Continuing my cycle of sonnets for the Church year. Here is one for Trinity Sunday. By coming to us as the Son, revealing to us the Father, and sending to us the Spirit, Jesus revealed the deepest mystery; that God is not distant and alone, but is three in one, a communion of love who comes to make His home with us.
The Rublev Icon, above, shows the Three in One inviting us to share in that communion. If, as I believe, we are made in the image of God, as beings in communion with one another in the name of that Holy and Undivided Trnity whose being is communion, then we will find reflections and traces of the Trinitarian mystery in all our loving and making. I have tried to suggest this throughout the poem and especially in the phrase ‘makes us each the other’s inspiration’ and Margot Krebs Neale has taken this idea of mutual and coinherent inspiration and remaking in the remarkable image she has made in response to this sonnet which follows the poem, an image which involves the mutually -inspired work of three artists and is one picture woven of three images. She writes to me about this image:
“The Triune Poet makes us for His glory,And makes us each the other’s inspiration.”
sent me in this direction…
The picture of you is by Lancia Smith
the picture of me is by Peter Nixon
the picture of the infinite is by an artist i don’t know
the composition is by me
As usual you can hear the poem by clicking on the ‘play’ button if it appears or on the title of the poem.
Readers who are interested in my use of the word ‘coinherent’ will find out more by watching the video of my talk about the British theologian Charles Williams, a friend and fellow inkling of CS Lewis which can be found here.
This sonnet is drawn from my collection Sounding the Seasons, published by Canterbury Press here in England. The book is now back in stock on both Amazon UK and USA and physical copies are shortly to be available in Canada via Steve Bell. It is now also out on Kindle. Please feel free to make use of this, and my other sonnets in church services and to copy and share them. If you can mention the book from which they are taken that would be great..
In the Beginning, not in time or space,
But in the quick before both space and time,
In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace,
In three in one and one in three, in rhyme,
In music, in the whole creation story,
In His own image, His imagination,
The Triune Poet makes us for His glory,
And makes us each the other’s inspiration.
He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,
To improvise a music of our own,
To sing the chord that calls us to the dance,
Three notes resounding from a single tone,
To sing the End in whom we all begin;
Our God beyond, beside us and within.
I know this from your book of course, but lovely to be reminded. I especially enjoy the line ‘In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace’ – the Trinity in a nutshell or acorn..
Thanks! I am doing a reading in Trinity Chapel at 9:30pm on June 6th. Do let other Wescotians know
Sadly, I am no longer in Cambridge, but I will certainly let current students know.
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Glory to GOD
Malcolm, I wrote a wee piece of classical music for guitar and cello that will be played while one of our congregants reads your Trinity Sunday poem…..your words form a beautiful and understandable image of our Lord.
Thanks for letting me know. If you make a recording I’d love to hear it!
Beautiful, Malcolm. And one of my favourite icons. Elizabeth ewnimages@gmail.com
Beautiful Rosy Cole leads the way…to the Gift of Poem.
As I begin to read the post, I listen to the moving sounds of Wagner’s Parsifal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQOfIENN2tk
Finally, the eyes descend to the Sonnet of Trinity Sunday…
Chills
Thank you….
Good God Creator, Lord & Savior, Holy Spirit Divine
Thank you for the Gift…
The Beauty and Truth found in Creative Hearts and Minds
The Blessing given…The Joy received
The music that rings in Psalm 23
Dear One,
Revisiting on this Day of Visitation to stress the Thank You.
Out of the chaos, darkness, and chance He Calls…
During another challenging valley, your Gift of Sonnet, our Rod and Staff.
God Bless you and Keep you!!! ~+~
Praise Be The Father Son & Holy Trinity!
I just really love your poetry. Thank-you again for being faithful to the gifts given you.
Thanks!
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