The Mystery of the Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday BCP 228)

Trinity Sunday! The most confusing liturgical holy day on the calendar! Despite our continued confusion about the Trinity which is our God, Trinity Sunday is also one of my favorite holy days. This is one of the Sundays we cannot even pretend to understand everything. On Trinity Sunday we acknowledge the awe-inspiring mystery of God.

In focusing our energy most of the year on stories of Jesus in the gospels during church, we can almost start to get the sense that we can understand God through Jesus. However, when we take a breath and remember the Trinity on Trinity Sunday, we are confronted with a reality we know we cannot comprehend. How is God three in one and one in three? How does this work? How can we describe this? We believe in a God beyond our human knowledge, a mystery, but not a far off mystery to be ignored, but a mystery to be invited in and savored.

The mysterious nature of God as Trinity invites us to ponder many things which give life and vitality to our universe. The paradox of individuality and unity, the interdependence of all things, and the amazing love which holds it all together. Through the magnificent Trinity, we have a loving God who creates, redeems, and sustains us, all the days of our lives.