First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
The Christian Calendar marks this particular Sunday as Trinity Sunday. It always occurs the Sunday after the Day of Pentecost. Trinity Sunday celebrates the doctrine of the Trinity – God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
How does one explain the “Trinity”? When is the last time you heard a sermon or Bible Study focused solely on the Trinity? As a pastor-teacher I confess it is a hard concept to explain. The word itself doesn’t appear in the Scriptures, but the idea is found throughout the Bible – especially in the New Testament. Most of the ancient creeds declare something like “I believe in God the Father Almighty… I believe in His Son, Jesus Christ… I believe in the Holy Spirit…” I would imagine that the vast majority of Christians are “Trinitarian”, believing that God is a Father, God is a Son, and God is a Spirit. But the Father is neither the Son nor the Spirit, though. Each is distinct. Yet God is one.
Still, how can it be explained? Some good explanations have been provided over the centuries. Maybe the best explanation is that the Trinity is a complete mystery. The primary way of understanding “God in Three Persons” is not through clever ideas or pure conjecture, but through experiencing the grace and mercy of this Triune God by way of personal faith.
I wrote these lyrics for a hymn that I titled “Empowered By the Trinity.” It was first used on Trinity Sunday 2006. May these words enable you to experience the power of the Trinity, which is Pentecostal Power. The hymn is designed to be sung to the tune AZMON (“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”), but can also be sung to various tunes, but not limited to, ANTIOCH (“Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come”) and AVON (“Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed”).
Empowered by the Trinity,
God comes to us as One.
A Father, Son, and Spirit be,
what gracious gift we see!
The Father is our Daddy here,
He calls us to come near,
To give us life and joy and peace,
so all our fears may cease.
The Son, O Jesus is His name!
Our Brother, Yes is He!
He died for us to set us free,
for life eternally.
The Holy Spirit comes to speak
of lasting truth inspired;
He speaks for us when we cannot with
sighs too deep for words.
O children of the Trinity,
Joint heirs with Christ Divine;
Through Father, Son, and Spirit’s Power,
Walk faithfully each hour.
The next Sunday Reflections will be two weeks from today – June 5. I will be with my granddaughter at the beach this week.
Worship on this Trinity Sunday morning at Garden Lakes Baptist Church in Rome, GA will feature the preaching of Dr. Mike Cleland. Mike resides in Carrollton, GA. He received the Master of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA in the mid-1980s. He also earned a Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. His sermon is titled “What’s In A Name?” and is based on Romans 5:1-5. Its focus will be on the Trinity. The entire worship gathering will highlight the Trinity. Worship is at 8:45 a.m. in The Chapel and at 11:00 a.m. in The Sanctuary. Bible Study for all ages is at 9:45 a.m.
