Have you ever heard of “universal law?” Universal law is a collection of axioms that govern the way things are. Gravity. Gravity is a universal law. Likewise, the law of attraction, the force that holds molecules together, is a universal law.
Then there are the lesser known universal laws. These are the ones that seem to govern human existence. For instance—Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law states that if something can go wrong—it probably will. I think it especially pertains to power point presentations here at worship. Never a smooth undertaking! Thanks to Murphy’s Law.
There’s a whole bunch more, according to my reliable reference, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. But the universal law I really want to call to your attention today is this one—have you ever heard of it? Goes like this: “Bad news (or bad things) come in threes.” E.g.: You wake up one morning and find that the alarm didn’t go off—making you late for work. (That’s one.) So, you run outside to your car, and it’s got a flat tire—making you even later for work. (Two.) You finally get on the road and things are looking pretty good—no traffic! You begin to think that your luck is turning and that other shoe won’t drop. Then you get to the office and it’s empty! Because it’s Saturday. (Three.) Bad things come in threes.
People believe that bad news comes in threes as well. Someone you know falls ill, another loses her job, and then—bam—a third splits up with his wife. Or you get an F on a test, your iPod gets confiscated (again!), and then—boom—you find out your sister already got the car for Friday night! Bad news comes in threes—makes you especially wary if you’ve already received two pieces of bad news. Then you dread the ring of the telephone, or opening the newspaper, or turning on the television.
And yet, the flip side of the bad news/bad things coin is that people also say “good news comes in threes,” and “good things come in threes.” For example, this good news scenario: you find a dollar on the street (one), with which you buy a winning lottery ticket (two), the proceeds of which you donate to your church (three). Or consider these great things that come in threes: a three ring circus, the Three Stooges, or the Cordts triplets.
Makes me wonder though. What the deal with “three?” Why is it bad news, or good news for that matter, comes in threes? Why not pairs, or fours, or sixes?
Well, three has always been one of those “special” numbers. It’s a prime number—divisible only by one and itself. In geometry, three points define a triangle—the only “perfect” geometric figure—one that if all endpoints were to become hinged, would always keep its shape. And in the most ancient art of storytelling, things always happen in threes. It serves to heighten the drama in the story. (This porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold, this porridge is just right.) Jesus even used this device in his parables, best example being the Good Samaritan.
Three is the number representing simple symmetry-a center point with two equidistant endpoints. It’s also the lowest number of voters needed to achieve a majority in a bi-party political system (not counting super delegates). There are three dimensions to space—length, width, and depth. And three parts to human beings—mind, body, and spirit.
The use of the number three in folk adages might be reflective of any of these. But personally, though, I believe the phenomena is caused by something much more profound—something that was first described for me by one of my seminary professors, Dr. Larsen, who Lisa, his secretary, always accused of making up theological words. He said that the world—the whole universe—is ingrained with the imprint of its creator. The mark of God is left upon all creation, much as our fingerprints adorn things we make and do, much as a painter signs her masterpiece.
And what is that mark of God? Trinity. Three, yet one. One, but also three. Everything in the universe bears the mark of the Trinity deep within its being. Imagine little triangles on a microcosmic level, winding and twisting like divine DNA, identifying each plant, animal, and landscape as the Triune God’s. Even you carry the mark of the maker—or, should I say, especially you? For not only do you bear God’s triune mark, you also were created in the image of the Trinity. Father, Son, Spirit—one God. Body, mind, spirit—one human being. An imperfect image, but an image none the less. Marked by three. The Trinity.
Good things come in threes. Really great things come in threes. Here’s an example that you hear each and every Sunday morning in worship, that maybe you haven’t paid much attention to, or just never appreciated the depth and breadth of what it implies. It comes from our second reading this morning, 2 Corinthians 13:13, and in our liturgy, it’s called the “Apostolic Greeting”.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” To which you reply—“And also with you.”
This verbiage is perhaps so commonplace and so routine for you, that you may do what a certain congregation did when its pastor was having trouble with the sound system one morning. Coming to the front of the sanctuary for the greeting, and fumbling with the transmitter in his pocket, he blurted out, “There’s something wrong with this microphone.” To which the congregation dutifully replied, “And also with you!”
But seriously—have you ever thought about what this greeting conveys to us all? It’s nothing short of fantastic! Three things offered by the three persons of the Trinity. Each related to that person, each building upon what was offered prior, and each reflecting the unity of the Trinity.
First there is grace—undeserved favor, unworthy forgiveness, unearned merit—grace. A free gift given to you based solely on the goodness and obedience and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s son and our “Lord,” or one with power over us. How strange and wonderful it is that Jesus’ death on the cross at the hands of a rebellious humanity was in and of itself the event that rescued us all from sin and death!
For us that grace means freedom. Freedom from the specter of an angry, vengeful God, who exacts punishment upon people trying desperately to do enough to appease him. Freedom from our vain attempts to save ourselves, or justify our existence bfore God Almighty. Freedom to instead love one another and serve God just because that grace was first given to us.
“The love of God…” Science tells us that “to love and to be loved” are two, basic, human needs. Scripture tells us that God is love. To be loved by God is therefore a very primal human need, one needed to be met—even if we can’t put a finger on exactly what’s missing. Unfortunately, or sin turns us away from God’s love and turns us in on ourselves in selfish self love. Our relationship with God becomes skewed by our feelings of guilt, so that we run from him, instead of into his loving arms.
Jesus’ gracious trade of our sins for his merit—achieved on the cross, called by Luther “the happy exchange,” transforms our relationship with God from dysfunctional to right again. We are able once again to feel and respond to God’s love, and then to join with God in his mission to have everyone experience that love.
Which we do through the church—the communion of the Holy Spirit. We are linked by the gift of the Spirit given to each of us at baptism. “Communion” of the Holy Spirit brings to mind a gathering around the table of the Lord—which, in our Eucharistic theology includes Christians of every time and place.
But the word ‘communion,’ while expressive of the inclusiveness of the gathering, perhaps doesn’t convey all the meaning of the Greek word used here which is koinenia. Often times the words “fellowship,” or “community” are used to translate it. But even these fall short of Paul’s meaning and the Spirit’s intentions.
A koinenia is more like a gathering of shareholders in a common endeavor. We might call them “partners,” or “associates.” Everyone has a stake in the success of the organization’s mission. That is what “the communion of the Holy Spirit” really implies. We are given a stake in God’s mission of spreading the good news of his love in the grace of Jesus Christ. We participate not as lackeys, not as hired hands, but as partners in mission. And being a partner in mission, I think you’ll agree, is a far cry from being a member of the church. The latter involves privilege and rights. The former, service and commitment. The gift of the Spirit is an active role in the gathering of God’s people.
So, there’s one example of good things coming in threes on this day of the Trinity. Surely you can think of three more blessings from God which you could celebrate this morning. In the time between “amen” and the singing of the hymn of the day, turn to someone seated next to you and let them know what three pieces of good news or three good things you see marked by the Trinity today!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
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