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Three in One


It has been said that “the best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories” (Mencius, Chinese Confucian philosopher). That makes me think of another notable grouping of three – past, present, and future. Both offer helpful ways for us to process experiences, or time itself.

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. Two weeks ago, I quipped about these past three Sundays being a theological trilogy of sorts. We do like to explain things in threes! How fitting then, that we culminate this run from Ascension, to Pentecost, to Trinity
Sunday, with the best, and perhaps the most complicated threesome of all – God: Creator, Christ, and Spirit – three in one.

So, before we waltz our way (sorry, ¾ time, couldn’t resist) into the long lazy days of “ordinary time,” let’s take a moment to think about the pieces of the theological puzzle that come together for us after Pentecost. I like to think of the Trinity as three ways of experiencing God, or three lenses through which we can begin to comprehend the mystery. We know God as Creator, and we can experience the sacred in all of creation. We know God through Jesus, and we can experience God
within us and others. We know God as Holy Spirit, a felt sense of accompaniment, grace, and connection. “God in three persons, blessed Trinity” (Reginald Heber ca. 1820).


Don’t worry if you have difficulty grasping the idea of three in one. That’s why it’s known as a mystery. As the United Church Song of Faith suggests, “God is Holy Mystery, beyond complete knowledge, above perfect description.” What the Trinity does teach us though, is that God is known in relationship. It’s all part of the dance!

Peace and joy,
Nancy

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