Trinity Sunday
Matthew 28:16-20
Trinity Sunday is always a difficult one for preachers! How do you talk about something that is a ‘mystery’? This is a job for theologians. In some ways, though, we are all theologians. Theology has been beautifully described as the art of being able to hear stories about God and to tell them in turn. We are all able to pray. And Prayer can be described in terms of when we know that we are part of these stories of God. So, what are these stories?
The Blessed Trinity is the story of three movements of God towards us. First is the movement of life from the mind of God. God fathered all creation and when he saw what had been created God said:’ It is good.’
The second movement of God towards us was in sending a Redeemer, a Saviour, after man and woman had sinned and turned away from God – ‘God loved the world so much that God gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.’ The Son of God appeared like one of us, a human being. Had a body like ours, had feelings like ours, suffered even more than we could imagine- all so that we might know God and be saved. When He left this earth, he promised that we would follow and that he would send the Advocate who would be the basis of our Hope.
The Holy Spirit represents the third movement of God towards us. In creating us God was a ‘God-for-us’, in coming among us God was a ‘God-with-us (Emmanuel) and now with the coming of the Spirit, God is a ‘God within us’.
So, the theology of the Blessed Trinity tells us the story of God reaching out to us as Father-Creator, as Son-Redeemer and as Spirit-Sanctifier. Prayer is when we know that we are part of that story: when we are caught up in response to God’s movements: when we are partners in God’s movements.
Glory be to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.