Thoughts for the Day

Jesus said, 'But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I used to like geometry at school. The drawing of lines and angles, to represent solid objects, and working out how different angles related to one another made sense. It was probably because I could see the physical shapes. I particularly liked the equilateral triangle, with its three equal sides and three equal angles. I remember thinking that an equilateral triangle was a good analogy for the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with equal angles and equal sides all joined to one another. This was before I learnt all the traditional models, and of course the different roles of each member of the Trinity.

The passage above from John's Gospel describes quite clearly the different aspects of God, who exists as One being, yet is distinct as Three persons. There have been libraries of books written on the subject, and we may conclude the Trinity is a mystery. When we use an analog like water (that is H20, that can be liquid, frozen, or steam) we can be led into error, thinking that each is a part of God, whereas they are each wholly God.

The Hebrew scriptures (our Old Testament) taught us that God the Father was Creator, Lord, Father and Judge; the New Testament that God the Son lived on earth among His people; and God the Holy Spirit (the Advocate) filled them, and now us, with new life and power. You might like to read the passage above again and stop for a moment to think about God as One as you come across each Person.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
we can only dimly understand
the notion of You as One Being
but Three Persons.
May we learn more about You
from our Bible:
as the Father who cares for his children;
as the Son who lived on earth,
and who died for us;
and as the Spirit who empowers
us this day.
Amen.