Rector's Sermon
19 June 2011

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Genesis 1:1–2:4a	Psalm 8	2 Corinthians 13:11123	Matthew 28:16–20

       God is a God of relationships. The Book of Genesis serves as a prologue to the long Biblical history of God seeking to reconcile and heal humanity from its broken relationships. Right from the beginning the creation story tells us that God intended the whole of creation to function together. “God made it and it was good.” The plants of the earth, the fish from the sea, the animals on the land, the birds of the air, and yes, even humanity are all linked together. Humanity is made in the image of God, meaning that the role of the traditional gods of the ancient world has in reality been given to us. God places us as the stewards in charge, we are the ones who have been given the power of control, not so that we may attempt to be brutal, absolute tyrants, but that we will learn to be responsible for the welfare of all living creatures of the earth. We are still learning what it means to promote good relationships and what it means to act as responsible stewards.

       The story of creation not only affirms that we are created to be in relationship with one another and all other living things, but that God wants to be in relationship with us too. God didn’t dismiss or abandon us and go on to something else after we were created. God stayed to show us around, even having us name the animals and the plants, and giving us a complete tour.

       The tragedies that followed inevitably involved not honoring and valuing relationships. Man and woman hid from God and they deceived and turned on each other. Then, as any history of the world can attest, one sibling murdered another. Jealousy, revenge, fear, recrimination, greed all become factors that poison healthy relationships.  So it goes, among families, nations, races, cultures, and generations.

       Psalm 82 contains a very early legend of God summoning all the supposed gods of the neighboring peoples who presumably were assigned to care and protect their respective creatures, and firing them precisely for neglecting to honor their relationships. God thunders, “no more mockery of justice, no more favoring of the wicked, let the orphan have justice, be fair to the wretched and destitute, rescue the weak and needy, save them from the clutches of the wicked.  Ignorant and senseless, you carry on blindly undermining the basis of a healthy society, you are fired”. (That wasn’t Donald Trump talking that was God!)

      Centuries later, the prophets would repeat the sentence of rebuke to kings and the powerful of their generation. For us the message is basically the same. The prime questions God asks us are, “Do you know where you are in relation to your neighbor? Do you recognize those who are your sisters and brothers? Are you aware of their cries?” God asks, “You don’t have to know the right words to call me, I know who I am. Do you know who you are? Do you know who your sibling truly is? Do you recognize your role as a steward for this earth?” I tell you it’s not God who, in these first years of the twenty-first century, has an identity crisis, it is our generation that doesn’t know who it is. 

      This particular Sunday we call Trinity Sunday was established to emphasize the connectedness and comprehensiveness of God and the world God has created.  We always get into trouble when we only emphasize just one attribute of God to the exclusion of all the rest. It’s like paying attention to only one sibling and no one else in your entire family.

       Maybe that is why today I’m reminded of one of my favorite vegetables, the onion. What is the most important part of an onion? What parts of the onion don’t you eat? All its layers are good to be fried, or boiled, or thinly sliced on a hamburger. Onion rings aren’t just from on the top or bottom or center, a slice is composed of many layers, and when you boil onions, you use the whole thing. Therefore it may be very helpful to think of ourselves as people of the onion. Yes an onion reminds us that our lives have many layers, and it is often the recognition and acknowledgement of these layers that guide our lives towards wholeness.  Recognizing the many layers of relationships that form our whole is what makes us people of faith.

      On Father’s Day, it’s customary for fathers to receive presents such as a new pair of socks, or maybe, in some instances, a special tie. That’s OK, many dads will need a new pair of socks. However, as this year Trinity Sunday and Father’s Day fall on the same date I thought that we at St. John’s ought to do better. For Trinity Sunday and Father’s Day aren’t simply about cursory surface things or one or two obligations, or merely hold together one or two concepts. They are both about relationships that require depth, that involve acknowledging many layers of thoughts, responsibilities, and understanding. It is obvious that all good parenting, no matter who does it, can never be expressed in a simple three-paragraph instruction book. So that is why, here at St. John’s, on this Trinity Sunday and Father’s Day, I also officially declare this Sunday to be Onion Sunday and at the end of the service you are invited to give an onion to every father as a reminder of the many layers of our life that make up our relationship to God, the many relationships we are called to honor as stewards for God on this earth, and of the many layers of relationships that also parenting requires.

       And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.