"most guys do" : pregnant dancing with the Trinity

We had a great time today, this first Sunday in Advent...I spoke on, as I do every year, what Jack Hayford calls "The Mary Miracle." It's always a
highlight of the year for me.

We

• bounced on Rob Bell's trampoline,
• kicked off the Advent Conspiracy,
• prayed to U2's "Yahweh,"
• partook of some deep sharing,
• read from St Henri's journal,
• did some Trinitarian dancing..

..and all became pregnant.

.......well you had to be there.
(if you were, post thoughts in the comments section below).
Or see this post from a couple years ago:

Mary Rocks!

Every year, about this time, I love preaching on Mary...(and I am a Protestant!..(:

...or am I? Maybe I used to be!..I'm not Roman Catholic, but how important are categories like Protest-ant any more? And what am I/are we now, anyway: emerging, misisonal, ?? Post-Protestant...pre-Christian...whatever!) It began years ago with Jack Hayford's little book "The Mary Miracle" (reisssued as The Christmas Miracle, no doubt because someone feared the title sounded too 'Catholic'!!)).

In Paraguay in 1998, I risked preaching a sermon (and I did..photo evidence right here) in Spanish about how we are all to become spiritually "pregnant" like Mary... (Just imagine how that might have come across..."Come to the altar and get pregnant"..!)

Can't wait to hear how I preach it this year(: ...

especially in light of the Nativity movie, and the Scot McKnight book..)

It is tempting to preach something like this..

The point?

"Mary is, to that extent, the supreme example of what always happens when God is at work by grace through human beings. God's power from outside, and the indwelling Spirit within, together result in things being done which would have been unthinkable any other way."
-NT Wright, Luke for Everyone , p. 11.

Come to the altar and get pregnant.

This year, several wanted to follow up with the resources on the Trinity, as we noted how Mary got caught up in the perichoresis: the dance of the Trinity (see this) when Gabe announced her pregnancy in Luke .

So here you go..

Here is the Rob Bell clip:

Here are the books referenced, in order from most scholarly to down-home:

• "The Trinity and the Kingdom" by Jurgen Moltmann (much of it readable here)
  
• "Flame of Love" by Clark Pinnock, chapter 1, "Spirit and Trinity" (read page 21ff here)
  
• "Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Nature of Christian Service" by Stephen Seamands (read most of it here)
  
• "Delighting in the Trinity: Just why are Father, Son and Spirit such good news?" by Tim Chester (he's part of the Crowded House church planting movement in England)
  

You might start with the third volume, I know no theologian more practical and pastoral..one dedicated to living out theology in praxis in community, family and world... than Steve Seamands. The book is hugely helpful in applying the most "theological" and apparently "unpractical" doctrines of all to life and ministry.

How does the doctrine and reality of the Trinity impact everything we say/do/pray/decide?

"The Trinity is the language in which Christian truth is spoken. It gives shape to the truth. The Trinity is not peripheral, let alone optional. It is the marvelous, wonderful heart of our faith." [Chester, p. 17]

Here are several posts from my blog on the topic of Trinity, including

"Trinity as model for church...and computers"

and

"The Trinitarian Nature of Leadership," by Len Hjalmarson


-------------

Trinity: My name's Trinity.
Neo: *The* Trinity? Who cracked the IRS d-base?
Trinity: That was a long time ago.
Neo: Jesus...
Trinity: What?
Neo: I just thought... you were a guy.
Trinity: Most guys do.


"Organic church life is not native to this planet.
It began before time in the Godhead."
-Frank Viola 2/4/09