Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Trinity Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of thy Divine Majesty to worship the Unity: We beseech thee that thou wouldst keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see thee in thy one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

During his children’s homily, the minister always asked the little children a question to which the answer invariably was “Jesus.” But one Sunday morning he asked them a riddle. “It’s grey and furry, lives in trees, eats nuts, and has a bushy tail. What is it?” 

The children’s mouths dropped. They looked at each other in shock. Nobody spoke.

The minister asked again, “Come on, you know! What’s gray and furry, lives in trees, eats nuts, and has a big, bushy tail?”

Still no answer. Finally one child hesitantly raised her hand. “I know the answer is supposed to be ‘Jesus,’ but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”

There are those in other religions who think Christians worship three gods. Standing on the outside looking in, that seems a fair and reasonable viewpoint. If the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God as the Athanasian Creed (BCP 864-865) asserts, it sure sounds like three Gods to me. Even though the next line tries its best to set the world straight: And yet they are not three Gods, but One God. 

How can this be? 

Standing on the outside looking it, it makes no sense whatsoever. Nevertheless, the Church insists, three Persons, one God. And for explanation, the Church throws the cloak of mystery and invisibility over it just as happens in Harry Potter. But the Church believes the Trinity is true, perhaps just as we in the audience believe Harry, Ron and Hermione are concealed under the cloak of invisibility, unseen by Professor Snape.

All analogies, all metaphors about God are invalid, including my analogy above. But as humans with a living God, we have hardly any other way to define God. Unless we are classical theologians speaking loftily in tortuous and stratospheric logic. A Christian lives with mystery, enigma, riddle, metaphor: it's incomprehensible. 

It is to me.

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

TW+