On a worldwide basis from the most ancient to
contemporary peoples a search for "something else" has been commonplace. A
sense of a "Sacred" surpassing human experience has led generations to seek a
relationship with whatever or whomever is holy, worthy of reverence, wondrous,
and spiritually distinct from human initiatives.
For some individuals the Sacred is regarded as
purely imaginary, indicative of immature men and women unable to cope with the
realities of an accidental universe. Others confine their vision of the Sacred
to the many godlike heroes we create among the rich and famous, or to excessive
pursuits of achievements, or to undue reverence for golf, baseball, and the
like. All very different from the Christian experience of the Sacred!
In anticipation of Trinity Sunday I've been on
the lookout for public references to the Sacred or God! In a newspaper I read
about a Middle Eastern sect that believes God is basically kind, but inactive;
this good God simply doesn't do anything. Consequently, the sect's rituals aim
to pacify a very active, evil Satan and his angel. Very different from the
active God we worship here!
I also read of another "god" which brought back
a 1970s memory of a weeping college student. She was going through a difficult
time personally and had met a character known as "Brother Julius." She told me
how wonderful he seemed, that he professed to be "god." She asked what I
thought; should she join his group where life would be so much easier? I
suggested that she check out his claim. "How?" she asked. I told her to invite
him to my next class and that he and I would converse in biblical Hebrew;
certainly that would be a first step in checking out his credentials as God. As
I anticipated, he did not show up. She was spared his deceit, and we persuaded
her to meet with a college counselor to work through her problems.
[Incidentally, my Hebrew is limited to "Shalom" - but the bluff worked!] As the
Hartford Courant reported this week about Julius, "A dedicated corps of 200
devoted followers has dwindled to perhaps 50 or fewer. Many who have quit tell
stories of sexual and financial exploitation, and say Brother Julius is acting
in an increasingly bizarre and abusive way." Very different from the God we
worship here!
This past week I heard on a news broadcast that
the Supreme Court continues to allow the pledge of allegiance to include the
words "under God." The national motto "In God We Trust" is on our currency. On
our dollar bills we find the Great Seal of the United States including the eye
of a watchful God; nearby Latin words note "He has favored our under- takings."
I'm not sure which God we are supposed to be under, trust or has favored our
undertakings. A long lasting belief of several of our nation's Founding Fathers
is that the Creator permits the universe to function without God's care or
participation in any way. Deists, as they're called, view the Bible only as a
human invention and prayer only as a psychological venting. Any meaning of
"God" in the Pledge or on our money is designed to be sweeping and vague. Very
incomplete compared to the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to whom we sang
"Holy, Holy, Holy!"
Also, I thought about the God proposed by
philosophers: the First Cause, perfect Being, the Grand Designer. I remembered
the gods of Greece and Rome: poorly behaving, undependable, and admittedly
concocted by human imaginations. I reflected on those psychotherapists who feel
that god is no more or less than our inner feelings. I considered again the
venerable Hindu tradition of the Sacred experienced as nonpersonal
spirituality; I thought of Hinduism's 330 million mythological gods, which one
respectful Hindu calls "educational toys" pointing to pure Spirit. My mind
turned to the sophisticated Buddhist tradition concerned with liberation from
attachments instead of a relationship with a personal God. All very different
from the Sacred Someone to whom we sang "Holy God we praise thy name!"
I recalled the words of Professor John Mbiti, an
African, Anglican priest, who proposes that the God described in the Bible is
none other than the God who is already known in the framework of traditional
African religion. In addition, I reflected respectfully on the Great Spirit of
Native Americans, people who remind us about the proper use of God's creation.
Similar to the God we worship here!
Clearly, the vast majority of human beings share
a common desire for the Sacred, the Holy, the Mysterious Other. However, we
differ profoundly about who or what the Sacred is. We also disagree
significantly as to what constitutes genuine experiences of the Sacred. We vary
further on the daily consequences and implications of dissimilar Sacredness. In
my world religions courses so many students want all religions to be the same,
all gods indistinguishable, all basic religious experiences alike, with all
impacting life compatibly. To be sure, when we listen to informed spokespersons
of the great global traditions, we hear clearly the collective human need for
the Sacred; however, we do not hear the same convictions and
experiences.
The Semitic Christians of the first century were
concerned, not with what the Sacred is, but with what God has done, is doing,
and will continue to do in human history. With Abraham, Moses, and Jesus they
knew and trusted the one God whose acts include the Father creating and loving,
the Son revealing divine purposes and embracing us in the New Covenant, and the
Holy Spirit comforting, healing, strengthening, and inspiring. Later
speculations about God's substance and inner life led to imperfect, needlessly
complex formulations; it is a relief that we worship God, not doctrines about
God! With no arrogant judgments about the faithful of other religions, you and
I affirm our trust in the Sacred, Who is the everlasting Trinity, in whose
image we are all made.
The month of June is very special in my life. In
the Name of the Holy Trinity I was baptized (in 1937), confirmed (too young, in
1949), made a deacon (in 1963) and ordained a priest (in 1965). The most
important of these events is my baptism which defines most profoundly who I am.
56 years ago I was bound to the strong name of the Trinity, and I choose to
remain so bound. My life continues to be fashioned by these past sacramental
occasions, nurtured by the ongoing sharing of consecrated bread and wine. I
believe firmly that no other gods, ultimate realities or religious experiences
are meaningful, graceful, beneficial or trustworthy.
You and I with our new diocesan bishop-elect are
joined together in our confession of a true faith in the Holy Trinity, in our
common baptism, in our eucharistic celebrations, and in our mission to invite
all people to this life. On Trinity Sundays and always we join Christians
across the centuries singing, "Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we
will praise you and highly exalt you for ever." Amen.