Trinity Sabbath

compiled by Frank Klin In 1980 the mystery of the trinity was officially voted in as a Fundamental Belief of the Seventh-Day Adventist church. To my knowledge no one in any official capacity with the church has ever told the full membership what that doctrine means for our faith or how it is to be applied practically in our lives. It simply just exists and those that support the doctrine have basically had to fend for themselves in how to apply it. Now in almost every way the doctrine shows up in Adventist theology or application it has been borrowed from other faith traditions because they have had the concept for centuries. This is why Ryan Bell, pastor of the Hollywood California Seventh-Day Adventist church could exclaim, Adventism is not known for it's strong Trinitarian roots. I have learned Trinitarian spirituality from my Christian sisters and brothers of other faiths, not least Orthodox Christians. To tap into this Trinitarian spirituality a growing number in the church and even whole congregations have started following the liturgical calendar which includes what they call Trinity Sabbath. This special Sabbath is modeled after the liturgical feast day Trinity Sunday, which Pope Gregory IX instituted in 828 CE. This day is notable for being the only major Christian festival that celebrates a doctrine of the church rather than an event in its sacred history. It is dedicated to the Christian belief in the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit and falls on the Sunday following Pentecost each year. The belief of one God in three elements is a distinctive of the Christian faith but the early church was plagued by contrary views. Trinity Sunday spread throughout the western church around the 14th century. (edited from http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/trinity-sunday) The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read. (Liturgy & Liturgical Year, wikipedia) The liturgical service is a contemporary Seventh-day Adventist expression of the rich tradition of historic Christian worship. Its focus is Scripture, thoughtfully heard and prayerfully received. Its style is participatory, involving the congregation throughout the service. Its spirit is contemplative, including structured periods of silence for reflection and prayer . . . [W]e use several different traditional affirmations of our faith in the liturgies . . . (e.g., the Nicene Creed). The homily and the hymns are integrated with the readings from the Bible, which follow a pattern to which many Christians around the world also adhere (Liturgical Worship Service, La Sierra University Church, lasierraliturgy.org) On Trinity (Sabbath) / Sunday many Christians remember and honor the belief of an eternal God, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many churches 1

have special prayers on Trinity Sunday. The Athanasian Creed, named after St Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, is recited in some churches on Trinity (Sabbath) / Sunday because of its strong affirmation of the Triune nature of God. (Trinity Sunday, timeanddate.com) Churches and choirs plan special activities and events centered on Trinity (Sabbath) / Sunday. These include:

Choral vespers concerts. Special church services focusing on the Holy Trinity and featuring music by the trumpet and the pipe organ. Special awards given at Trinity Sunday church services. Meals and social events after church services. Evensong services. (Ibid)

Let me take you to a Trinity Sabbath service. The following can be found at lasierraliturgy.org unless otherwise indicated. During the organ prelude, please reflect on the reality of Gods infinite love for all humanity. It is the nature of love to come, and the Christian understanding of God celebrates three dimensions of Gods comingas our transcendent Creator, as our liberating Savior, and as our empowering Sustainer. Inviting The pastor says: As we worship here this Sabbath morning, the love of God our Creator, the grace of God our Savior, and the fellowship of God our Sustainer are with each of you. Please join in reading the bold-face type: And also with you. The pastor may express shared concerns of our community of faith, and then prays: God our transcendent Creator, you have made us in your image to make your love a reality in this world. We want to live creatively and faithfully as your sons and daughters.

God our liberating Savior, in Jesus of Nazareth you showed us your unconditional, universal, unending love. We want to live and serve compassionately and generously. God our empowering Sustainer, within our inner selves you speak to us that calls us, challenges us, and changes us. We want to live and serve in spirit and in truth. In silence let us each identify a blessing we want and need to receive today. After several moments of silence, the cantor says, I invite you to stand. Please join the cantor in singing these words to the familiar tune of hymn 12 (Hymn to Joy): Womb of life and source of being, home of every restless heart, In your arms the worlds awakened; you have loved us from the start. We your children gather round you at the table you prepare, Sharing stories, tears, and laughter, we are nurtured by your care. Word in flesh, our brother Jesus, born to bring us second birth, You have come to stand beside us, knowing weakness, knowing earth. Priest who shares our human struggles, Life of Life and Death of Death, Risen Christ, come stand among us, send the Spirit by your breath. Brooding Spirit, move among us; be our partner, be our friend. When our memory fails, remind us whose we are, what we intend.

Labor with us, aid the birthing of the new life yet to be, Free of servant, lord, and master, free for love and unity. The service leader then says, I invite you to kneel and join in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from the evil one. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. Transcendent Creator, open our eyes to the possibilities of grace that can lift us up when we have stumbled and make us communicators of your strength. The love of God be with us all. Let us each pray for spiritual strength. Please pray silently. Liberating Savior, enable us to hear and experience the extent and persistence of your love. The love of God be with us all. Let us each pray for the assurance that we are loved. Please pray silently. Empowering Sustainer, lead us into opportunities to serve in our homes and our communities,

