Trinity Sunday
Father, most holy, merciful and tender;
Jesus, our Savior, with the Father reigning;
Spirit of comfort, advocate, defender,
Light never waning.
(“Father Most Holy”, LBW 169)
There are times when it almost seems that Trinity Sunday, which we observe this weekend, could also dubbed “‘Round and ‘Round Sunday.” Now that’s not very reverent, but it’s easy to feel as though we’re going in circles when we attempt to wrap our minds around the idea of a Triune God. Every Sunday at worship, we confess our faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but this basic tenet of Christian belief isn’t often a focal point of sermons, scripture lessons, or learning opportunities. Three in one and one in three, all God, but having different functions, and all equal within the person of God – it’s not unreasonable if we feel we’re going ’round and ’round with these concepts.
The first verse of the hymn quoted above originated as a Latin hymn during the 10th Century, and was translated and adapted around the turn of the 20th century. The melody is also ancient, written in 1681. Obviously, Christians have been attempting to find ways to grasp the principle of the Trinity for centuries. This lovely hymn doesn’t try to explain or create a means of understanding. Rather, it worships and praises the three persons of God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. In faith, the writer affirms God’s ability to express God’s self in three unique ways and yet be One.
Trinity Sunday immediately follows the Day of Pentecost, and as we consider the messages of these two days, we start to see a connection. Central to the story of Pentecost is that, although many different languages were spoken by those in the crowd, as the Spirit descended, they became able to understand one another. The Holy Spirit created unity and brought a widely diverse group together, giving them the abilities they needed to go out into the world to spread the Good News. The Trinity is brought into completion.
So now on this day, we celebrate and worship the three persons of God our Creator and Father, Jesus, the Son and Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and comforter. As we read in the New Testament about new Christians forming communities of faith, a theme of unity and individuality appears regularly. In I Corinthians 12, Paul emphasizes that within the group there are varieties of gifts and services, but the same Spirit and the same Lord. He reiterates that the body of Christ has many members, yet is one, and every part is to be cared for and respected. As we accept the three-person nature of God, we are then accepting of individuals who are gathered as one in the body of Christ.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers