Jesus said, “ . . . for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (Jn.18:37) His life was his testimony, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the truth of God. We witness in Christ Jesus the awesome self-giving love of God, emptying himself of God’s glory to be born as one of us. Through Christ’s Holy Spirit, as we trust in his promise to be with us always (Mt. 28:20), we experience the immanence of God, the intimate presence of God, enfolding, indwelling us here and now, in this time and place. As Jesus told his disciples at their last supper together, however, we can’t yet bear all the truth, the infinite truth that God has in store for us. Thank goodness, as we await the action of the Spirit of Truth in our lives we can trust that we are precious to God, whom we know and celebrate this day as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit of Truth begins to open our hearts to receive the testimony of Christ Jesus we discover that the Beloved reveals Godself to us according to our individual needs and circumstances. We may come to know the Holy One in any number of ways, as creator, redeemer, sanctifier, refuge, protector, vindicator, counselor, righteous judge, defender of the weak and oppressed, savior, healer, love, deliverer, nurturer, comforter, companion, friend, guide, intercessor, one who hears and answers prayer, one who casts out fear, one who dwells within, one who hides his face, one who enlightens and inspires, one who compassionately ministers to the marginalized, one who is gracious and merciful, steadfast and faithful, holy and jealous. Those are examples that come immediately to my mind. Likely others resonate with you from your own experience of the Holy One.

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is that no matter what our personal experience of the Divine may be, there is always more to the mystery of God that has yet to be revealed to us. Like an intricate Celtic knot, God’s love is always reaching out to us in an unending cycle of giving and receiving, drawing us ever deeper into Gods’ unifying love, so that our lives may become a testimony to God’s truth.