Love, leadership and the Trinity

By Reverend Dr Katherine Rainger, Senior Chaplain

Former prime minister of New Zealand, Dame Jacinda Ardern, has released a memoir called A Different Kind of Power. Columnist Jenna Price has written an insightful review outlining Ardern’s style as a leader and writer.

It was Ardern’s account of meeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that grabbed my attention. When she asked the Queen for advice about managing leadership amid personal responsibilities, the Queen replied: "Well, you just get on with it." I’ve written the quote down and put it above my desk!

"Getting on with it" will look different for each of us. The how is also important. Who or what guides the way we live?

I’ve shared the painting So Loved by Aunty Glenny Naden, a Gubbi Gubbi, Wakka Wakka and Koa woman, in other Bulletin reflections over the years. As the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday, I’m drawn to it again.

There is rich insight in So Loved that communicates the Christian faith in profound ways. The mystery of the Trinity - that God is both one and three - is regularly described in the relational terms of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit". However, the Scripture is filled with multivalent ways of describing God.

In Glenny’s painting, we see the Aboriginal symbol for person represent each 'person' in the Trinity, encompassed in a radiant golden glow. The love of God flows out to the world through the cross of Christ - reaching people in all their diversity who form communities where all are included in the circle.

In Our Mob, God’s Story: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists share their faith (p. 218) Glenny writes:

"This painting is based on the verse John 3:16, a favourite verse from Sunday school days on the mission. God loved the world so much that He gave His son to die so that we might have life. The groups on the side of the painting represent the people of the world, showing all different countries. The top of the painting is the heavenly realm where God is, and a much-anticipated place for all believers."

The mirroring between the three-in-one God in the heavens and the love of God flowing into the world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus reminds me that God is active in the world. I also see in the flow of grace from the cross an invitation to remember through prayer and action people and places locally, nationally and internationally, for whom “getting on with it” is a daily struggle beyond my comprehension.

There is an invitation for us to spend some time with Glenny’s painting. What do you notice? What speaks to you?

May the Spirit of God who brings love, faith and hope enliven us, challenge us and bring peace to us and to the world God loves. Amen.