Exhortation: What is the Trinity?

I have often sat quietly as I heard people begin a sentence with these dreadful words: “The Trinity is like…” I have heard the Trinity being compared to eggs, ice, ancient three-headed gods, and to the “C” note on the piano. But these illustrations break down at some point, and when they break, great is the break. Let me exhort you to be cautious with trying to explain the Trinity by comparing it to your favorite snacks, or something like it.

Use the language God has given us. What is the Trinity? The Trinity is Father, Son, and Spirit. These three are one. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God. The Trinity is perfect and loving. The Trinity is the pattern for all of life.

The Trinity met at the baptism of Jesus when the Father affirmed the Son, and when the Spirit descended like a dove. The Trinity was at creation as the Father speaking, the Spirit hovering, and the Son bringing light. The Trinity is and always be the center of everything. As the hymn-writer says:

On Thee, at the creation, the light first had its birth;
On Thee, for our salvation, Christ rose from depths of earth;
On Thee, our Lord, victorious, the Spirit sent from heaven,
And thus on Thee, most glorious, a triple light was given.

Let us worship this great and Triune God.

Prayer: Let us Pray
[to the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
that our lives may bear witness to our faith]
Father,
you sent your Word
to bring us truth
and your Spirit to make us holy.
Through them we come to know
the mystery of your life.
Help us to worship you,
one God in three Persons,
by proclaiming and living our faith in you.
We ask you this, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one God, true and living, for ever and ever.