The Word, Part 3

The Word, Part 3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things came into being through (the Word). What came into being through (the Word) was life, and the life was the light of all people. No one has ever seen God. It is (the Word) who has made (God) known.[1]

The Word of God is not scripture, nor is it the historical Jesus of Nazareth although it can be encountered in either. If, as I noted earlier, it is only something we can encounter or experience, how are we ever to hear or see this Word? The gospels tell us we first need to develop new ways of hearing and seeing to do so. It is for those with ears to hear and eyes to see. I cannot believe Jesus meant the Word is only for a select few who were gifted from birth with unique abilities to see and hear what others do not. Rather, he refers to ways of seeing and hearing that are available to anyone with the desire to learn how to experience God in the world around us.

The mystery of the Word is at least partially revealed in the concept of the Trinity, which is traditionally identified as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I prefer the non-gender-specific titles of the Creator, Created, and Spirit (which refers to the relationship between the Creator and Created). Although the Trinity is not specifically named in the Bible, it illustrates the various ways God has been encountered and experienced by mankind throughout history and continues to be experienced today. It affirms that there is only One God, but that One God is experienced by us in many different ways. When we experience God as above or beyond us, we encounter God as Creator or Father. When we experience God as with or beside us, we encounter God as the Created, Son, or Child. When we experience God as within or inside us, we encounter God as indwelling Spirit. All are equally valid expressions or manifestations of our One God. I am not a fan of referring to the expressions of the Trinity as Persons, as is common in Christian teachings, since that implies the differences in the ways God expresses to us are differences in the essential nature of God.

The essence of our lives is the Trinity in action, individually and collectively: God, us, and the Spirit or relationship that connects us. The connection also transcends time, uniting past, present, and future. There is nothing in creation that has ever fallen or ever will fall outside of the Trinitarian expression of God. It is the timeless energy that flows eternally between God and God’s creation, which is the relationship we call the Spirit. It is active love. It is what binds us together and maintains us in relationship with God and with each other.

Author and teacher Richard Rohr has illustrated the Trinity with a fidget-spinner, with its three heads spinning around a common core. As it spins it appears as a single, circular object until it slows down enough for the three heads to distinguish themselves from each other. It is in its spinning motion, however, that the fidget-spinner manifests its identity. And the same is true of the Trinity. It is through the eternal give-and-take between the expressions of God, the spiritual relationship between Creator and Created, that the power of God manifests. It is also along that energetic flow that the Word of God appears. It constantly moves above, around, and within us.

There are countless expressions of God that are simply beyond our ability to comprehend or know. The creative power and intricate inter-weavings behind all that is cannot be grasped by human understanding. That is God expressing as above us. Some say God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, and those are ways of characterizing God as above us. In Trinitarian terms, this expression is called Father or Creator. There is another expression of God, however, that is infinitely tangible but no less mysterious which is God beside us. God expresses in the people and environments around us. We can see, touch, hear, smell, taste, and feel these expressions. We can directly experience God’s love and care through everyone and everything around us. This expression is called Son or Created. A third type of experience of God occurs within us. Something moves us or we are given a divine inspiration or intuition that arises within but seemingly originates outside of us. This expression is the Spirit of God. It flows to us, between us, through us, and out from us. Each of these expressions are utterings of the creative and creating Word of God. We may not understand what is being said or how, but we recognize the truth behind it and humbly stand in awe before it.

This is the 42^nd in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] John 1:1,3-4,18