Trinity Sunday 2006 Sermon page 1

NOTE: Unusually for me this sermon is not an exposition of a particular passage. However the following Bible readings were included in the service: Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17 and John 3:1-17. (All links open in separate windows.)

I don't usually get useful sermon material at academic theological lectures, but that's what happened to me this week. I was at Chelmsford Cathedral Theological Society. Our lecturer was supposed to be saying something about the Trinity but at the end one questioner pointed out he hadn't really said anything on that subject. Thankfully at that point he said something helpful - and, I suspect, it is probably being quoted in sermons all around Essex today!

What our lecturer said was this. When you are a child, you just think that your parents exist for you. It is quite a shock to discover that they have a life! The Trinity is the doctrine that tells us God has a life.

So that is my title for Trinity Sunday this year: God has a life. It's a life we can only know as he reveals it to us, as we experience him. I want us to explore some strands of God's life and see how they affect us. It won't be an explanation of the doctrine in depth (see my five-part series last year: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5). But I do hope it will lead us to worship. For God cannot be contained within our puny thinking. That isn't an excuse not to think, but it is to be reminded of the story where a man said to a vicar, "I don't believe in God because I cannot understand him."

The vicar replied, "What is your hat size?"

"Eight and three quarters," said the man.

"Exactly," said the vicar. "God cannot be contained within an eight and three quarters sized head."

Whatever our hat size, let's enjoy the Good News of God's life.

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Copyright © David D Faulkner, 2006 except where other sources are attributed or noted as inspiration.