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Just over a week ago many of us were captivated by scenes from the Royal wedding from Windsor. It was a marvellous spectacle and I found myself thinking no other nation on earth could stage such an event, it made me proud to be British. It was a royal wedding like no other: Gospel choirs, more celebrities than Dukes in the congregation, an Archbishop who seemed normal and a visiting American preacher who electrified the occasion.Bishop Michael Curry who is the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church in America was the surprise choice to preach the sermon. He is radical, he is outspoken, he is unconventional and it’s hard to imagine any English Bishop preaching even remotely like Bishop Michael did. If you didn’t see his sermon it was highly emotional, it was delivered with thunderous energy and is was uncompromising. At one stage Camilla seemed to roll her eyes, Prince Harry was heard to say ‘wow’ and Prince William seemed to struggle to control his face.Social media loved it. Days later people were still commenting. The international media wanted to know who this man was and huge numbers of people seemed to be captivated by his message. He spoke with passion about the God who is love and the power of love to change lives.A member of our congregation took me to task the next day and told me my preaching was found wanting in comparison with that of Bishop Curry. I think he was joking, but I’m not sure.Since then I’ve been thinking a lot about preaching and about the Royal Wedding sermon. I know not everybody liked it but many people did. What I loved was that it was full on, nothing half hearted, it was clear and direct and the Gospel was somehow untamed. How many sermons have you heard which have watered down the words of Jesus, which have attempted to make the Good News safe, more controlled and so much less challenging than it really is?I love the Church of England but often we are so tepid, lacking in passion and more concerned about good order and heritage than we are about the life changing truth of God’s love. We play it safe and try to keep God firmly under control.Today, on Trinity Sunday, we are confronted with the totality of God. We are invited to enter more deeply into life with the Lord God of all Creation; we are encouraged to walk with His son Jesus our friend and our saviour. For all of this we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. You may have noticed that I think growth really matters. I am driven by a desire to see this church grow in size, in love and in holiness. I am passionate in my belief that God longs for more and people to know Him and to love Him. I know, in the depth of my being, that God has got more in store for us than we can even imagine and together we will go on praying for the revival of God’s church and for lives to be changed. But when I talk to others in the wider church I don’t meet the same attitude. So often I am told that decline is inevitable, that vocations to the priesthood will not come and that growth is not possible unless you bring in a drum kit. This defeatist rubbish is all around us and even some of our Bishops hold this view.I want to say: how big is your God? Do you really believe in a God who works miracles? Do you worship and adore a God who is alive, at work and full of energy and love?Because God is Trinity love is possible. Because God is Trinity growth will come. Because God is Trinity lives can be changed for ever and for good. Because God is Trinity you and I are forgiven, accepted and redeemed. Because God is Trinity the gates of heaven have been flung open and eternal life is a gift offered to us all.On this Trinity Sunday we encounter a God who is everything to us, who can do anything and who invites us, us of all people, to be his partners in changing the world. God is so much more than we can ever imagine. There are no words which can contain him and his love for you and I cannot be controlled or tamed or diminished.God’s love for you will break down any walls, any barriers, and any gulf that we may erect. The power of the Holy Spirit means that God will always break through and in Jesus we have a saviour, a friend and a pilgrim who walks with us. All of this is made manifest in the mystery of the Eucharist. All of this is made real for us every time we gather in His name and dare to break bread together.God is here, this is holy ground. His Spirit is flowing in this place and Christ is made real in bread and wine. We are people of the Trinity.Knowing God’s power and might is one thing but experiencing it is another thing all together. Do you know deep in your soul that you are fully loved and fully forgiven?Today, let God come close, let Him hold you in arms of love, let Him renew you with the energy of His Holy Spirit and let him touch your soul through the body and blood of His Son. Dare to let God be who and what He really is – don’t try to tame Him, don’t keep Him at a safe distance and let Him change your life for ever.This is the Good News; rejoice in it, let it touch you, shout it from the roof tops and live it with confidence because it is true. ................
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