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The Heart of Holy Trinity
by Reverend Murray Spackman, Vicar.
Sunday 16 February, 2003
Col.3:12-17. Jn 7:37-39a.
According to my basic research in the World Book encyclopedia – the human heart is
about the size of your clenched fist. We tend to think of the heart as a single organ
– and so it is. But it is an organ which has many different parts. It has two upper
chambers on each side called atriums. Below each atrium is another chamber
called a ventricle. Valves control the flow of blood through the heart. There is
the tri-cuspid valve, the mitral valve and the semi-lunar valves. The
heart is surrounded and protected by a thin sac called the pericardium. And some of
you will know a lot more about some of those parts of the heart than I do – because
some of you have had some of those replaced, or repaired. Just don’t ask me to
remember or repeat any of those names – because I wont be able to remember them
When we think about the Church – we can easily forget that
the Church has a heart as well!
However, its not quite so easy to identify or to name this heart as it is the pulsating
muscle we have in our chest. But for all of us, it is important to know, or at least have
some idea of what constitutes the heart of the church. So my sermon today is entitled ,
"The heart of Holy Trinity." As we approach next Sunday our Parish annual
General Meeting, I believe it is important that we all look again at what is central to
our life and mission as a church – what is at the heart of the Church! .
Those of us who have been attending here for some years, and are involved in church
life , may have a fairly good idea of what constitutes the heart of the church – but
others – and maybe you are a visitor here today , or a recent enquirer , or are
thinking about making this your spiritual home - aren’t too sure. And that’s
fair enough! – we shouldn’t expect you to know . So today I want to focus on and
share with you what I believe and what the leadership sees, as the heart of Holy
Trinity.
This can be summed up in the two readings we have just heard.
In the gospel reading Jesus invites you and me - the spiritually thirsty - to come to
Him, to believe in Him - to spiritually drink from Him and to trust Him. And as we do so
– not only will our spiritual dryness and thirst be satisfied – but further more
– from within us will flow life giving water out to others.
Others will find through us – the same water of life.
So, firstly, at the heart of the Holy Trinity is firstly an invitation
to meet Jesus – the REAL Jesus.
This is what the church is first and foremost on about – its really very simple
–its about inviting you and your friends and acquaintances into an authentic
relationship with Jesus. And this Jesus is not just some prophet, but God Himself who has
come into this world, felt its stresses and strains, tasted all that life can hurl at Him
, and now stands among us. He is HERE , invisibly, among us this morning. Why not ask Him
to draw near to you and make Himself known to you today? (( Many here this morning –
if asked – will tell you quietly and without boasting , how their meeting with Jesus
has changed their lives. That’s why they are here! – they have come to return
thanks to Him, and to get to know Him better. )) So – No.1 - This is
why Holy Trinity Parish and church exists – so that it might be a people and a place where
we can find Jesus – the source of true life.
Secondly – at the heart of Holy Trinity is the matter of relationships.
Now they aren’t always perfect in this matter. All of us, at some time or other
struggle with relationships – not only in our homes and marriages, but also in the
church. Sometimes we may not even get on very well with each other! – but we do
have the blueprint of how they ought to be and of how we can get there, and improve
them.
St.Paul - in his letter to the church at Colossae says - "You are the people of
God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourself with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Be tolerant with one another and
forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must
forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add
love, which binds all things together in perfect unity…" (Col.3:12-14)
Those TWO things are what I believe are at the heart of our life and worship here at
Holy Trinity. So firstly - we do what we can in order to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
We have very low key , informal, friendship based events, such as Friendship Lunches, New
member lunches, and special invitation Services such as our Café’ style worship
where we can invite our friends in a laid-back informal atmosphere to learn more who Jesus
is , and who WE are, and then we have other programmes, especially the Alpha series, which
we plan on having after Easter, where friends can come and get some information and have
some discussion about the Christian faith. Then on the other hand w e have Home Groups in
which we can develop and share and grow in our relationships with one another. Those are
what I would call the two key elements of the heart of Holy Trinity.
But there are other things also which are important to us as a church –
- The Bible has a central and authoritative place in our faith and
belief. We take it seriously as God’s Word, relevant for us today. We believe in Holy
Trinity Parish being an inclusive community of people of all ages ,
incorporating different styles and preferences of worship, all within our Anglican
heritage and framework of faith and order. And yet when it comes down to the bottom line
– probably the most important single matter which encourages people to take a closer
look at the Christian faith, to consider Jesus Christ, and to think about coming to church
- and what we strive and encourage people to offer- is not how pure we are in our beliefs,
not how correct we are in our understanding of the Bible , not how fantastically moving
our worship is – but how friendly we are towards those who have never
been here before. I want to remind you, who are regular members of this parish, that
visitors will make up their minds to either come again, or to stay away , more by
the welcoming smile you give them, and your words of acceptance – than by the Creeds
you affirm or the beliefs you hold dear. Have you welcomed someone here with a smile
today?
So, what is the heart of Holy Trinity? Its about helping people discover a more
authentic relationship with God through Jesus Christ – and its about growing and
improving our relationships with one another, loving one another, as Christ loves us.
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