The ordination process can be pretty tough in some denominations.  I know in mine, it can feel like you’re jumping through a ton of hoops to prove you are qualified and called to ordained ministry in the church.  And you go before all these committees of people to prove your knowledge.  It never fails with anyone going through an interview, they’ll ask you a question, and then after you’ve answered they clearly were looking for some buzzwords you left out because they’re like, “So how is Jesus both Lord AND Savior?” You answer again, thinking you’ve satisfied their vocabulary requirements when the same interviewer asks, “Yes, but how is Jesus both LORD. AND. SAVIOR?”  And you’re like…what on earth have I left out that they’re fishing for?

My favorite is the “How would you explain this complex theological concept to a child?” question.  Because you answer the question, and then you clearly didn’t include the vocabulary they wanted.  Do they want you to explain it to a child? Or do they want you to explain it using their words, which you would never, ever use with a child?  If you get this question, the answer is that they want you to pretend that the educated adult committee is the child, to use all the complex theological language, but explained in a way a kid would get.  Yeah, it’s not realistic, but you’ve got to prove to your boards that you can speak your denomination’s language, and then after that prove that you can translate it to others.

Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt was a 4th century bishop who solidified the concept of the Trinity and a lot of the language we use to understand God as Triune.  Learn more about him in one of my previous comics, Perichoresis Rock Anthem.  Eugene Peterson describes the Church Father’s idea of God’s perichoresis as a dance between Father, Son, and Spirit, where it is impossible to discern where one begins and the other ends (Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, Practice Resurrection), and that we get mysteriously caught up in that dance of God.  God is ultimately mystery, breaking into our lives through Christ.  And if you can’t explain it to a kid, then you probably should stop trying to explain it.