Trinity: Holy, Blessed, & Confusing

The Holy Trinity after Andrei Rublev, 1411

The faith of the Church, the faith in which we baptize, is trinitarian. You and I have been commissioned to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We teach and confess that there is one God. We teach and confess that God is three. You've heard it before, the church confesses and worships the Holy Trinity.

This coming Sunday is entitled: The Holy Trinity. It is the only Sunday that we gather to intentionally highlight a doctrine of the Faith. Most of the time, we are celebrating festivals that have to do with the life of Jesus, events in the life of the Church, or teachings and readings that represent the biblical witness.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

We rehearse this all the time. God is three persons. God is one. We have been baptized into this mystery.

In some of my reading recently, I came across the following claims that I found helpful in my own ongoing growth in the faith.  They are from, God For Us: The Trinity and Christian Life, by Catherine Mowry LaCugna (originally published in 1973).

[T]he doctrine of the Trinity is not above all a theory about God's 'internal self-relatedness' but an effort to articulate the basic faith of Christians: In Jesus Christ, the ineffable and invisible God saves us from sin and death; by the power of the Holy Spirit, God continues to be altogether present to us, seeking everlasting communion with all creatures.

The Spirit of God, poured into our hearts as love (Rom. 5.5), gathers us together into the body of Christ, transforming us so that "we become by grace what God is by nature," namely, persons in full communion with God and every creature.

and finally,

The doctrine of the Trinity is ultimately therefore a teaching not about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from everything other than God, but a teaching about God's life with us and our life with each other. Trinitarian theology could be described as par excellence a theology of relationship, which explores the mysteries of love, relationship, personhood and communion within the framework of God's self-revelation in the person of Christ and the activity of the Spirit.

Masaccio, The Trinity, 1425

Take a few minutes and watch this interesting video: Masaccio "The Trinity"(Magic of Illusion)

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The Holy Trinity

Sunday, June 15, 2014

PRAYER OF THE DAY (LBW)

Almighty God our Father, dwelling in majesty and mystery, renewing and fulfilling creation by your eternal Spirit, and revealing your glory through our Lord, Jesus Christ: Cleanse us from doubt and fear, and enable us to worship you, with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, living and reigning, now and forever.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

Almighty Creator and ever-living God:

we worship your glory, eternal Three-in-One, 

and we praise your power, majestic One-in-Three. 

Keep us steadfast in this faith, 

defend us in all adversity, 

and bring us at last into your presence, 

where you live in endless joy and love, 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 

one God, now and forever.

READINGS

Genesis 1:1—2:4a

Psalm 8

2 Corinthians 13:11–13

Matthew 28:16–20