Truly Free

June 3, 2012 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Truly Free Trinity Sunday Year B The Queen’s Jubilee In case you have not heard, 60 years ago yesterday – the queen of England took the throne. She assumed the duties of queen when her father died in February. But she was officially anointed as queen on June 2nd. Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Is the second longest monarch of England. Her grandmother, Queen Victoria being the longest and oldest. Trinity Sunday Since it seems the June is the month to celebrate things. We may as well celebrate something also. This is Trinity Sunday. Normally, it is just another Sunday. As a matter of fact, for the last few years, as pastor I never even preached on this Sunday because it was always the beginning of annual conference. But the Sunday after Pentecost is the Sunday that we are to remember the fullness of the trinity. With Pentecost the promise of the coming of the holy spirit has come. We have a chance to look at God in all of his glory. And all of his fullness. We understand God – as the father, the son and the holy spirit. And we realize that the more we understand about God, the less we know. Explaining God is a mystery St. Augustine, one of the most astute thinkers the Christian Church has ever produced, was walking along the seashore one day while pondering the doctrine of the Trinity - Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. He seemed to hear a voice saying, "Pick up one of the large sea shells there by the shore." So he picked it up. Then the voice said, "Now pour the ocean into the shell." And he said, "Lord, I can't do that." And the voice answered, "Of course not. In the same way, how can your small, finite mind ever hold and understand the mystery of the eternal, infinite, triune God?" Many Christian churches will be celebrating today the doctrine of the Trinity. It is one of the most prized truths of the Christian faith. "God in three persons, blessed Trinity...." Some explanations of the trinity Some explain the trinity as like a tree – the root, the trunk and the branches – three parts of the same whole. Or some say that the trinity is like a egg – the shell, the egg white, and the yolk. Some say that the trinity is like time – the past, the present and the future. Some say that the trinity is the creator, the sustainer, and the redeemer. There are a lot of other fancy names for the trinity – but the most important to remember is that God is at work in the world and in our lives in many forms and in many ways. There is a God that is so holy that he resides in heaven. There is a God so much a part of us – the he came into the world to speak our language so that we could understand love. Our God is so big, so powerful, so wonderful that we cannot use one set of words to explain what he is doing in the world – we have to use three. Some people believe that The trinity is just one person, others believe they are three separate persons. Whatever we believe about our God – if we have an experience of God – Romans 8 tells us that we should have an assurance of God’s love. Father as example • I read about a small boy who was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and said nothing. • At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father’s full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed. • The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy’s plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew to be a man, he said, “All my life I’ve known what God is like by what my father did that night.” We know what God is like by what he did for us, in the bible, but most importantly by what he did for us in our lives. Romans 8: 14 -15 says for all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. Anyone can be a child of God by birth, but it is only when we experience the presence of God’s holy spirit in our lives for ourselves that we are truly adopted into the family of God. Paul says that when we take on this spirit inside of our lives – then we become equal to the son of God – Jesus. We can truly call God our brother, because through adoption we have become just like him. Worthy of the same inheritance that he has. Patria Potesta – The Father has complete control Roman adoption was always rendered more serious and more difficult by the Roman patria potestas. The patria potestas was the father’s power over his family; that power was absolute; it was actually the power of absolute disposal and control, and in the early days it was actually the power of life and death. In regard to his father a Roman son never came of age. No matter how old he was, he was still under the patria potestas, in the absolute possession, and under the absolute control, of his father. Obviously this made adoption into another family very difficult and a very serious step. In adoption a person had to pass from one patria potestas to another. He had to pass out of the possession and control of one father into the equally absolute control and possession of another. There were two steps. The first was known as mancipatio, and it was carried out by a symbolic sale, in which copper and scales were symbolically used. Three times the symbolism of sale was carried out. Twice the father symbolically sold his son, and twice he bought him back; and the third time he did not buy him back and thus the patria potestas was held to be broken. After the sale there followed a ceremony called vindicatio. The adopting father went to the praetor, one of the Roman magistrates, and presented a legal case for the transference of the person to be adopted into his patria potestas. When all this was completed the adoption was complete. Clearly this was a serious and impressive step. But it is the consequences of adoption which are most significant for the picture that is in Paul’s mind. There were four main consequences. (1) The adopted person lost all rights to his old family, and gained all the rights of a fully legitimate son in his new family. In the most literal sense, and in the most legally binding way, he got a new father. (2) It followed that he became heir to his new father’s estate. Even if other sons were afterwards born, who were real blood relations, it did not affect his rights. He was inalienably co-heir with them. (3) In law, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out. For instance, legally all debts were cancelled; they were wiped out as though they had never been. The adopted person was regarded as a new person entering into a new life with which the past had nothing to do. (4) In the eyes of the law the adopted person was literally and absolutely the son of the new father. Adoption into the family of God is a big deal, not to be taken lightly. As a matter of fact Pauls says that when we are adopted we not only take on the joy – but we also take on the suffering. If we suffer with Christ, then we will share in his glory and resurrection. My wife and I waited 15 years for a child that never came by the natural way. However we were approached one day with a lead of a newborn not yet born. I remember standing in front of the judge on our day of adoption. He pointed his finger and asked of me, “Is anyone coercing you to adopt this little boy?” After we had assured him that we were doing so out of love for our sin, he made this statement. “From today on, he is your son. He may disappoint you, even grieve you but he is your son. Everything you own one day will be his and he will bear your name.” Then he looked to the clerk and gave this command. “So order a change in this child’s birth certificate The process through which a person who does not belong to a given family is formally brought into it and made a full, legal family member with the rights and responsibilities of that position. The practice of adoption was not common among the Jews, but was more widespread in the Greek and Roman world. The apostle Paul used the term to illustrate the truth that believers have been given the status of “sonship” in the heavenly family; they can call God “Father” (Rom. 3:15; Gal. 4:6). Adoption makes it clear that our sonship is conferred on us, in distinction from Christ’s, which is inherent.It was then that I realized that my Heavenly Father loved me so much that, without coercion, He loved me and gave His all to me. On that day, He changed my name and I gladly bear His name and His image. A princess of the King I took this opportunity to wear my tiara today. I had to go an buy a new one, when I realized that I had given my old one away. I take being a princess pretty serious. I have this card in my living room, which says Barbie is a Princess, and you are a princess too. In my garage, I have a sign which days Princess parking only – all others will be toad. And my favorite sign – yes I am a princess – my father is king of kings. Theologically that in incorrect – the title of King of Kings goes to my brother Jesus, not to the father. But the important thing to remember, especially about the trinity – is that if you have seen one, you have seen the other. And it is only with the help of the holy spirit that we see and experience them at all. We all have royal titles and royal responsibilities You are supposed to refer to the queen as her majesty, her children and heirs to the throne are his/her royal highness. Other people of noble birth as my lord. If jesus is the king of kings, your lord and savior – then you are just a royal and special as the queen or anyone else., and you get all of the royal priviledges. We have a right to call on God as the father. And know that he will provide for all of our needs. God’s love for us is bigger than we will ever know or understand. God’s deeds are much more than we can ever talk about. God’s being will always be a big mystery. You are a child of the King – wear your crown of faith well. Let us pray…