The love of God be with us all. Let us each pray for empowering of the Spirit. Please pray silently. Transcendent Creator, liberating Savior, empowering Sustainer, our God eternally before us, always with us, and yet ever ahead of us, we want to feel and live as wholly yours, now and forever. Amen Considering The homilist prays: In the name of God our transcendent Creator, incarnate Savior, and spiritual Sustainer Amen. The homilist briefly expounds the meaning Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 Todays scriptures from Psalms, Romans and Johns Gospel, appropriate for this Trinity Sabbath, point to three aspects of Gods nature and work. (Vic Nixon phumc.com) Its a day also to remember, to honor, and give thanks to God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustaineror more traditionally, Father, Son and Holy Spirit the Holy Trinity. Belief in the Triune God is grounded in scripture and affirmed by the early church, intended to describe and understand the nature and work of God. However, it is frequently misunderstood as referring to three gods rather than to three aspects of the one true God. It never has been, never will be, a polytheistic statement. Our creed is one God who is a Father/Creator, Son/Redeemer, Spirit/Sustainer. (Ibid) One can view the doctrine of the Trinity by analogy with oneself. I am Vic Nixon, one person, one identity; but I am also a Father, a son, and a spouse, three different roles. So, it is with the One True God who plays three different roles in our faith and life. (Ibid)

The challenge for Christians today is to live up to our designated job responsibility of having dominion over the wonderful works of the Creator. Its about caring for the creation and all life, preserving and protecting the earth and its delicate environmentour home, not merely exploiting it for financial gain. We are called to love what God loves, to use our natural and human resources wisely, to practice peace with justice. (Ibid)

I believe in the one God, creator and sustainer of all things, Father of all nations, the source of all goodness and beauty, all truth and love. (Ibid)
We inevitably fail with that high calling and need to be rescued from the messes we tend to make with our lives, relationships and the creation. The scripture is not only about the God who is Creator; it is also about the God who is Savior and Redeemer, who always provides an Exodus, a way out of what holds us captive, a way through our wildernesses, a way to a promised future. (Ibid) This morning I wish to impress on us the majesty and power of our Creator God. I can only give you Bible descriptions and human images. However, it staggers my mind that this same God, this being who is part of the Trinity, this same God who created you and me, and the heavens and the earth, came down to this crazy, filthy, dirty earth and died a horrible death. How on earth can we understand the God of this wonder? (La Sierra University Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Liturgical Service, Homilist: Halcyon Wilson) This love of God, portrayed in Jesus, is the most powerful force in the universe and the source of our endurance, character, and hope that does not disappoint us because, as Paul says, Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Vic Nixon phumc.com)

I believe in Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, our teacher, example, and Redeemer, the Savior of the world.. (Ibid)
The third aspect of the Triune God is the Holy Spirit. In both biblical Hebrew and Greek, the same word can be translated wind or spirit. The wind blows and we cannot see it, but we observe its effect in a beginning breath, the fluttering leaves, a turning windmill, or a devastating tornado. The Spirit is that powerful force of God that breaths life at creation, that powerfully moves among us to overcome barriers of language, culture, and creed, and forms a common bond in community that nurtures and sustains us for the journey of faith. Spirit refers to the force that makes us a team and unites us in a common purpose. John refers to this third aspect of the Trinity as the Spirit of truth that will guide you into all the truth. (Ibid) An old popular song written and recorded by Bob Dylan in 1963 captures this Spirit of truth:

How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind How many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind How many years can a mountain exist Before it's washed to the sea? Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist Before they're allowed to be free? Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head Pretending he just doesn't see? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind. (Ibid)

I believe in the Holy Spirit, God present with us for guidance, for comfort, and for strength. (Ibid)
Let us remember whose we are, whom we are called to be, and commit ourselves to Gods purposes, in the name of our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Thanks be to God! (Ibid) Please join the cantor in singing a final stanza to the tune of hymn 103:
Mother, Brother, holy Partner; Father, Spirit, Only Son; We would praise your name forever, one as three, and three in one.

We would share your life, your passion, share your word of world made new, Ever singing, ever praising, one with all, and one with you. La Sierra University Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Liturgical Service
http://www.lasierraliturgy.org/attachments/056_08%207%20Three%20Dimensions%20of%20Gods%20Love.pdf

Where are Gods peculiar people? Can you or I say that as members of the Seventh-Day Adventist church we uphold the Scripture and beliefs handed down from the apostolic church to the Church in the Wilderness? Are we a remnant of that wilderness church, or are we wandering confused in the spiritual desert wastelands of Egypt and Rome after the Fathers and Popes of ancient thought in modern dress? Do we blend our faith with theirs in creeds and schools of Trinitarian philosophy, mystical contemplation and formation promoted through a metaphoric and allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures? Please think seriously about the answer to these questions. This is not a call to come out of the church our Saviour established. It is a call to earnestly contend with and return to the faith once delivered to the saints as found in the assembly of those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith and testimony of Jesus. If we are out of harmony with our Heavenly Father and His eternal son Jesus then prayer and genuine repentance for ourselves and the church collectively are the key. A friend shared something profound, Israel was only released from Babylon when Daniel began to pray the prayer of repentance for His people as one of them. If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). This is true revival and reformation for only then will Jesus bless us with a greater outpouring of His indwelling Spirit. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life. - (John 7:37-39; 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 6:63) Can you hear the voice of our Shepherd calling, Come home, come home. Ye who are weary come home. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. - (Revelation 22:17) My prayer is that we will listen to the voice of the True Shepherd. Revised and expanded from Keystone of Biblical Theology: An Adventist Trinity Primer part 2. http://www.maranathamedia.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1144:justdesserts-of-qtrinitarian-helperq&catid=108:exposing-ancient-thought-in-modern-dress&Itemid=115