Holy Trinity!

This morning I spent half an hour with the eight o'clock bible study group. They are a committed group of Christians who have gathered for many years at an early hour. And it couldn't have been easy for them this morning as we grappled with the theology of the Trinity, a concept all of them learned in worship as children with hymns such as Holy, Holy, Holy. This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, yet the word "trinity" is not in the New Testament. It was the early church which grappled with how Jesus might be God and the Holy Spirit God's enduring, enlivening presence in the world.

 

We admitted that there just isn't as much Trinitarian emphasis in worship today, although I attempt to include all three persons of the Trinity in prayers and benedictions each week. I shared the section in the United Church Song of Faith regarding the Trinity and I appreciate the nod to the traditional language, even though it quite male. Some of the other ways of describing the Trinity work better for me.

 

A SONG OF FAITH THE TRINITY

 

With the Church through the ages,

we speak of God as one and triune:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 We also speak of God as

  Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer
  God, Christ, and Spirit
  Mother, Friend, and Comforter
  Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love,
  and in other ways that speak faithfully of
the One on whom our hearts rely,

the fully shared life at the heart of the universe.

 

Would you say that you are Trinitarian in your perception of God? Is this a concept you don't think about anymore -- or perhaps never did? Would it help for there to be more discussion?