Trinity Sunday Year C 12th June 2022
Lectionary readings: Proverbs 8 v1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5 v1-5; John 16 v12-15.
The source of Wisdom.
“You made us a little lower than yourself. You let us rule everything your hands have made. And you put all of it under our power”. (Psalm 8 v5,6).
The Psalmist is marvelling at the way God has created the world and his decision to give us stewardship of his creation. Given our current situation of a climate emergency, we might be forgiven for doubting God’s wisdom.
The writer of Proverbs portrays Wisdom as a (supernatural) female companion of God.
With great understanding Wisdom is calling out as she stands at the crossroads and on every hill. She stands by the city gate where everyone enters the city and she shouts “I am calling out to each one of you!” From the beginning I was with the Lord. I was there before he began to create the earth. At the very first, the Lord gave life to me. I was right beside the Lord helping him to plan and build. (Proverbs 8 v1-4, 22, 30).
John’s gospel opens with the well known words about the ‘Word’.
‘In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created received it life from him, and his life gave light to everyone.’ (John 1 v1-4).
Are we to understand Jesus and Wisdom as evidence of God’s love for us?
I think John thinks so, by equating ‘full truth’ with ‘wisdom’. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus explains the work of the Holy Spirit, God’s gift to us.
“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.” (John 16 v12-15).
The apostle Paul says, “God has given us the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5 v5b).
If we obey God’s command to love one another, we will find a way to combat climate change, a way to create a world in which each person feels valued and knows themselves to be loved by God.
God is the source of wisdom. Human wisdom is evidence of God at work in us.
Hymn writer Michael Hewlett says, (Singing the Faith No 14 v 6).
Praise, O praise the Holy Spirit,
praise the Father, praise the Word,
source, and truth, and inspiration,
Trinity in deep accord;
through your voice which speaks within us
we your creatures own you Lord.
Bible quotations are from the Contemporary English Version.