The Trinity is back !

Has it ever been away, some of you will ask? Well, yes and no. Many years ago when I was a seminarian the Trinity fell out of fashion. One afternoon while mowing the college lawns - we did those sorts of things in the olden days - a student colleague and I were discussing theology when I pronounced a robust belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. My colleague and friend quickly denounced me as naive and a fundamentalist to boot. The Trinity was passe. He knew because one of the lecturers told him so (and me some time later). I never believed him and stayed a naive fundamentalist (though I don't think I am).

It is a funny old world, isn't it? Because, the Trinity is back. Recent theological thinking has reminded the church that this uniquely christian view of God is rich soil. Remembering that God exists in community has something important to say to those of us who seek to live as a community of equals.

This is what we trying to do at connecT. Worship, support, pray and care for each others as equals. Each of us is unique but we are inter-connected. Not joined at the hip, as it were, but bonded in love. The Trinity, that is God, fills all that we seek to do. It is relational. A naivety we would be unwise to let go of.

Chris

Everybody hurts sometime.

So sing REM. This song formed part of our Sunday night's reflection on 'baggage' and what do with it. Assisted by Rob Bell - via Nooma video, Luggage - we thought about baggage and forgiveness and being hurt and hating it and being freed from it...sometimes. We all have baggage don't we and we are so often sick and tired of carrying it around. I want to be free from it. So, too, do many others.

A ritual which helped. We lit a candle. The candle represented someone who we need to forgive or, perhaps, someone who needs to forgive us. We, hopefully, left it there to burn away as we moved on. For some of us we needed to make contact with the forgiven and some did. For others it was too late. They are no longer with us. But it was all part of birthing the good news of forgiveness in us so it becomes part of our good 'baggage'.

How best do we deal with 'baggage'? Ignore it? Burn it? Re-pack it?

Chris