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Trinity Sunday

6 June 2004

Written by the Rev Dr Phillipa Horrex

Many preachers will do all they can to avoid preaching about the Trinity, undoubtedly because it’s a challenge finding words to explain or explore the concept of Three in One. The idea that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are each fully and equally God, is hard for the human mind to grasp. The Trinity is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith.  However, mystery ceases to be mystery if it can be explained – maybe the Trinity is meant to be known only through revelation.

There are some analogies that can be used from every day life to try and explain how One God can be three.  Examples might be:

1. A woman as daughter, mother, and grandmother
2. An apple – the whole equals God, but the skin can represent the Father, the apple flesh the Son, the pips at the centre the Holy Spirit.  (This is an idea presented in a children’s book but I have lost the reference unfortunately)
3.  Imagine a family of a man A, in love with a woman B, who confirm their love by producing a baby C. Father, mother and child - love when  perfected becomes a trinity.  (The doctrine of the Trinity tells us God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a loner.)

A good example from the New Testament to illustrate the Trinity is the baptism of Jesus which presents the distinct aspects of the Trinity - the Son, who comes for baptism; the Dove/Holy Spirit descending from heaven; and the divine Voice of God, the Father.

The doctrine of the Trinity emerged largely from the experience of the early believers and so Trinity Sunday as a special day in the church calendar is unique in that it is based on doctrine not scriptural basis. The scriptural readings for today nevertheless provide Bible backup for a nonscriptural word: Trinity.

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Wisdom is often equated to the Holy Spirit, but connections can be drawn through these verses between the claims of Lady Wisdom and the reality of Jesus Christ. The writer uses child imagery to represent Wisdom as God's precious child begotten prior to God's works in history. The New Testament picks up on this account of creation and applies it to Christ. John 1:1-14 presents a pre-existent Word that is the agent of creation. Hebrews 1:1-4 also presents Christ as the creator. Colossians 1:15-20 also uses the same idea of Christ as the first-born.

Proverbs 8:31 tells us that God and wisdom were in the beginning “delighting in the human race”. This leads us to Psalm 8 which expresses wonder over the miracles of creation, but also that God the creator should have made humans only “a little lower than the heavenly beings…” (v.5)

(Note: A suggested hymn in relation to Psalm 8 is “How Great Thou Art” which is a paraphrase of the Psalm )

John 16:12-15
To gain an understanding of these verses in Jesus’ discourse to the disciples it is essential to refer back to v. 7 in which Jesus says:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." 

From the perspective of the disciples, Jesus’ talk of departure seems disastrous, but Jesus reassures them that he has made provision for their needs.  They will not be alone.  In fact, the world will gain by Jesus' departure and the Spirit's arrival as the gift of the Spirit removes the limitations of time and space which bind Jesus to the world.  The Spirit will be a continuing presence throughout the world and throughout history.
 
In vv12-15 Jesus tells the disciples that the Spirit will continue to guide us after his death.  The Spirit of truth can be relied on to show us the right way to live in relation to God’s truth.
 
Romans 5:1-5 
God has given us peace through Christ and hope through the Holy Spirit.
 
A last interesting thought about the Trinity comes from a Greek Father of the Church, St. Gregory of Nazianzus (329-89) who has this to say:
“The Old Testament has clearly manifested the Father, obscurely the Son. The New Testament has manifested the Son and has made known the divinity of the Spirit. Today the Spirit dwells among us and makes himself clearly known. It might have been perilous, as long as the divinity of the Father was not recognized to preach the Son openly, and before the divinity of the Son was admitted ... to overburden us with the Holy Spirit”  (Oratio theologica 5, 26: PG 36, 161).

Prayer
God who created the world,
Jesus the Son given for the world,
Holy Spirit ever present in the world,
be with us in our worship that we may know the fullness of the Holy One.
As God lives in Triune community,
so may we live in communion with God and each other.
Amen.