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June 10, 2020
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Dear Friends,
This past Sunday was Trinity Sunday, the day in the church year set aside to focus on the nature of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is widely misunderstood, even among Christians, and it is vastly under-appreciated.
The Trinity is not about theological hairsplitting and academic irrelevancies. The Trinity is the reality of God. It is the holiness and goodness and beauty of the God who made us and who knows us and loves us. The full expression of the doctrine of the Trinity was the great triumph of the Christian Church after three centuries of battling against heresies which threatened to destroy the faith. Those heresies still war against the truth in the form of such teachings as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, paganism, the Da Vinci Code, and revisionist teaching in the liberal Church. These are spiritual counterfeits to Christianity that deny the Trinity. And Islam, which misunderstands and rejects the Trinity, has attracted all too many Christians who do not know the powerful truth of their own faith.
The word “Trinity” isn’t in the Bible, but there are more than 75 passages in Scripture which speak about the Trinity, not least the Great Commission of Jesus at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Now it is true that we cannot fully grasp, let alone fully explain, the Trinity. We say that the Trinity is a mystery, and it is. A mystery in the theological sense—not in the crime drama sense—is something we do not fully comprehend. Saying something is a mystery doesn’t mean we don’t understand any of it. It just means that we do not understand all of it.
But of course not! God is the infinite, omnipotent, creator of the universe, the creator of our very minds! Any god we could fully grasp and explain would be some two-bit deity of our own making, not the ultimate and fathomless source of all existence.
There have been many attempts by analogy to compare the Trinity to various things in our experience, but they are all misleading and inadequate. This clever Lutheran Satire video explains why human analogies break down.
It is easier to say what God is not than it is to say what he is. Theologians call it the via negativa, the “negative way.” We do this all the time without realizing it when we say that God is invisible, infinite, immortal and so on. Those are all negative words that say what God is not. He is not visible, not finite, not mortal.
The reason we find it easier to say what God is not is simply because God is God. He is the infinite creator of the universe and he is beyond all human language.
St. Augustine, the great theologian of the 5th century put it this way: “God more truly is than he is thought, and he is thought more truly than he is spoken of… [We speak of the Trinity] not that the godhead might be completely spoken, but that it might not be left wholly unspoken… It is better to speak than to say nothing and be silent about the best truth we know.”
The same could be said about God’s love in the face of evil and suffering. We know God’s love. We experience it. But can you explain God’s love in a precise, technical way? Of course not. But we go on believing the truth that God is love and we do our best to put it into words.
The Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is essentially God’s Name: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, one God. There are significant distinctions between the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They are distinct, they are related and they are one.
If you reject the Trinity, you fall into one or another destructively false teaching. Bishop Fitz Allison entitled his wonderful book on all this, The Cruelty of Heresy, because these teachings that deny the truth are cruel; they offer people only a false gospel that cannot offer hope, cannot heal, cannot save.
If someone asks you to explain the Trinity, don’t feel defensive. It is the wonderful nature of God who is loving community even within himself. There is a depth and richness of the relationships among the Trinity that you can’t fully define and explain any more than you can explain the love in your family.
So it is with the mystery of the Trinity. The truth of the Trinity leads us to know and worship and delight in the one true God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. John A. M. Guernsey
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The Witness of the Church in a Time of National Crisis
 On June 3, Christ the King Anglican, Alexandria, VA, hosted a webinar, 'The Witness of the Church in a Time of National Crisis.' They offered it as an opportunity to listen and learn. You may find a link to the presentation here.
Albert Thompson spoke on the “Witness of the Church in a Time of National Crisis.” Albert is a historian, writing his doctoral dissertation on the influence of the New Deal and WWII on Jim Crow and race in America. His presentation on race and America is a clear, sobering, thoughtful and ultimately, hopeful consideration of this important subject. He has provided book recommendations here, as well as notes on the example of MLK and on Critical Race Theory.
Photo credit: Hugh Talman
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A Lament for Racial Injustice
Our friends at Coracle are providing a service of lament on June 19th (Juneteenth) from 3-4 p.m. broadcast from Corhaven Graveyard (a burial ground for enslaved persons in the Shenandoah Valley). We hope you will consider joining to listen, lament, and pray. Register here.
Image: “CORHAVEN GRAVEYARD, a watercolor painting by Carolyn Findler completed in 2018, depicts a fish-eye perspective of this sacred space along Holman's Creek in Shenandoah County.”
