jun 3 trinity sunday sermon binding

7/30/2019 Jun 3 Trinity Sunday Sermon Binding

1/4

BINDINGA sermon preached by the Rev. Aaron Billard

St. Johns United Church, Moncton, NB

June 3, 2012

When I was driving to Cape Breton a few weeks ago, I did what

every good Canadian citizen does when driving on a highway: I

got a Tim Hortons coffee and I tuned into to the CBC.

I listened to a program called, God Im Angry. (To hear it, just

Google the name of the program and CBC.) It explored righteousindignation in our faith. Its the connection between fury and

belief. I want to share with you parts of this program as think about

the scriptures today.

Julie Exline shared the results of a study that said anger at God is

common and they wanted to share the results with people who

have been scolded or shamed for feeling it. In his memoir, Down

and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell recalls meeting ahomeless man in Trafalgar Square. He discovers that at one time,

the man had been a pastor. Orwell asks him if he still believes in

God. The man replies, I dont know if God exists, but if He does,

I dont think I like him very much. The study presented in the

documentary suggested that if you are angry at God, youre not

alone. And we should be talking about that more, especially in

church. But, the pointed out, some Christians think that beingangry at God is bad for you and they give various reasons why.

The study revealed that the audience that was particularly receptive

to the notions of God and anger were Jewish people. The Jewish

faith seems to have a better understanding of lament, of

complaining sometimes and still loving God. Lament and

complaint are staples in Jewish life and humour.

Rabbi Marion Margles, of Toronto, tells the story of an 18th

century Rabbi who was a Hassidic Master in which he puts God on

trial for the persecution of the Jews of his day. So the story goes

that one Yom Kippur, the Rabbi, trembling, stands at the front of

the community, pleading, God, if an ordinary person had a


2/4

2

treasure, and dropped it, they would pick it up instantly. But you,

God, have called us your treasures, and you let us drop. For two

thousand years we have been in the dust, persecuted and hated,

victims of violence, and you havent picked us up. Now God, be as

least as good, act as least as an ordinary person would, and pick upyour treasure.

Rabbi Margles reminds us of Psalm 22, which begins with an

open, full-throated wail - My God, my God, why have you

abandoned me? You are so far from delivering me! I cry and you

dont answer. The Psalmist is speaking directly to God. Its a

confrontation with God about Gods failure to be God. To respond

as God is supposed to. And so the Psalm is full of ache anddisappointment and waiting and anger. (Which also describes the

emotions in the line up at Tim Hortons usually...) Its taking God to

task.

Where is your God?

She says that there is a sudden shift and the Psalmist comes

through anger to feeling answered. The anger is really important inthe Psalm, because for the Psalmist to feel answered, it is directly

related to the fullness with which he pours out his anger and fear.

If it doesnt cry from the depths, it cant answer to the depth; itll

be superficial. So deep calls to deep - if we can only show our

anger and our fear honestly.

Virginia Satir said, "Strive to seek a blessing from that which

threatens to do you in."

Theres a stretch of road in Cape Breton between Orangedale andInverness somewhere near Mull River called The Devils Elbow.

Its a winding piece of road, and then you come to a very sharp

bend in the road in which you really do have to slow down. I was

pulled over by the RCMP near there once, and when the RCMP

officer asked me where I was going in such a hurry, I told him

Church and he said, Now Ive heard them all.

Being a minister, I often find myself with people in the crunch of

their lives, in the DevilsElbow as it were. Theres been a sharp

bend in the road. And theres no way around it, only through it.

Once in a while during hospital visits, I get to visit with people


3/4

3

who for some reason or another, left church. Sometimes its a

matter of just having stopped going, and other times there are very

good reasons people stop attending church, whether or not its

about the brokenness of community, or something theological. The

conversation between them and God just... stopped happening...they are at an impasse.

Grudges are these things that sometimes occupy a strange place in

our souls. They dont feel right, but they also add comfort to a

bitter wound.

This ministry we all share together in this congregation is often

about going where angels fear to tread, and yet sometimes we arestrange angels, arent we?

Into medicine, we bring mystery. Into chaos, we bring stillness.

Into pain, we bring presence. Into fear, we come alongside.

This past week, I met a strange angel. Because of the side effects

ofmy mothers illness - she suffers from those very human things

that we all do from time to time, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea -

theyre part of being very human, and they are as every bit as

important to our humanly existence as smiles and sunsets. In many

ways, they speak to the disease and dis-ease within us. Because she

was taken to hospital quickly, she didnt have many clothes, so she

asked me to go and buy her some underwear. Now, as a son, Ive

done a lot of things for my Mom over the years, but thats never

been one of them. So off I go to The Bay, and I have this image of

me standing in the lingerie section, and what might mycongregation think to see me in such a place? Would it be

awkward for me to try and explain if you saw me there? Or would

we pretend not to see each other, like two Baptists in a liquor

store?

So I went straight to the counter, to ask one of the customer service

people for help, and I opened my mouth, and nothing came out. I

did one of those ugly cries where I just stood there for about five

seconds crying in front of this poor soul who had no idea that the

minister from St. Johns United Church in Moncton was standing

in front of her crying for the first time since everything started to

happen! Anyway, after I composed myself, she and another worker


4/4

4

came alongside me and took me to show me what it was that I

needed. And they gave me a discount! Linda Lockhart wrote to me

and said, Who knew that your guardian angel works at TheBay??

We are all, each one of us, surrounded by the mystery of God, even

in the womens section at the Bay.

As Christians, we are people who are drawn to the mystery of God

in a world that is all too often cold, hard facts. And then we hear

the word Trinity.

Last year I listened to a Lutheran professor by the name of David

Lose speak. He said, Here's my rule-of-thumb regarding theTrinity: People who say they understand it aren't to be trusted. I

mean, well, the Trinity is, quite frankly, more than just a little

beyond our comprehension and understanding. Which is why we

lean on metaphors and analogies, from the Desert Fathers

comparing the members of the Trinity to the Father (the source of

light), the Son (which is the light itself that illumines), and the Spirit,

which is the warmth when you feel the light.

A friend of mine, a minister in Clarkson, Ontario wrote of the

strength and peace and courage that our God brings to us. She said,

The army of archangels gathers. Hear the beat of their wings and

the fury in their veins. They come for you.

Sometimes your angel works at the Bay. Sometimes they sit beside

you. Other times, they are met in the deepest parts of your soul.Theres a Gaelic poem called, St. Patricks Lorica, or Breastplate.

A lorica was a mystical garment that was supposed to protect the

wearer from danger and illness, and guarantee entry into Heaven.

I bind unto myself today

the strong Name of the Trinity,

by invocation of the same,

the Three in One, and One in Three.

Let us leave this place with that mystery. And trust that God will

know what to do with the rest.

jun 3 trinity sunday sermon binding

Documents