The Trinity: A Humble Conversation
Ok so there is this one thing that I use every day, I rely on it, I depend on it, I use it every single day and in an emergency I for sure need it But I have no idea how it works…but that doesn’t stop me from the reliance on it What is it? The telephone It works by turning soundwaves into electrical signals that travel over wires or radio waves to the other end of the call Ok I still don’t get it and by the end of this episode, you may hear us give you facts and definitions and still not get it…that is ok, us too. But our hope is that you desire to rely on it and use it Well it is not really an it at all but a person: The Godhead: The Trinity Today we are going to tackle the mystery of the Trinity–our Triune God…I remember my first experience with understanding the concept… I was raised Roman Catholic, so I was familiar with the term, but had no conceptual idea of what it really meant… When I first started attending Crosstowne, I began doing Bible studies and reading Scripture on my own…One of my first questions was what Genesis 1:26 means when it says, “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” Who the heck is ‘us’ and ‘our’??? I was so confused by that! A very patient friend explained it was the Trinity! US/OUR=God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit….It really kinda blew my mind! Mind Blown: The actual word ‘Trinity’ is not found in Scripture (though the concept is), but it is the best way for us to attempt to explain a very difficult idea…we also use Triune God, or Three-in-One… Good definition: The Trinity is one God existing in three divine persons who share one essence….That’s a LOT to understand! In th ANE, most people believed in many gods, polthesitic but God wanted His chosen people, the Hebrews or Israeleites to know that He is one god. Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” and He said, “You shall say this to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you. God has always existed and always existed in three. God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit John 8:58 says, “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” This is reflective of the Shema (hear-part of the central Jewish prayer) in the OT: Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” ‘Trinity Sunday’ is celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost…started by the early church and primarily held as a holy day by Catholics… So, you mean Jesus was there at the Creation?? He didn’t just show up when He came to earth?? Then she told me that Jesus is the creator of ALL things…John 1:1 says, ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” To learn more, take a look at the Bible Project video “How is God both one and three at the same time.” We will add it to the show notes.. There is also a great diagram that we will add to show notes that helps us understand:
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Then thank God for the mystery of the Trinity and God’s power in our lives So, we just have to have a Cajun recipe for Trinity Day because of the Cajun holy trinity!! As many of you know, the “Cajun Holy Trinity” is a mixture of onions, bell peppers, and celery and is the base of most Cajun delights…It is a perfect blending of flavors and textures… A perfect dinner for a cold winter night is….Gumbo! Grab some friends and, as you prepare the ‘Cajun holy trinity’, and discuss the real Trinity… (A few questions here, Staci???) Gumbo Recipe: 1 cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup bacon drippings 1 cup coarsely chopped celery 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 3 quarts water 6 cubes beef bouillon 1 tablespoon white sugar salt to taste 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco), or to taste ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's), or to taste 4 bay leaves ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce 4 teaspoons file powder, divided 2 tablespoons bacon drippings 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 1 pound lump crabmeat 3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Directions: Make the roux: Whisk together flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Cook roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking. Make the gumbo: Place celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until all vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir vegetables into roux, and mix in sliced sausage. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine water and beef bouillon cubes in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until bouillon cubes dissolve, then whisk roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer and mix in sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat. Add okra and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes; remove okra with a slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder just before serving. Serve hot and enjoy!
