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We continue our series on…
The A- Z of the Christian FaithT for
Trinity No
one can ever define God. God does not fit into the limits of our human
minds. But the Christian faith proclaims that, though there is only one God, He
has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – what we call the Holy
Trinity. What does this mean? Well,
Scripture and Church tradition tell us that God created the world, God saved
the world, and God dwells in the world – in and between people. Also, scripture and
tradition shows us that God is experienced as above or beyond us
– God the Father. God is experienced as alongside us – God the Son.
God is experienced as within and among us – God the Holy Spirit. The
three ‘persons’ of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit demonstrate that God is
active and dynamic, reaching out to persons and to the world – not unreachable
and unapproachable. God is also unity and community. Within the oneness of God,
there is a community of persons. This
all seems very much a theory, but it shows us the ideal for us as
Christians. We are called to be like God – a dynamic community of love, which
is united in creating, saving, and hallowing our world.
Jesus
“Christ” gives us the name of “Christian”, but his preaching and
teaching pointed always to Father and to Spirit. He was sent by the Father to do
his will, and Jesus promises the indwelling Spirit for people (the Church) when
he returns to the Father at the Ascension. The
story from the Bible which shows us most clearly how the Trinity is a real unity
is the account of Jesus’ baptism. As Jesus emerges from the water, the Spirit
descends on him life a dove, and the Father’s voice is heard saying, “This
is my Son, my beloved, with who I am well pleased.” The
love and unity of the three persons of the Trinity is our ideal. It is the
vision of God that has been given to us down the centuries. We are to adore and
worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – beyond us, alongside, between,
and within us, and try to live as the Church in imitation of that dynamic,
loving community: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us, now and always. Amen.” An A - Z of the Christian Faith
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