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Ep. 15: You Can't Handle the Spirit of Truth...or TrinityC

Eric Fistler

SHOW NOTES -  5/26/2013

Intro Music:

“War” - Denis O’Hare, exceprt from interview with Tom Ashbrook on “On Point” (speed adjusted from original)


Introduction: Episode 15 - Trinity C


Romans 5:1-5

John 16:12-15


Check-in

Festival of Homiletics  

Memorial Day

  • Difficult task- honor memorial day without lifting up war or the USA as idols.
  • Kinnamon- choose your adjective - we are American Christians, not vice versa
  • Suggestion - Account for Memorial Day, preferably near the beginning of the service.  Here is a very short call to worship, hymn and prayer of confession for Memorial Day, that is on the Fat Pastor blog. http://fatpastor.me/2010/05/28/memorial-day-liturgy/


Trinity Sunday

  • Lucy Lind Hogan (workingpreacher.com) The Holy Trinity is definitely one of those difficult, challenging, thought-provoking doctrines of our faith. But we should not think of it as an exam question that must be answered before we will be admitted to the heavenly banquet.

  • Brian McLaren - Trinity: litmus test for persecution OR image of diversity within Godself- one and otherness.


  • Still often a litmus test- yes it can be a liberating belief, we can view it in different ways, but a Triune belief necessary to be Christian?

  • Neo-platonism - triune metaphysics?

  • Why only three?

  • DBB - Story of Us - Eric the pastor, brother, son, husband - we are plural...imageo dei

  • “Secular psychology has come to the feet of the Triune God with ‘relational selfhood.’” We define self only in relation to others.  Identity is defined by relationship.  DBB 

  • For Robb, coming to  a new understanding of the Trinity was a pivotal moment in my seminary experience.  When I realized that the Trinity meant that God was a God of relationship, it changed the way I thought about mission, evangelism, anthropology, theodicy, Scripture.  I now see everything through the lens of a Triune God that is relationship.  So humans, who were created in God’s image, were created to be in relationship.  This understanding of who God is and who we are lies at the heart of the Christian message.  It lies at the heart of Jesus ministry, and it lies at the heart of who we are called to be as disciples and as a Church.



Primary scripture – John 16:12-15 Spirit of Truth: 
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

  1. Spirit of Truth
    1. Truth to power? truth to ourselves?

    2. Ties nicely to the idea of suffering and how we boast in our suffering- we must be filled with a spirit of truth

  2. Knowing God
    1. How do we know God?  We know God through Jesus.  

    2. How will we continue to know God after Jesus is gone? We know God through the Spirit.  

    3. How does the Spirit operate?  Through truth.  It is through truth-telling and truth-full relationships that we may know God. .

  3. Trinity Doctrine
    1. “It is the Father only who is not of another. For the Son is born of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. But the Father is neither born of, nor proceeds from another. And yet this should not occasion in human thought any idea of disparity in the supreme Trinity. For the Son is equal to him of whom he is born just as the Holy Spirit is equal to him from whom he proceeds.” - Augustine, Tractates of the Gospel of John, 99.4, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 17:382.

    2. Eastern and Western Church are divided about where the Spirit comes from
      1. Eastern - just from God

      2. Western - God and Jesus


Secondary Scripture Romans 5:1-5 :
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and 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.

  1. 99 Problems - Hugo cover of Jay-Z song...NOT SAFE FOR WORK

  2. This is the big one- Reformed theology for the last 500 years is based on this one verse- justified by faith

  3. Boast in suffering - what does this mean?
    1. suffering means doing without so others can have?

    2. suffering means paying more for clothes so Bangladeshi workers can be safe

    3. suffering means paying more for food is it is grown humanely and sustainably

    4. suffering means using public transportation to relieve congestion and pollution

    5. suffering means leaving apathy and ignorance behind

    6. suffering is an awareness of the pain of our brothers and sisters and doing something about it

  4. Suffering/problems/troubles

  5. Endurance/Patience

  6. Character/God’s approval

  7. This does NOT mean - it is ok for you to suffer, because look- you will gain endurance, character, hope, and ultimately God’s love
    1. patronizing

    2. Calvin and Hobbes - Calvin’s dad is always saying crappy things produce character - See below

  8. Holy Spirit- the conduit through which we receive God’s love

  9. Cyclical - we have peace because we believe/hope/trust in God’s love

Closing

           TY: Opening music, Dick Dale and the Deltones, “Misirlou”

TY: Closing music,Paul and Storm, “Oh No”

   “War” - Denis O’Hare, exceprt from interview with Tom Ashbrook on “On Point”

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