|
2007 Devotional Guide
for ELCA Congregation Councils and Committees
 
The Trinity — Shaped by Mystery
June 2007
by Margaret Payne
[Jesus said:] “And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate, to be with you forever.” —John 14:16
We could reflect on the mystery
of the triune God more often if we confessed our faith each week using the
Athanasian Creed. It might not please the members who prefer short services,
but it would remind us regularly that the mysteries of faith shape us for
service.
A mystery in the life of faith is not a story to be puzzled out. It is a
truth that cannot be known in the way that our mind knows how to know. It is
known only by our spirit as it opens itself to God’s ways of reaching us. We
join our spirits to God’s mysteries as we pray, live by grace, choose
gratitude as a way of life, and depend on the rituals and symbols of the
church to guide us in the challenge of leadership.
We do not worship a God who set the world in motion and then disappeared. We
do not worship a prophet who was put to death. We do not worship a spirit
that drifts in a realm beyond our reach. We worship the mysterious,
intermingled partnership of a creator God, revealed to us through Jesus
Christ, who gives faith and power through the Holy Spirit. These three
persons of God are one God: uncreated, infinite, eternal, equal, and
almighty. Yet God is as close to us as our breath and loves each of us with
no strings attached. It is a mystery.
We offer ourselves to be shaped by the mystery of our triune God as we
gather to share Communion.
Jesus has been really present in every piece of bread broken in his name
throughout centuries, taken in faith or fear, joy or heartbreak, health or
brokenness. Jesus has been really present in the wine poured from chalices
in sanctuaries, plastic bottles in communion kits, tin cups on battlefields,
and jelly jars in the kitchens of the poor. From this bread and wine,
mysteriously, we receive forgiveness, life beyond death, healing, hope, and
amazing grace. Thanks be to God.
Prayer
God our Creator, Savior, and Comforter,
gather us into your mysteries and let them shape us
for service. Show us how to be stewards of your
mysteries so that the world may know your love.
Amen.
For Reflection or
Discussion
How does spiritual leadership flow from a shared
sacramental life?
< Back to Devotional Guide Table
of Contents |
