GRACE & PEACE
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
Growing Dominion, Part 26
As we consider the task of living full, Trinitarian lives we have to avoid the temptation of becoming what might be called narrow Trinitarian snobs. By “Trinitarian” here I mean the art and discipline (guided by the Holy Spirit) of learning to balance form and freedom, unity and diversity, and so on. We are called to do this throughout the course of our lives, and cannot ever be satisfied that we have “arrived” in one small portion of our lives.
To take a ridiculous example, suppose that a woman after much reflection, study, and practice, finally came up with the ultimate Trinitarian casserole. Within the unity of the one dish she had finally found the perfect polyphony of spices, meats, and pasta. “This is what we are after!” she thought to herself, and quite right. But then suppose she served that perfect dish to her family, night after night, for the next six months. This would be a Trinitarian dish served up hot in a very Unitarian fashion. The casserole might be Trinitarian but those who have to eat it are not acting as though they are. But we are called to live in a Trinitarian way. We are called to a Trinitarian video, not a Trinitarian snapshot. J. S. Bach was far more Trinitarian in his compositions than, say, Paul McCartney, which is precisely why we occasionally need to listen to some McCartney.
For finite creatures, this means a life of constant balance and willingness to go with the flow. Any attempts to come up with the diet, or the approach, or any lifestyle form of the cookie cutter, is an attempt at stasis-a reversion to simple Unitarianism. This is a constant temptation for those of us in the Reformed tradition. This Unitarianism is the practical assumption that there is no diversity within the Godhead, and so we will seek to minimize diversity in our own lives.
So what did I mean by Trinitarian snobs? I mean those who say, “That because our God is both one and many, I could not settle for anything less than the finest wine, the most expensive bread, and a dip that is prepared with the purest olive oil, just so.” And of course, this they should have done without neglecting the weightier matter of being able to enjoy processed cheese on a Ritz cracker.