2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13 (NRSVUE)
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Be restored; listen to my appeal; agree with one another; live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
DEVOTIONAL: Human Relationships modelled on the Trinity
The Sunday after Pentecost is known as Trinity Sunday. Over the past few weeks, we have been reminded of the power of the Father God; the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son; and the coming of the Holy Spirit on all believers at Pentecost. This week we focus on the extraordinary concept of the one God who is yet three in one. The word ‘trinity’ doesn’t appear in our Bible, but the indications are there right from the creation account in Genesis: “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness” (Genesis 1;26, emphasis mine). Our passage from 2 Corinthians, Paul’s final words to the church at Corinth, has one of the clearest representations of the Triune God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit: expressing and exuding grace, love, and communion (fellowship). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are love, give grace and are essentially relational. As beings created in God’s image, we are created to be relational – to be in close connection with our God, with each other, and with the rest of the created world. Paul calls his dear friends (brothers and sisters, 11) to be restored, to be made complete, to put things in order. He wants the believers to be of one mind, and to live in peace with one another. They are exhorted to greet each other with a holy kiss (12) – a kiss that represents love and unity; forgiveness and reconciliation. This final blessing, and the trinitarian benediction that follows, is not an add-on or afterthought. It summarises the desire of Paul for the Corinthian believers – that they fulfil their God-given purpose as relational beings. And it expresses God’s desire for us also. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united, so we too should seek God’s help to be united as believers: to forgive and be forgiven, to seek reconciliation, to love generously. In so doing we will demonstrate the love and grace of God to all we encounter.
PRAYER:
God of grace, God of love, God of fellowship, we come to you knowing that we are called to be in unity with each other and with the created world. And yet without a close relationship with you we cannot do this. Thank you for creating us as relational beings. Help us to seek you in all we do, and to model our relationships on you, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Amen.