Delivered by Rev. Ellen Brantley

Sunday, May 18, 2008

SERMON:  Body, Mind, Spirit

TEXT:        Romans 8:6-11

Trinity. God in Three Persons.  Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.  Creator, Christ, Comforter.  It’s really not that complicated, is it?  Well, not until you realize that they’re all one and the same and they can’t be separated.  That’s when it gets confusing. 

          For instance, if Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, then it follows that Christ was present at creation.  The Spirit was there, too.  For when God breathed life into the first human, the breath was the Holy Spirit, giving us life.  But then why does Jesus tell his disciples that after he dies God will send an Advocate, the Holy Spirit to be with them and to remind them of all Jesus taught?  There’s also a story of the risen Jesus meeting the disciples.  “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”  Of course, last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the day when a whole crowd of believers were filled with the Holy Spirit.

          We could try to explain it that these three “persons” are just different roles that God plays in the same way that I am a mom and a wife and a minister.  I am always all three – I can’t separate them from who I am – but when I’m in the pulpit, for instance, I am in the role of minister to a much greater extent than I am in the role of mom.

          There’s a children’s book titled, 3 in 1, that compares the trinity to an apple.  There are three parts to the apple:  the peel, the flesh, and the seeds.  All the parts are apple, and they make up just one apple.  The peel protects, the flesh is good to eat, and the seeds can be planted to grow more apples.

          The idea of the Trinity is so complicated, in fact, that the Nicene Creed, which was adopted in the year 381 A.D., was written in response to an argument about the Trinity.  Some said that God created Christ, and that Christ sent the Holy Spirit.  But others argued with that because they believed in only one God, not three separate gods.  The argument continues across some denominational lines today, but the Nicene Creed asserts:  “I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth…, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God…, God of God; Light of Light; Very God of Very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father....”  As to the Holy Spirit, the Creed states, “And I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Lord and Giver of Life; Who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified.”

          Clear as mud, right?  Personally, I prefer the story about the apple.

          Well, perhaps we’ll just have to be satisfied with the conclusion that God is a complex being which we’ll never fully understand, until we meet him face to face. 

          As we were made in God’s image, we are complex beings as well.  You might even say that each of us is a trinity, consisting of BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT.   We can’t separate them from one another, but we know that each can influence the other for good or bad. 

          We certainly know how our physical bodies can affect our spirit or our mood.  When you don’t feel well or you’re in pain, you also might feel sad or depressed or you might have a short temper.  Even your mind doesn’t work as well when your body is suffering.

          I’m sure we’ve all met people who seemed so much younger than their physical age would suggest.  We say that they are “young at heart” or young in spirit.  There are also young people who we would describe as having “wisdom beyond their years.”  When I was a kid I knew a boy in my neighborhood who always seemed so much older than his age.  His name was Peter, and he was a year or two younger than I.  But he always acted kind of like an old man.  He was super-responsible and serious and he could chat with the older folks just like he was one of them.  He probably even became disgusted with us if we got dirty, made too much noise, or played in the street.  “Darn kids.”            

            In Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, he discusses the difference between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit.  “To set the mind on the flesh is death,” Paul writes, “but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”  We must be careful not to misinterpret this.  It sounds like he’s saying that the body is bad, but that’s not what this means.  What Paul is saying is that we must not be dominated by selfish passions.  Setting the mind on the flesh means we’re focusing inward on ourselves.  But setting the mind on the Spirit suggests an outward focus – a focus on God.  When we put our focus on God rather than on ourselves, our passions, and our desires, that is where we’ll find true life and peace. 

          As we prepared to celebrate the gifts of women today, the Encounter group discussed how to get in touch with the young woman inside of us, to be inspired and energized to serve God despite our aging bodies.  Some suggested that our inner strength comes from our faith.  When we realize that our spirits are connected with the Spirit of God, we can find energy and strength and inspiration often beyond the capabilities of our bodies.

          You know, if you set your mind on the flesh, you can virtually will yourself to die OR will yourself to live.  That’s how powerful our spirits are in influencing our bodies.  Many cancer survivors will tell you that attitude is 90% of the battle in defeating that dreaded disease. 

          So I would encourage and challenge all of us to keep our focus on God and live according to the Spirit, for, as Paul wrote, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”

          Thanks be to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!    AMEN.