Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
On Friday afternoon, I visited the Marylyn I Walker School of Fine Art to see an exhibit put on by the Willow Arts Community. This community is run by and for people living with mental illness and substance abuse. Each piece of art was accompanied by a description detailing elements of the artist’s lives. The art, descriptions, and life stories contributed to a profound experience , and I left feeling enriched and grateful for the Willow Arts Community, which provides a place for self-expression, healing, and community. I continue to marvel at the resilience and depth of the artists.
I reflected on that visit as I walked back to my office and unfinished sermon for Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday celebrates the doctrine of the Trinity: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—creator, redeemer, and sanctifier, three persons in one God. While sermons often focus on the doctrine itself , and I’ve preached sermons detailing how the church has come to describe God’s nature, I realized that words alone are woefully inadequate, much like the placards in an art gallery. Having a sense of the artist and their experience offers a fuller understanding.
So, in this Trinity Sunday sermon, I hope to express gratitude for the doctrine of the Trinity. It provides space for exploration, self-expression, healing, and hope for community. It expresses the breadth and depth of God, the artist, who continuously calls us to enter into the divine dance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The inadequacy of words is obvious, but not always acknowledged, when speaking of God .
The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us that there is a divine ground of being, Father, that is both our source and our destiny. We can “experience” this first person of the Trinity as we marvel and are struck with awe as we reflect upon creation – today’s readings from proverbs and psalms provide examples of such experience. Through faith in Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, we are given a share in the divine life and an example of how to live a fully human life, always within God’s unconditional love. Jesus’s constant companionship is like philia, a deep and meaningful friendship. In his farewell discourse, Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, for ongoing revelation and guidance. The Spirit guides us in meditation, in collaborative community work. Today, as we gather for mass we experience a multimedia act of thanksgiving, with music, artistic beauty, choreography, words, smells, and bells, to help us give glory to God and celebrate the doctrine of the Trinity, giving thanks for how this doctrine helps us more fully experience the breadth and depth of God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A Call to Action: Embrace the Divine Dance
Reflect on the profound truth of the Trinity. Engage in self-expression and community, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you into deeper understanding and healing.
Join Us
Experience the warmth and support of a community of faith at St. Barnabas. We invite you to join us in worship, fellowship and service as we journey together in the light Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Watch the full sermon to learn more about how you can experience the Trinity.