Trinity: Three in One

”Trinity: Three in One”

John 1:1-2

“Holy, Holy, Holy….” A well known and loved hymn includes the phrase, “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” How do we explain this cornerstone of Christian faith- the Trinity that God is three in one—Father, Son and Spirit?  And do we really believe this in this time when Christianity itself is being questioned as a valid faith in such a modern changing time?

The Sunday after Pentecost is recognized as a day to focus on God- the 3 in 1- Father, Son and Spirit; or described in another way – Creator, Redeemer and Spirit. But what does this mean for us who believe in God and are uncertain as to our relationship with the Father and the Spirit. 

Many Christians believe in Jesus as the man who was born of Mary and lived a human life for about 30 years prior to his ministry with others in and around Jerusalem. Jesus is known as the Son of God who lived, died and because He is God- was able to rise to new life. And it is because of His resurrection we celebrate the gift of eternal life and the wonder of his teaching, preaching and healing.

Yet other believers have an idea of God as beyond human understanding for He is the one who is Creator and even caused the Big Bang, and aligned everything from chaos to order. God the Father/ Creator made the world and is continuing to do so with each new life that begins.  This God is also the One which controls all thigns loves all things and made all things new. And this is the God who sent His Son, Jesus to live on earth for us to be reconciled with Him.

But who is the Spirit? We welcomed the Spirit at Pentecost and we continue to welcome the Spirit in our midst not only in holy sacred moments but as the person of God who leads us, and enables us to discern our way of living and loving others.

So on Trinity we visualize a trillium flower and we show how these three petals interact and yet are distinct. We call this the Trinity –God and we rejoice that in time and in our understanding as we each need we can relate to  God in these three persons.

For example, when stargazing at night we are amazed at God’s creation and vastness of the universe. But when we want to hear a child’s first prayer we hear the words of the little one speak and say “Dear Jesus” or sing the beloved hymn ‘Jesus loves me’.  And when we are uncertain about how we feel or when we even doubt our faith we may ask the Spirit to surround us, protect us and show us what to do as we seek to be renewed in faith. This is GOd- all three in one and this is how we relate to our God if we believe.

PRAYER

Holy God of grace we rejoice in your presence with us- as creator, as Saviour and as Spirit- Trinity , three- in one. Help us to understand you and know you and to love you. Hear us O God as we turn to you and seek answers to our many questions. Help us to know you as we continue to grow in faith. Come to us O God as we seek to grow closer to you. In the name of God- Father, Son and Spirit we pray. Amen.

            BLOG QUESTION:

How do you relate to God? Does it depend upon what you are doing; where you are and what it means to grow in grace and love? Does the work of the Spirit cause you to open your mind and heart in new ways because you have heard the stories of Jesus? Does knowing that you are but a speck in the full scheme of the Milky Way that God made make you feel significant or not? Does knowing that God loves you make a difference?
The Trinity- Creator/ Redeemer/ Spirit; Father/ Son and Spirit is God and for each of us we can call upon this God in any and all ways. We just need to ask and God will respond.

How do you know God in your life? And how does God know you?