Trinity Sunday has its place in our liturgical calendar (15th June), yet we do not often hear sermons on the Trinity. The term ‘Trinity’ isn’t found in the Bible, and the Early Church took nearly 400 years to come up with a clear understanding of it.
However, there are hints of trinitarian language in the New Testament, e.g. Jesus instructs His disciples to baptise ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matt 28:19). Our understanding of the Trinity arises from God’s activity in our world, as reflected in the creedal questions:
‘Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the One for whom we exist?
Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God
and makes Christ known in the world?
So why should the Trinity be important for us? If ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8) it means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in a community of love together. Their relationship has been expressed as a divine dance, as they interact with one another, expressing love for each another and complementing the work each one has to do. As people made in God’s image, we are called to live this community of love in our lives and churches.
The Trinity also provides the basis for our mission, ‘As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.’ Just as God the Father sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world to do the Father’s work, equipped and accompanied by the Holy Spirit. In sharing God’s love, we share the life of the Trinity. Augustine spoke about the Spirit being the love between God the Father and the Son.
‘At the heart of reality lies the love between the Father and the Son. The Spirit unites us with Christ so that we begin to experience the same depth of love that exists between the Father and the Son.’ (Graham Tomlin).