Year B Solemnity – Holy Trinity June 3, 2012
At what age do children ask the most questions? At age 4 children are asking about 400-600 questions a day. The Solemnity of the Holy Spirit is a feast day dedicated to getting Christians of every age to revive the spirit of a questioning child who seemingly can not quench its thirst for answers!
In today’s scriptures we are encouraged to ask. Do not be afraid to ask! Asking opens doorways and pathways to spiritual learning. An inquiring spirit can open itself to the voices of wisdom past. Listening to the stories of salvation history and from the voices of those who precede us in life offers opportunity to reap the benefits of spiritual treasures otherwise buried.
Let me be clear, no one of any age is excluded, no matter how many birthday candles it takes to light up our spiritual quest for answers! This is an equal age opportunity of a life time.
In the Book of Deuteronomy Moses tells us. Ask now of the days of old before your time. Ask from one end of the sky to the other. From our first wakening until the moment we drift off to sleep! I bet the more candles we have acquired the more spiritual questions we have.
Young folks the wisdom of the ages is hidden here. Yes we can learn from the days of old!
What are the burning questions in our hearts? What are the burning questions of our time? I would love to be able to ask my grand parents, my mother and father questions about the impact of their faith on the real life struggles of the great depression, the rationing that took place during WWII, and a multitude of other questions.
Children ask the voices of the past will unveil the answers hidden there. You have my permission to bug your parents. The unchanging treasures of the truth are buried in the hearts of the faithful. They are built upon the ancient stories of scripture which are waiting to be broken open and poured out when opened. These contain the waters of truth which can quench our thirst.
By the spirit of our nature we are created to unending questioning that seeks to discover the truth. It is buried in our spiritual DNA. It is our soul created in the image of God himself who calls us unceasingly to ask.
Why is all this questioning necessary one may ask? This is why, says Moses. You must know and fix in your heart, that Lord is God in the heavens above and the earth below and that there is no other! There is only one true God! God is the Creator. We humans are creatures that inhabit the world created by God for us.
Moses was not through yet. You must keep His statues and commandments that you and your children may prosper and that you may have a long life on the land which the Lord, your God is giving you.
Isn’t that the American Dream – Prosperity and long life in our land? America has been blessed with prosperity, a long life on the land God has set to be a light shinning unto all the world?
What is the central burning question in our nation today? Is the American Dream still alive? Or have we begun to accept the shackles and chains of some other American dream? How do we restore the promise of prosperity of the old to the people of our land today? Could it be as this nation as this nation turned away from the way, the life and the Truth prosperity began slipping away? Have we been taken hostage by looking for answers in conjured up non living American Idols and hyped up cyber space images with no power to save us from the destination of bondage and slavery?
In 2012, we are experiencing multiple systematic attacks on Christianity from almost every sector of our society. Though there have always been those who seek to silence the voice of God that speaks the truth the attacks have grown more sophisticated and unrelenting.
Do not be deceived by pretty images and language taken hostage as its meaning is being plundered by those who seek to deceive an unsuspecting and unknowing ear.
They continue to conjured up images as a new progressive language art form has been created that violates and subverts the use of language of salvation history in an unending offensive to distract and fool the people of faith to take the road that leads away from the source of truth and salvation.
Though things may seem a mess, scripture teaches there is always hope. Turn around and come back to me is a repeated theme throughout scripture. No earthly power has ever overcome the voice of a faithful united Church dependent upon a loving God who has defended the church from the forces of evil that seek to silence it in every generation.
From the Book of Romans we are reminded of the power of the spirit of God as we hear – Those led by the spirit of God are the children of God. As children we did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear – be not afraid for we have received a spirit of adoption through whom we cry “Abba, Father” We are His children and as such heirs with Christ on a mission to the truth if only we suffer with Him that we may be glorified with Him. Father and Mother God save us from the folly of the human spirit which seeks to play God!