Blog
So what is the Trinity?
June 11, 2019
So what is the Trinity? How does it function? How do we recognize and encounter the power of the Trinity? All are good questions. All worthy of deep discernment and reflection. At the same time, we must understand that whatever answer we are able to formulate will pale in comparison to the truth of the supernatural power of the Trinity itself. Our finite human existence will never be able to totally grasp the infinite supernatural power of the Trinity.
Consider this quote from Karoline Lewis of Dear Working Preacher: “Talk about the importance of the Trinity as not that which sets God in stone, but that which represents the very nature of the church -- that inherent to being church is an ongoing endeavoring toward naming God’s activity in our world. If the Trinity is critical to your understanding of God, offer a testimony of why that is the case, not for the sake of persuasion or argument, but for the sake of witness to how theological statements that the church makes about God have to find a home in our own lived faith.” I totally agree! I invite you this year to think about the Trinity and encounter the Trinity in the way Lewis described, “To truly understand the nature of the Trinity we must understand and accept that its purpose for us points towards naming “God’s activity in the world.”
What does that look like? Chances are you’ve seen it already! In fact, you see it and experience it in your daily faith walk. You hear it in the kind and encouraging words spoken to another person when their life is a struggle. You see it in random acts of kindness among family, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers who do these things not to seek attention or recognition. They simply do them out of a deep rooted love for God and all God’s people. This year, don’t try to define the Trinity. Simply live a Trinitarian life. Live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. When we do that, then and only then can we see a glimpse of the true power of the Trinity. Thanks be to God. Amen.