St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
June 12, 2022
Year C: The First Sunday after Pentecost – Trinity Sunday
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
Mutual Joy
Now, I don’t want to make anyone feel bad, but if you were not here at St. Thomas’ last Sunday, well, you missed something pretty special.
We celebrated Pentecost – we celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit – with so much joy.
All three of our services were Spirit-filled – so many Alleluias - but the 10:00 service was something else.
It was wonderful to look out in the pews to see so many of you dressed in red – or at least wearing red accents – and to see the choir with their sharp red scarves – and to see the acolytes wearing red cinctures, the cord that we wrap around our robes.
The choir sang nothing but Holy Spirit music.
And then there was the Baptism.
Everything had gone very well during our Saturday morning rehearsal, but when it came time for the baptism itself, two year-old Marcelo had some… very vocal second thoughts.
I’m sure he was a bit overexcited, surrounded by his loving family who filled the first four pews.
And, it pains me to say that he was probably scared of me - wearing both a mask and a bright red outfit, who poured water over his head, anointed him with oil, and then held a candle before him, telling him that he is the light of the world.
At the rehearsal, Marcelo’s parents had expressed some concern about how it would go – two year-olds, you know – but I told them that, just like at a wedding, at a baptism you are surrounded by people who love you so much, so no matter what happens you just can’t go wrong.
And, sure enough there was great joy, even amidst the screaming.
And, I’m happy to report that after the service, Marcelo and I shook hands and parted as friends.
It was an amazing Pentecost.
But there was more – after the service, about fifty of us gathered outside for a delicious lunch – and, yes, there was even an ice cream truck!
I mean, come on, right?
So much love, so much joy.
I feel like I really know what Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Rome, “…hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
Well, after such a big day last week, you might think that things would now kind of settle down around here.
But, you would be wrong!
Yesterday, I had the great honor of officiating at my first wedding at St. Thomas’ – it was actually my first wedding since before the start of the pandemic.
Frances Wells, who grew up in this church, and Braxton DeCamp made some big promises to each other at the altar, and all of us who were here promised to support them in their married life.
I really enjoyed preparing Frances and Braxton for their wedding and for marriage – just as I’ve enjoyed working with Katherine Moriarty and Conor Barr, who will be married here next Saturday.
Just like with every soon to be married couple, we spent time looking at the words of the service, and discussing what they teach about the meaning of marriage.
You may remember that, near the start of the service, the Prayer Book lists the purposes of marriage, and at the very top of that list is this:
“The union…in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy.”
Mutual joy.
The list continues with helping and comforting each other, and the possibility of raising children, but I always remind couples that number one on the list is “mutual joy” – imperfect as we all are, that is what married people are meant to offer each other.
But, actually, mutual joy is not just for married people.
All of us are made for mutual joy.
Today is the First Sunday after Pentecost – Trinity Sunday - the day when the Church invites us to reflect on God’s inner life – our mind-blowing belief that God is One in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Since the Trinity takes us way beyond the limits of our comprehension, trying to explain it is a big mistake, and even talking about it is notoriously difficult.
All I know is this: the Trinity reveals that God’s very essence is community.
God is a community of love.
And the three members of that community offer each other mutual joy.
And, you know, that community of love – that mutual joy - would have been enough for God.
The One God in Three Persons could have gone on forever and ever, perfect and completely content, in a kind of eternal and divine dance, as some early theologians imagined.
But, instead, and even more mind-blowing than the Trinity itself, God invites us to be part of the community of love.
All of us are made for mutual joy.
Throughout history, our One-in-Three God has invited us to be part of the community of love, sending the prophets to call us back to faithfulness, to demand that we beat our swords into plowshares, to offer a vision of the day when we will all gather together on the holy mountain, beloved siblings at last.
Our One-in-Three God has invited us to experience mutual joy, most of all by coming among us in and through Jesus of Nazareth, who offers the joy of forgiveness, the joy of healing, the joy of welcoming absolutely everybody, the joy of knowing that not even death can separate us from God’s love.
And, throughout our lives, our One-in-Three God offers us signs of the community of love – tastes of mutual joy – so we can know that this – this – is what we are made for.
Falling in love, the look of wonder in a child’s eyes, the bond of a lifelong friendship, simply holding the hand of another, sharing good food and drink, coming together here at St. Thomas’, with all of our different backgrounds and various ideas – joining together, imperfectly, yes, but united as a community of love.
Our One-in-Three God is a community of love, who has made us for mutual joy, inviting us to be part of the community of love.
Unfortunately, with all of the woes of the world and the challenges in our own lives, it’s so easy to forget this great truth.
So, I’m going to try to remember Frances and Braxton, and Katherine and Conor, making some big promises, surrounded by so much love.
And I’m going to remember Marcelo, who was frightened and overwhelmed and screaming – and, especially these days, we all know that feels like – and yet the truth is that he was surrounded by so much love.
And I’m going to remember our Pentecost ice cream truck.
We are made for mutual joy.
Amen.
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