Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2024
Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2024
In his polemics, Luther delighted in ridiculing the church as it was represented by the papal party. Those folks practiced the way of the pilgrim—the “via”—along which the pilgrim traveled as “viator.” The viator progressed along the way through spiritual exercises, pious practices, and works of charity. All accomplished toward the end of obtaining the “beatific vision”—that is, a glimpse of God majestically ensconced in heaven. In his ridicule, Luther depicted this church of the papal party as a well-dressed woman hanging in the sky with her head stuck in heaven while her legs and nether regions flopped and flailed around beneath her skirts—not a very attractive depiction. The papal party’s church tried, by their own reason and strength to walk the way of the pilgrim… to travel the via as a viator… to obtain the beatific vision as a result of its work. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus deny this possibility to the church: “No one has ascended into heaven…” (vs. 13). Only the Son of Man who came down from heaven to be our Savior… our salvation… and our Lord… only Jesus Christ ascends into heaven. The church, the body of Christ, remains fully in this creation, feet planted firmly on the ground, not flopping and flailing like the woman of Luther’s ridicule.
To be sure, we do indeed have a heavenly presence… a life beyond the eschaton… and we have that life now by faith. The Apostle Paul assures us, “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears in glory then your life too will appear in glory” (Col. 3:3-4). That life of yours hidden away in God on the other side of the eschaton is established at your baptism. You have no way to walk… no pious practices to accomplish… no works of charity to perform… nothing of your own reason or strength will get you there. Only being born anew in baptism… only being born of water and the Word through which the Holy Spirit works… only by such birth is your eternal life on the other side of the eschaton realized and your mortal life in this creation established.
Table Talk: Discuss the import of having an eternal life already realized versus the future possibility of having one.
Pray: Heavenly Father, establish both my eternal life and my life in this world. Amen
John 3:1-15 (16-17)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. 3 Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus said to him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered him, Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
(16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.)