Sermon preached by Tyler E. K. Maulsby

St. Paul’s on the Green, Norwalk, Connecticut

11^th Sunday after Pentecost, August 24, 2003

I would like to say a few words before I begin, and they are: Nitwit, blubber, oddment, and tweak. A great man said that, somebody that nobody could compare to. Well, almost nobody. The man’s name was Albus Dumbledore and the man he’s like is Jesus Christ. Wow. That’s a pretty presumptuous statement. Now I’m not saying that Harry Potter should be viewed as the Bible. Nor am I saying that Harry Potter has religious undertones. But when you think about it, Harry Potter is similar to many parts of the Bible. In today’s Gospel, the part that really caught me was “Yet there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and would betray him.” He later goes on to say to his disciples “Have I not chosen you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.”

So why did he do it? Why would Jesus chose somebody to be one of his main followers if he knew that that man was going to betray him? That’s equivalent to walking down the street with cash hanging out of your pockets, finding a mugger, and saying “Hey let’s take a walk.” So why would anybody willingly let somebody into their life who they knew was going to betray him?

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Professor Albus Dumbledore found himself in a similar situation. Throughout the book Harry grew closer and closer to discovering what was hidden in Hogwarts School. He also became more and more aware of the whereabouts of the dark lord - Lord Voldemort. As hopefully most of you know, Harry defeated Voldemort and the sorcerer’s stone was saved and then later destroyed. Now for those of you who have never read or seen Harry Potter I apologize for giving away part of the story, but I did not give away the end. There is much more to the book than that, and I suggest that you take the time to read it. However, for those of you who are asking, why the heck is he talking about Harry Potter, there is a point. I did not get up here to advertise a fantasy novel. My point is: the entire time the sorcerer’s stone was hidden in Hogwarts, Dumbledore knew that Voldemort was going to try and steal the stone. Despite the different spells guarding the stone, Dumbledore still knew that it would attract Voldemort. So why? Why would Dumbledore keep the stone in Hogwarts if he knew it would endanger himself and the students at the school? Like the question why did Jesus choose a disciple who would betray him, this question was also left unanswered. Yet most of the students at Hogwarts still remained loyal to Dumbledore.

In all our lives we are in similar situations. If it’s not a person who will betray us, it’s a situation that will cause us pain or difficulty. However, usually we choose to go into that situation because it will help us in the long run. How many times do we say, “Well that’s going to kill me now, but it’ll help me in the long run.” The only solution I can come up with for why Jesus chose Judas as his disciple, the person who would betray him, is because it would help us in the long run. He knew that it would teach us that even the betrayers, the “devils,” can be his followers. And by fulfilling the scriptures he died for us to save us. Instead of his saying “It’ll help me in the long run.” Jesus, acting from a true Father, one who is concerned for his children, thought, “This’ll kill me now but it will help them in the long run."

The spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” The spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The statement is Christianity at its plainest. Which brings me to the idea of the Holy Trinity. Notice how I say the idea of the Holy Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I love the Trinity. I think it’s one of the coolest things about Christianity. Mostly because nobody knows what it is. People have tried forever to define the Trinity with little success. The Father and the Son - working together to protect and teach us. The Spirit gives life. Therefore the Holy Spirit, as said in the Nicene Creed, is the giver of life.

Now comes the fun part of the Trinity. For years people have been trying to define the Trinity and explain it. But all we really have on the Trinity is what is written in the Bible: that it’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all at the same time. How can it be three things at the same time? Well, it just can. We don’t question Jesus walking on water or turning water into wine as much as we question the three in one. When Jesus turned water into wine we just said, “Well, it’s Jesus Christ. He can do that.” The only explanation I can come up with for the Trinity is this: (display a Rubiks cube). This is a Rubiks cube. Now for those of you who thought I was weird with the Harry Potter analogy, I’m sure you all are thinking “Oh boy, he’s really gone this time.” And, just like the Harry Potter analogy, I am not saying that the Rubiks cube is the Holy Trinity or, for that matter, is any bit religious. For those of you who stuck with me with the Harry Potter, I thank you, but I understand if you think I’m nuts for this one. But all the same, whether you think I’m crazy or not, I urge you to listen to this, I think I might be on to something. This Rubiks cube - six sides, six colors, one cube. The Trinity - three concepts, one idea. See where I’m going? But it gets better. When you try to solve this cube, aside from it being incredibly difficult and frustrating, when you finally solve the stupid thing - what did you do? You twist the blocks to rearrange the colors to get - a cube. But isn’t that what I started with? I just twisted the colors around to get what I started with. We can contemplate the Holy Trinity for as long as we want, but we will always come back to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How is the Father also the Son and the Holy Spirit? How is the Son the Father and the Holy Spirit? How is the Holy Spirit also the Father and the Son? I have no idea. Just as we trusted in Jesus who was the Son acting from the Father when he taught us through parables and miracles, just as we trusted Jesus that he was the Messiah when we saw him ascend and become the Holy Spirit, we have to trust in all three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that they will protect us and guide us in whatever form they choose to come in. How did Jesus turn water into wine? By the power of God. How did he walk on water? By the power of God. How is the Trinity three in one? By the power of God.

Why did Jesus choose a disciple who he knew would betray him? I don’t exactly know. But just like the students who remained loyal and trustworthy to Dumbledore, all I can do is trust in the Spirit, because the Spirit gives life; trust in the power of God and know that whatever Jesus did, he had our best interests at heart.

Tyler is the son of our deacon, ElenaBarnum. During June&July,Tyler worked as a tech intern with the NJ Opera Festival in Princeton, NJand this past month, he has been doing a theology tutorial with Prof. DavidBuck at the General Theological Seminary and working for The Fringe Festival in NYC – a month-long series of multiple productions Off & Off Off Broadway. Not long ago, Tylerhad to do an essay assignment for a class at Lawrenceville School inLawrenceville, New Jersey where he will be a senior this fall. He chose to write a sermon. The rectorwas so impressed by it that he asked Tyler to preach at St. Paul's today.