks to make a better America by making a better life for “me.” And the result of this mentality is that life becomes saturated in selfishness. But it doesn't have to be this way… If only we believe…

Jesus came to be our bridge over troubled water. He came to lift us up out of selfishness so that we might begin to see the other—to see the beauty of self because it sees through a heart of selflessness, not selfishness. Yes, when we give our hearts to Jesus and believe in His truth we come to see what it means to actually become a bridge over troubled water for the sake of the other.

As Jesus tells us, He came to be our bridge. He came to lift us up by laying down.

“I lay down my life for the sheep…For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life” (vs 15-17).

Jesus is our bridge over troubled water so that we might become His bridge for the sake of the world. But know this, when we live Jesus, the world (and sometimes those in the church) will think that such living is ridiculous, even insane…

“Many of them said, ‘He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?’”

Today we face the same question, “why listen to Jesus?” Why believe in Him?

Do we want a life of abundance according to the world or do we want the abundant life according to Jesus?

Let these next 40 days be a time of reflection—a time when knowing that there is one who was slaughtered for us so as to be our bridge over troubled water elicits tears from the heart. To know someone is willing to traverse the oceans of despair and become our suffering so that we might have peace…and have it abundantly. Let these upcoming days pierce your heart with the truth of His insane love…

Become His grace

Read Hebrews 4:1-16

Have you ever tried to wash away society? That is, have you ever thought of fasting from the world? To attempt to remove all the malice, envy, darkness, evil from your midst… Is this even possible?

Yes and no. Yes, it is possible, no it is not possible by our own means. When we take up the posture of prayer we enter into the power of presence. That is, in prayer we enter into the presence of the Holy Spirit so as to be taken up and consumed by the power of Jesus Christ. So yes, we can fast from the world, but no, we cannot do it on our own.

In prayer the Holy Spirit beckons us to go deep the word of God. To seek to incarnate the word of God by engulfing ourselves in its meaning so as to taste and see the goodness of the Word of God.

The Author of Hebrews writes:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (v. 12)

When we, through the Holy Spirit, enter into the drama of God’s word we encounter the Word of God so as to become engulfed in the active truth of His amazing presence. This is an active presence of God that seeks to change the core of who we are by reaching deep into our hearts so as to fill them with His grace. And in His grace we find the strength, the resolve, the desire to fast from the chaos and confusion of this world so that might taste and see His greatness. And there in His greatness, we encounter our greatness such that we are captivated by His powerful presence in us so that we might be propelled to live out the truth of His life by standing strong in our faith.

Only when we cover ourselves in His truth can we put aside deceit, envy, hypocrisy. And when we put aside the darkness of sin we make way for the beautiful truth of peace, joy, hope, selflessness. When our hearts are consumed in prayer our lives erupt in the grace of God so as to become His grace. Yes, when we become prayer we draw near to the throne of Jesus so as to be pierced with the craziness of His love.

In the Spirit of His truth we are invited to become His ministers of reconciliation. We are called to fast from the world and feast on Christ. What are you hungry for this day? Let us fall to our knees and become pierced by Christ’s love so that our hearts bleed for the sake of the other by covering them in grace...

Locked Inside Your Heart Shaped Box

When you make a decision do you tell everyone by letting off some smoke from the chimney? Sounds silly but as many of us know, this is exactly what happened at the Vatican on the 13th of March 2013. And while most of us do not "literally" puff smoke out of a chimney to indicate the result(s) of our decision(s), we can (and often do), however, give off smoke screens with our actions that indicate our heart's intent. That is, when our actions do not coincide with our words - when our hearts are nothing more than an empty heart shaped box, the actions we blow off for the world are covered in the smoke of artificiality.

What then, is locked inside your heart shaped box? Better yet, who? Who you are determines what you do...Being goes before purpose or action. But this is not how much of the world lives. So often, we allow earthly things, items, people, to determine who we are, and thus, what we do. During this week (called Holy Week for the Church) might we contemplate what it is that we fill our hearts with?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Mat 5.6). To hunger and thirst for righteousness means to reorient the typical human perspective. To hunger and thirst for righteousness means that we must think beyond ourselves - it means that we are to think of the other. And this my friend is simply not what we are accustomed of doing...

Think of today's news, commercials, t.v. shows, marketing schemes...We are constantly told that life is about me. It is perfectly acceptable and even expected to hunger and thirst for self-promotion which ultimately is self-preservation. A message that calls for people to look out for the other is a counter-culture message - the antithesis of today's me-for-me mentality.

Only through and from the Father Son and Holy Spirit is meaning determined, and as theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, through the Absolute, "we find not only the ultimate meaning of reality as such, but also, beyond that, the ideality that provides the meaning, or determines 'what ought to be,' which is the ultimate measure of the truth of reality." In opposition or rather in contradistinction to the autonomous story, the cosmic drama of the Godhead illumines the interaction of the protagonist—Christ—with the creature through the direction of the Holy Spirit. Such interaction plays out through the multiple scenes—intersecting narratives—of the characters upon the stage of creation thereby allowing the realization not only of what our performances are, but what they are to become.

Our current frame of reference of individualism that transforms relationalism into a consumerist transition must give way to an interpersonal view of life and its freedom as revealed through the salvific performance of Christ so as to engage the structures of evil head-on. In place of the evidence that demands the verdict that Jesus is Lord, what is required today is the verdict Jesus is Lord demanding evidence in our lives that He is Lord—as exemplified in the witness of St Francis of Assisi or Dr. John M. Perkins. The values of the Christian faith must be those that reflect the values of God’s heart or else they are nothing but an empty heart shaped box:

    She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
    I've been locked inside your Heart Shaped box, for weeks
    I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap
    I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black


 
    Hey!
    Wait!
    I've got a new complaint
    Forever in debt to your priceless advice
    hey
    wait
    I've got a new complaint
    Forever in debt to your priceless advice

So what is locked inside your heart shaped box?