Here I Go Again
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday, and I can’t help but hear in my head the rock n’ roll classic hit, “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. Don’t mock me–it will forever and always be a rock and roll classic that will survive the ages and instantly bring me joy when I hear it. Just in case you’re not a regular listener of the “80’s on 8” Sirius XMU channel, to refresh your memory, the song opens with these lyrics:
I don't know where I'm going
But I sure know where I've been
Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
Here I go again, here I go again
Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
Oh, Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on
Laugh at me all you will, but I often do feel this way when it comes to entering the season of Trinity. Here we go again. Another incredibly long season of endless green days and the testing of our ordinary faithfulness amidst the hustle and bustle of the corresponding secular seasons of summer and fall. We are caught in a long, oft perceived “lull” in the liturgical calendar, where Easter feels ages ago and Advent feels ages away. We begin to wonder, how am I to make the most of my time and not waste it? We often use the promises and feelings of yesterday–Eastertide and Pentecost–to carry us through this long season. If we are not careful to attend to our lives of prayer with the same level of care that we do during seasons like Lent, Trinity will slip by us as we miss the beauty of the moments and opportunities for growth that God gives us in this long season.
We can look to our Trinity Sunday Mass readings for guidance in crafting the shape of our lives of prayer during the season of Trinity. In our Lesson for the Epistle, Revelation 4, we hear a piece of St. John’s account as he is swept up into heaven and beholds the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders.* In this scene, St. John hears the four living creatures cry without ceasing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come” (Rev. 4:8)! This is followed by the praise of the twenty-four elders who in turn say, “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created" (Rev. 4:11). Though it’s easy–and sometimes fun–to get swept up in the imagery, numerology, and most other “-ologies” about the Book of Revelation, in doing so, we run the risk of missing the point. The image St. John witnesses is one of perpetual adoration and exaltation of the Lord, seated high upon the throne, by all those in His presence. Such an image becomes for us an icon of our own call as Christians at all times, but especially in this season of Trinity.
God calls us to continued faithfulness in our prayer, fasting, use of our spiritual gifts, tithing, and all other spiritual disciplines, ever giving thanks and praise to the Lord amidst all that we do. Just as the liturgical color of green reminds us of life and growth, Trinity is a season meant for growth as we put into practice the lessons learned from Advent through Eastertide through our daily acts of faithful, Christ-like living. We do not need to wait for a vision of heaven to be reminded of the need to offer praise and adoration to the Lord as the heavenly creatures do in Revelation 4. We can do this each day in the Daily Offices and our own times of personal prayer. Trinity gives us the space to practice these disciplines and begin to see their fruit over a protracted liturgical season.
If we let it, Trinity can be as beautifully comforting or challenging to our spiritual lives as Lent or Easter. It is a gift of mercy in our liturgical calendar that allows us space: space to breathe after the long seasons of fasting and feasting; space to process what we learned in previous seasons; space to heal from the inner work and revelations we may have encountered this year; and space to grow in our own spiritual disciplines as we balance how and when to say “yes” or “no” to the things set before us. And this process is meant to be done together as a parish community, and with a spiritual director.**
Therefore, let us gather together tomorrow, on Trinity Sunday, as one Body, ready for the blessed gift of space to work out our daily acts of faithfulness unto the Lord. Let us enter with joy, not hesitation into this season, freshly renewed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words, here we go again.
*In 2018, Bishop Scarlett and Fr. Hayden taught a fantastic Bible Study series on the Book of Revelation. I highly recommend them, especially if you are coming from a Protestant or non-denominational background that focuses primarily on the concept of dispensationalism. The recordings can be accessed on our St. Matthew’s YouTube channel, or by clicking this link.
**It can be difficult to determine our own Rule and prayer practices in isolation. If you are interested in discussing any of these, please click the link below to contact our Pastoral Staff. Any one of them would be delighted to meet with you.