Trinity Dance


This Sunday we “celebrate” Trinity Sunday.  I say “celebrate” because it is not really a holiday like Christmas or even Pentecost.  It is one of two holy days in our Church calendar that emphasizes a theological idea rather than an event. (The other one is “Christ the King Sunday” at the end of the season after Pentecost.) While there is ample evidence of the unique nature of our Triune God in Scripture, it is still a topic that most wise preachers avoid because it is difficult to talk about or make any worthwhile comments in 15 minutes or less (we are Episcopalians after all – no hour long sermons for us, though in this case, I don’t that would help any way!).

Father, Son, Holy SpiritCreator, Redeemer, Sustainer
Lover, Beloved, Love
Holy Speaker, Incarnate Word, Divine Breath

While the feminist in me likes having alternative images beyond the classic male-centric terms, the basic reality of the inherent mystery remains constant no matter what terms I use to name the Trinity.  It is disconcerting to feel intimately connected with this entity, and yet to be completely baffled by its being.  While I have made it my life’s work to think, talk and teach about God’s nature and how to be in relationship with God,  the truth will always evade me to a certain extent because I will never totally understanding God. 

Nor do I really want to.  That is too much for me to bear.  Yes, I seek meaning and understanding in my life and, in my limited way, I make sense of much of it – but not all.  I could just accept the doctrine of the Trinity as a teaching of the Church and be done with it, but I am too intrigued to let it go without at least attempting to engage in the enigma.

I do, in fact, enjoy the concept of the Trinity.  While there are some who reject our understanding of a Triune God to be monotheism, I think it is completely rational to see God in this way.  Just as my relationships with people have different facets depending on the situation, so does my relationship with God.  Sometimes I need to feel sustained, or know Jesus was human or feel awed by the Creator.

I like the image of a dance when considering the Trinity, both as a way to think of the members of the Trinity and my experience with them.  Just as in dancing, in order to participate, you have to be present.  Fortunately for me, all the grace I need to dance is given to me through my partners – and I don’t have to worry about stepping on toes.  I just have to be willing to be led and enjoy the experience.  

So come on and dance with the Trinity this week.   Think of the members in any terms that are helpful to you, but know that no matter what you call God, God is imminently present to you now and always.

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