God of Beauty
A Sermon of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
June 6, 2004
Trinity Sunday
Text: Isaiah 6:1-8
I
Today, as we celebrate Trinity Sunday, I want to reflect with you on our reverence for the divine, our sense of God's presence in all things, and God in relationships.
First, our reverence for the divine. Several years ago, when our family was on vacation on Block Island, a famous storm which came to be known as the "No Name Storm" blew in, bringing destruction all along the Atlantic coast. The waves rose to several feet and the ferry boat between the island and the mainland was canceled. We were stranded; there was no way to get back until the storm was over, and since we really didn't have to get back for anything, we decided to enjoy the storm and all of the excitement it brought. After the worst of the rain and winds, we ventured out to survey the damage. Many trees were down, shutters were ripped off their hinges, and shingles were lifted off of roofs. A coastal strip of land that separated an inland pond from the ocean was swept away by the waves; ocean water now flowed freely into the lake. Locals told us that this only happened once every 100 years or so and that it was Mother Nature's way of purifying the briny lake. We watched the salt water pouring into the pond and I marveled at the power of the ocean. The wind, no longer at hurricane force, was still powerful as it whirled around us, whipping rain in sheets. You had to steady yourself to keep from being blown over. I felt pretty puny seeing the ocean pound on the shore, creating a roar as the water receded on the rocks. Who was the Creator of this wind and rain and ocean? Who was I to be privileged to witness this powerful display? I was filled with awe.
I imagine how Isaiah might have felt in the scene described in today's first reading: The Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; the hem of God's robe filling the temple. Seraphs in attendance, each with six wings; calling to one another saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of God's glory." The pivots of the thresholds shook and the house was filled with smoke.
Today’s reading from the Revelation is similarly surreal. A door in heaven is opened. A voice sounds like a trumpet. One seated on the throne is as radiant as precious jewels; and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches. There are the four living creatures that we see as symbolic of the four evangelists: the lion that stands for Mark; the ox who is Luke; the human face which is Matthew; and the eagle that is John. Each has six wings and eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the almighty, who was and is and is to come" -- the very same song that the seraphs sang in Isaiah's vision and the very song that we will sing today and in every Holy Eucharist. And we can bring that sense of reverence for God's presence to everything we see and do.
Psalm 29 calls on us to worship God in the beauty of holiness, with a sense of God beyond us, different from us. So different that we must affirm that God is not man, not white, not father, not king, not ruler, not lord. She is also not woman, not mother, not queen, not lady. No earthly image or metaphor will capture the essence of God. God is beyond.
II
Secondly, our sense of God's presence in all things, which theologians call the immanence of God. I have been helped to see the immanence of God within all created things through Celtic spirituality. The Celts saw God in trees, mountains, wells, streams, ocean, sun, moon, and stars. God was everywhere. St. Columba, who founded the monastery at Iona, expressed his love of creation in one of his poems:
Delightful it is to stand on the peak of a rock, in the bosom of the isle, gazing on the face of the sea.
I hear the heaving waves chanting a tune to God in heaven; I see their glittering surf.
I see the golden beaches, their sands sparkling; I hear the joyous shrieks of the swooping gulls.
I hear the waves breaking, crashing on rocks, like thunder in haven. I see the mighty whales.
I watch the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. . . .
Let me bless almighty God, whose power extends over sea and land, whose angels watch over all. . . .
Let me do my daily work, gathering seaweed, catching fish, giving to the poor. Let me say my daily prayers, sometimes chanting, sometimes quiet, always thanking God.
Ian Finlay writes, "The Celtic Church grew among people who were not builders, who were not tempted to follow a tradition of containing their gods in temples, but felt closer to them where they could feel the wind buffeting their faces, and see the flash of white wings against the sky, and smell the sun-warmed bark of trees."
III
Thirdly, God is in our relationships. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells about the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, within us. How can we understand the Trinity? It helps to see the Trinity as One God, yet in the interrelationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the heart of God is relationship. God has created us to be in relationship.
Each of us was created to be unique in all the universe, and our unique individuality is an expression of God. Deep in each person's heart is a longing to love and to be loved -- which is not a mere psychological need, but truly the stirring of God within each soul. Our capacity to care for others is from God; our vulnerability to open ourselves to others is a divine gift. As the poet theologian John O’Donohue puts it, "We are vulnerable because we carry in us a deep strain of God's caring. Our love for our friends and family, our concern for the world and for the earth, our compassion for the pain and desperation of others are not simply the product of an 'unselfish gene' within us, they issue from that strain of God that prizes above everything the kindness, the compassion and the beauty that love brings. Anywhere: in prayer, family, front line, hospital, brothel or prison, anywhere care comes alive, God is present."
Let us pray. O God, beyond us, within us, and in our relationships, draw us near to you in love and fill us with awe as we behold your goodness and power. With the angels, let us marvel at your beauty and say, "Holy, holy, holy, almighty and immortal one. We thank you for creating us and calling us into your presence." Amen.