The Holy Trinity
Trinity Sunday is the next Sunday after Pentecost. We move from the celebration of God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts 2 [verses 1-21 was our Pentecost Gospel Reading] to a celebration of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have a dynamic, relational God who is a God of love.
Some of us have engaged in reviewing the Nicene Creed in this past week as we recognise the statement of faith formulated in the 4th Century in Nicea [2025 marks the 1,700 Anniversary]. A statement of our fundamental Christian belief which we use every Sunday as part of our collective worship. We say this creed together and it’s in the 3rd person – we say what we believe together. And it is a formulation acknowledging the trinity; what we believe about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday of what we call “Ordinary Time” with the liturgical colour of green reflected in the church vestments. For me, Ordinary Time is a season between Pentecost and All Saints Day (November 1st) and an opportunity for spiritual and personal growth as we can reflect on our empowerment by the Holy Spirit and into a season where we can focus on our mission in the Kingdom of God.
One of my significant key Bible passages is the “Great Commission”.
The Commissioning of the Disciples
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
Matthew 28:16-20 NRVSVA
This passage contains a vital trinitarian dynamic and includes us as an active part of God’s plan to bring the Kingdom of God into people’s awareness. Talking about our relationship with Jesus affords the opportunity to declare our faith and our experience of our relationship with God and giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to engage with the person or people we’re with.
The time we spent reflecting on “Thy Kingdom Come” for the days before Pentecost helped us to prepare for the great Pentecost celebration and seek equipping and empowering for our continuing discipleship journey. Here’s a quotation from Sheila Walker, which I find a helpful challenge.
I am the one
called by my Lord to share his heart, and cry his tears,
to speak with his tongue, bless with his hands,
in the power of the Spirit to beat my spears
into garden forks, my bombs into airlifts of aid,
my poisoned darts of gossip into lines of love –
called, yes, to be one day crowned with glory and honour.
but I am also the one
who until that day is a battlefield
where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit within me fight
to the death with the man who would live for the moment
against the day,
planting for pleasure,
ruthlessly reaping the world’s riches,
storing up status symbols till they shut out the light.1
I wish you a season of ExtraOrdinary Time. May you meet God afresh and may you be empowered by God for your Christian pilgrimage journey and sharing your faith with others on your way.
May you be Blessed.
Revd Dave
1Sheila Walker, Contemporary Reflections for Praying and Preaching: A Year C Resource, Kevin Mahew Ltd, Buxhall, 2006