The Gray Monk

TEWKESBURY ABBEY
EVENSONG TRINITY SUNDAY 2005

+ May God be in my head
And in my understanding,
May God be on my lips,
And in my speaking,
May God be in my heart,
And in my every action.

Amen

"Unless I go away the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

This is the fourth year in a row that I have had a preaching slot on Trinity Sunday. Either I have upset Fr Paul, Fr Peter or Fr Charles mightily, or I have done or said something they thought would be repeatable the next time round! However, after last year's 1100 sermon, Fr Peter kindly informed me that to preach on the Trinity is to commit heresy.

So I won't!

Pity, because that cuts out all the fun we could have had in looking into such interesting heresies as Arianism, Docetism, Gnosticism and a whole lot more - isms that the Councils of the Early Church, not to mention Augustine of Hippo, St John, St Paul - and even the legendary Cappadociean Fathers spent years refuting.

So, what does one tackle for the Solemn Evensong of Trinity Sunday?

My text is taken from the second reading from St John's account of a conversation set in the latter part of Christ's ministry. Addressing his disciples fears of the future, he seeks to reassure them of the support they will continue to have through faith and through the strength provided by the Holy Spirit. Indeed, he tells them - and us - that the Holy Spirit, the "Comforter" will provide all the strength and support we need once He is Himself taken from us.

"when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth."

This "sending of the Holy Spirit" passage, has, itself created a number of difficulties for latter day students of scripture and for theologians, as it suggests that the Spirit comes, in our translation of the Greek, from an Incarnate Christ. It is this which has caused great dissention between Orthodox and Catholic usage of the "filioque" clause in the Nicean Creed. Clearly, the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father on the initiative of the Son. The Spirit is sent to encourage, inform, and uphold us as we stumble through this world trying to find and to grow in faith.

The passages from St John which precede our reading tonight also contain some difficult translations in our versions. The older Authorised Version translated some of the Greek, particularly the introductory verse of this Chapter as "offended" and it is rendered "go astray" in the version I use for my daily reading. The word "skandalizo" in the Greek is one of the most difficult to translate because it conveys a sense of "surprise" in rather the same way as the springing of a trap would surprise. In other words, to be "taken unawares" by events. This is the background to Christ's address to his disciples - and, if you read a bit further, you find that He had "taken them unawares" - at verse 17;

"Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, "In a little while ." and "Because I am going to the Father."

Clearly they did not understand that Christ was not just for them and their time, but for the world and for all time. Therefore, He could not remain among them in His Incarnate form as their mentor, "Comforter" and spiritual director, He has to move on, to fulfil His task in this world, but, in moving on, will not leave them unsupported. His Father in Heaven, with whom He is one, is sending the Holy Ghost to nurture, guide, and comfort all who believe in Him and seek to follow His teaching.

The Holy Ghost is not some "new" creation here either. Far from it, this is the same Spirit that is sent from God to act in the world from the beginning. We encounter Him in Isaiah, Ezekial, Samuel, and in Moses. The difference here is that Christ has now revealed Him to all who would see and hear. The Spirit is there to support us and to work actively in the world in and through God's people. You and I.

St Luke tells us that He came to the disciples as "tongues of fire" and in the sound of a mighty "wind" at the Feast of Pentecost. St John's account says that the risen Christ "breathed on" the disciples and then "went away". You and I have received the Holy Spirit in quieter and less dramatic ways through our baptism, through confirmation, in the Eucharist, and in prayer. He is there with us when we are distressed, when we need to face difficult tasks, and when we must do his work.

St John's gospel tells us that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, through Him we all know truth, in Him there can be no untruth. Through Him we learn to know and understand God's purpose. As Christ told His disciples:

"The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

Thus, the Holy Spirit is with us and upon us as both teacher and guide, as our support, and as our companion. We may not be able to see Him, but we can certainly feel His presence in our lives.

It is through the Spirit, according to the writer of Romans, that we are "set free" from the laws of sin and death. It is in Him that we understand these. To quote;

"those who live in accordance with the Spirit, have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

As St Augustine is famously quoted as advising a new convert "Love God and do as you please!" You simply cannot fulfil the first part and still do evil. So it is for those who live in accordance with the Spirit; once He has entered your life, you are changed. As long as He remains a part of your life - and we can separate ourselves from Him if we submit to anger, spite, and the rest of the devil's armoury - we are changed, and we are His instrument in all we do.

To quote the hymn once sung at every Confirmation service:

Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire,
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of Both, to be but one,
That through the ages all along,
This may be our endless song.
Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen