 Trinity
The eternal community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
mutually share their love for one another, compared at times
to a divine dance. Trinity is represented by the three
figures, intermingling and sharing their love for one
another. This society of love shared within God overflows
with love, producing not only a creation designed for
relationships of love, but a reign or kingdom that continues
onward.
The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is His dynamic rule or reign that will be
fully realized in the future "new heavens and new earth."
Yet, His kingdom does not simply await us in the future. The
image of the Trinity is designed to blend together ,
bringing about His future into the present. God's tremendous
love in the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ have already inaugurated the kingdom and will
of God on earth in a decisive way. Like a cosmic ripple
effect, these historical events continue to produce currents
throughout history by the presence and power of Holy Spirit.
Represented by the rings which radiate outward, the kingdom
of God steadily emanates from His loving character and
purposes for His creation.
The Church
Our Triune God emanates
His kingdom, and the kingdom produces the Church. Loving
community generates loving community. The church has a broad
and imperfect history, receiving and embodying the life and
kingdom of God with manifold emphases and with varying
degrees of faithfulness. Within the multi-colored tapestry
of the Church, "The Vineyard: A Community of Churches" is
but one expression of the kingdom-created community.
The Mission
As a community of churches, we are called to participate in
the character and mission of God. Missional God generates a
missional community. As we participate, we remember that
this God is Creator God, who is working within His creation
until the completion of new creation . . . So we do not
become religious, but stay quite earthy, expressed plainly
by the earth-tone colors. Our Triune God is on a mission and
the direction of that mission is not away from creation, but
towards us and all of creation until his kingdom comes and
his will is done on earth as in heaven. |
