Trinity Sunday June 12th

Trinity Sunday – a reflection

This is Trinity Sunday a day on which we try to begin to understand the concept of the God who is “three in one”.

We reflect that it took the church several hundred years to come to the trinitarian concept with which we are familiar today. We look at several analogies that might help us understand the concept better. We also reflect that the understanding is entirely consistent with the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus.

But we also reflect that for most Christians they can understand God the Father, and Jesus the person, but struggle with the concept of the Holy Spirit despite clear passages in the New Testament that indicate that it was very real to the early followers of Jesus.

So, I spend the second part of the sermon on trying to help listeners to understand the nature of God and the nature of the third aspect of the Trinity God’s Holy Spirit freely offered to all believers and available to enable Christians to do even more than they could seriously imagine.

The previous week we had celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost when the followers of Jesus were empowered to change from scared people to a people with courage to go out and tell the world about Jesus.

I draw the connection with us in the 21st century who largely behave as Jesus followers after Jesus’ crucifixion and before they realised that they had the power to change the world. We find ourselves largely in the same place because we do not accept or take seriously God’s offer of his power to each and every one of us.

Revd Dick Gray