the holy trinity
the PRAYER …
Almighty Creator and ever-living God: we worship your glory, eternal Three-in-One, and we praise your power, majestic One-in-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith, defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
the READING …
[Jesus said:] “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” john 16:12-15
the DEVOTION …
Okay. Let’s be honest. If you’re looking for anything in the bible even vaguely resembling the holyTrinity, you won’t find it. Well, maybe vaguely. Sure, there are references to Father, Spirit, and Son. But nothing like we assume, nowadays. One-in-three. Three-in-one. Holy, holy, holy! All that comes later. Three hundred years later. When Constantine drags the church out of the catacombs and gives us the chance to bicker about things like – well – like the holyTrinity! And after making “nice” with the apostles’, nicene, and athanasian creeds, we go on to argue about other things.
Now, I’m not saying that the holyTrinity doesn’t matter. It does. A lot. But it shows that not everything was settled when the last period hit the parchment. Some things – even the more important things – took time to understand. Generations. Even centuries. To wrestle with. To think about. And even then, they aren’t settled. Once. For all. Popular theology (especially here in the U.S.) would have us believe that it’s settled. Over with. Done. But it isn’t. Faith’s like everything else. It deepens. It matures. It grows. With time. But then, that’s how believing – how church – stays authentic. How it stays relevant. It’s alive … just like Jesus! Alive … just like us!