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A Biblical Framework for Addressing Racism
By Sam Ferguson
It’s wise, in a moment of deep emotion and pain, to turn first to Scripture. What God has to say is infinitely more important than any other voices. Let us listen:
1. All People Are Created in God’s Image
The opening paragraphs of Scripture tell us that humans—all humans, not one ethnicity—are created in God’s image: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). Male or female, black or white, all people are in God’s image. This is the irrevocable declaration grounding the dignity and worth of every person.
Our country has not upheld this truth. For hundreds of years entire people groups, non-whites, were treated as less than human. This grieves the heart of God. It is a reality we cannot deny. And in myriad ways, the ramifications of this part of our history shape our present.
Read the entire article here...
The Rev. Sam Ferguson is the rector at The Falls Church in Falls Church, VA.
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Praying in the Harvest
By Tim Howe
In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
This verse has been one of the key components of the work of the Great Commission Committee from its inception in the early days of the Diocese of the MId-Atlantic. The Committee is charged with supporting our congregations in the work of evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and congregational health and well-being. It is a broad mandate that requires the input and work of a large number of volunteers from all across the diocese.
At the heart of the Committee’s work lies this word from Jesus, to pray in the laborers to gather the harvest.
Read the entire article here...
The Rev. Tim Howe is the Executive Assistant to the Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.
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Unique Challenges Children and Foster Care Agencies are Facing During COVID-19
May was National Foster Care Month. According to the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children & Families, National Foster Care Month is “a time to recognize that we can each play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care." With more than 430,000 children in our nation’s foster care system, however, the need to speak up on behalf of these children and their families, as well as to prayerfully consider what role God might have for us in meeting their needs, continues throughout the year. Because of the unique challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic and state and local lockdowns, that need becomes perhaps even more urgent than ever before.
When schools are shut down, many children, who experience abuse and neglect at home, lose their only safe place, a place where caring adults can see, hear about, and report signs of maltreatment to authorities who can help these children achieve the safety, permanency, and well-being they need and deserve. When the lockdowns are fully lifted, and schools reopen, we can expect an influx of children into the foster care system. The question is, will loving, safe families be waiting to welcome these children into their homes? Will others surround and support those families who do take children into their homes? The Church has an opportunity, and a calling, to learn about and meet the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable children and their families.
John Moore, member of Redeemer Anglican, Richmond, VA, is a leading advocate for adoption and foster care on a local and national level. Click the video above to hear about some of the unique challenges children and foster care agencies are facing during COVID-19 and opportunities to help. Learn more here. |
Multilingual Nicene Creed
Incarnation Anglican, Arlington, VA enjoyed a child-led Pentecost celebration!
Here's the Nicene Creed from the service, recited in the many languages of the church community. "We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God!" Acts 2:11
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Multilingual Lord's Prayer
In honor of Pentecost, the Lord's Prayer was presented in multiple languages at Truro Anglican, Fairfax, VA. Be inspired by this beautiful video.
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Transitions within the Diocese
We praise God for the various transitions that have been happening in the churches of the Diocese!
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Nick Braunschneider was instituted as Rector of Church of the Apostles Anglican on March 29.
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Tim Mayfield was instituted as Interim Rector of Truro Anglican Church on June 7.
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Travis Hines began his ministry as Rector of Immanuel Anglican Church, Woodbridge on June 1.
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Drew Thomas began his ministry as Vicar of Incarnation Anglican Church, Williamsburg on June 1.
The Rev. Nick Braunschneider, Church of the Apostles
The Rev. Tim Mayfield, Truro Anglican Church
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Quarantined Puppet Friends
This precious video from the Children’s Ministry at All Saints’ in Woodbridge, VA helps normalize the wearing of masks while providing a solid teaching about creation and helpful explanation to children about “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Enjoy! 
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The Mid-Atlantic Messenger
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER
OF THE DIOCESE OF THE MID-ATLANTICANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA
THE RT. REV. JOHN A. M. GUERNSEY, BISHOP
THE DIOCESE OF THE MID-ATLANTIC (ACNA)
14851 GIDEON DRIVE, WOODBRIDGE,VA 22192
703.590.5470 (OFFICE) 703.590.3296 (FAX)
ANGLICANDOMA.ORG • FB • Twitter
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Upcoming Events
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A Lament for Racial Injustice
June 19, 3-4 p.m.
Details
Prayer for the Nation during this Pandemic
Saturdays at 8:45 a.m.
Details
Inner Healing Training
Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m.
Email for Zoom link
Please send us church news, upcoming events, and stories about what God is doing through your ministries here.
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The Diocese Jobs Board
To request that a position be posted, please send an email to the Diocese with the position title, a brief description of the position, a website link to further information if available, the deadline for applications if appropriate, and the email address of a point of contact. Please contact the Diocese as soon as the position is filled to remove the listing from the Jobs Board. Thank you!
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