Welcome to Trinity Sunday, where we celebrate the Oneness of the Three:
- Father, Son & Holy Spirit
- Creator, Word & Breath of Life
- Creator, Redeemer & Sustainer
- Invisible God, Firstborn of all Creation, & Comforter
- Omnipotence, Omniscience, & Omnipresence
God with us, revealed in us: alive within us.
This morning we read from Genesis 1:1-3:
In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And Elohim said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
And we read from the gospel of John 1: 1-5:
Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking.
The Voice was and is God.
This celestial Word remained ever present with the Creator;
His speech shaped the entire cosmos.
Immersed in the practice of creating,
all things that exist were birthed in Him.
His breath filled all things
with a living, breathing light—
A light that thrives in the depths of darkness,
blazes through murky bottoms.
It cannot and will not be quenched.
And then we read in Colossians 1: 15-17:
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of creation, the eternal.
It was by Him that everything was created:
the heavens, the earth, all things within and upon them, all things seen and unseen, ….
Every detail was crafted through His design,
by His own hands, and for His purposes.
He has always been!
It is His hand that holds everything together.
When we look at Elohim, at creation, we see not one essence but three: in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance.
So, today, this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the Trinity. We see evidence for the Trinity in the world around us. Time can be expressed as past, present, and future. Matter can exist as solid, liquid, and gas. We see heaven, earth and the waters. Our lives are measured by birth, life and death: beginning, middle and end. Space has the dimensions height, length, and width. And in the same way, we celebrate our own being: mind, body & soul; body, soul & spirit; head, heart & gut.
For a moment, I want you to look at yourself. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Breathe in life and love. And then slowly exhale.
Now, as you sit quietly, with your eyes closed, I want you to just sit and contemplate the thoughts that run through your head. Where do those thoughts come from? Where are they going? Are they your thoughts?
And take a moment to contemplate everything that you have ever learned and know – where is this knowing stored?
How do you know that you know?
If I asked you to take a piece of that knowledge out of you and show it to me, what would you have to show me? Where have you stored that knowledge?
Can you see it? Can you feel it or touch it?
So how do you know that you know?
Can you show me a thought?
Keeping your eyes closed, and resting gently in your chair, I invite you to put your hand on your heart.
Breathe in love and as your breath comes it, let it run through your heart.
Hold, for a moment, that love in your heart.
Where is that love that you feel? If you are a parent, think for a moment of the birth of a child, or that first moment of swelling pride in your heart for their accomplishments. Remember the day that they learnt to walk or ride a bicycle.
Remember and allow yourself to feel that joy.
Feel for a moment – this moment – …. – when you have nothing more to do than to sit with your hand upon your heart and simply feel peace. Let this peace wash over and through you.
Can you see the peace? Could you show it to me? What does it look like? How big is it? Could you prove that it exists?
And still keeping your eyes closed, place your hand on your abdomen, and breathe deeply into your innermost being.
Feel you being you.
And as you sit there, listen for a second to what you have to say in the stillness and quiet.
With your eyes still closed, do you know where and what “you” is?
We struggle to understand the very concept of the Trinity – how is it possible that we have one God and yet three persons? But when you look deep within yourself, if I ask you to identify “you” could you do it?
Is you your arm? Is you your leg? Your head? Your heart? Your gut? Where is “you”? Is your body simply the vessel that carries you? Are you the flesh and blood of your body or are you something else?
Still, with your eyes closed, listen to what David says in Psalm 139:
13 For You shaped me, inside and out.
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath.
14 I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
You have approached even the smallest details with excellence;
Your works are wonderful;
I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.
15 You see all things; nothing about me was hidden from You
As I took shape in secret,
carefully crafted in the heart of the earth before I was born from its womb.
16 You see all things;
You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb;
Every detail of my life was already written in Your book…
And take another deep breath of life in… and just hold it for a moment as you internalize this experience of creation. If you struggle to identify you, how do you expect to identify the Creator, the Consciousness, Alpha & Omega, all that was, and is and will be?
As you open your eyes, I invite you to look around at the people that are sitting here today – and truly see them. The same way you just looked at yourself.
Imagine, for a moment, the power to see everyone in this world in that way. Looking past the colour of their skin, their age, their education, their social position, their job, their family… Truly seeing each person that you meet – their deepest self. Looking through the eyes of Christ to see them.
I want to close this morning, inviting us to more unity – the same way that the Trinity is one, we should be one. We read earlier in Ephesians 4:4-6:
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.