A Reflection: Trinity Sunday, by Richard Cracknell
Trinity Sunday is always a bit of a tricky topic for preachers to tackle, so they often compare the three aspects of the Godhead with three aspects of something else such as water, ice and steam. I have tried several things when preaching on Trinity Sunday; once (when I was younger and keener!) I looked at ‘sound’ in three different ways: I played some music which people could ‘hear’ then I got the children to put their hands on the speaker to ‘feel’ it, then I used an oscilloscope which displayed the sound as a wiggly line on a screen so that the children could ‘see’ it. But I think the music may have been too loud and a couple of people walked out!
On another occasion I got a wobbly old chair and proceeded to cut a bit off each leg in turn in an effort to make it stable, but this just made it worse. Eventually I pulled both front legs off and put one back in the middle at the front (in a hole I had already drilled) and, hey presto, my now ‘three legged’ chair was perfectly stable, I even sat on it! This was much better received and demonstrated that our understanding of God is most successful when it is supported by the three strands of the Godhead.
There is a balance, a completeness, in the Trinity with each person very distinct and very different from the others, yet each a part of the whole. Remove or diminish one and our whole understanding of God is likely to collapse. Although you may not find the word Trinity in the Bible its doctrine is alluded to in several places, and its importance is highlighted by the fact that Jesus Himself refers to it in His final instructions to the disciples in Matthew 28v19:
‘Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,’
As human beings we are naturally inquisitive and are always trying to understand the world around us, so it’s only natural that we try to understand God. But in doing this are we overstepping the mark and getting ideas above our station? And is there a danger with Trinity Sunday that we attempt to ‘take God apart’ in order to try and increase our understanding of Him? We do well to remember that God is beyond our best efforts of explanation using mere words, bigger than our capability to understand, which leaves us just one option: to worship Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God in three persons, Blessed Trinity.
A prayer:
Dear Lord, we thank you that you are our creator and Father God, our brother in Jesus and our constant help and guide through your Spirit within us. You are beyond our understanding, yet, as we look around us, we see your hand in creation all around us. As we read your word, we learn of how you became one of us and walked this very Earth as Jesus, and day by day we feel your presence within us every step of the way. Help us to worship you and give you the praise that is your due as best we can until we can gather again in your house, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is they faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand has provided,
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
(Thomas O Chisholm, Hymns and Psalms 66)
Windsor Christian Aid:
A letter from Tracy Tickle the Chair of Windsor Christian Aid “Dear friends What a great effort! I thought you would like to know we have raised well over £5,000 for Christian Aid during our Christian Aid Week/May activities. A huge thanks to all of you who have given money. Thank you if you have taken part, joined a quiz, walked the countryside, cycled miles, ‘stepped’ around your home or garden or enjoyed the devotionals or online activities during May. We really appreciate all your support. It’s been a new way of fundraising, without being able to hold events, deliver envelopes, or see people face to face and yet people have been so generous. Thank you for sharing on Facebook, emailing your friends, families and churches and publicising what we have done. Thank you to those who have taken part by doing some sponsored activity, such as Ruth, Je, Sally and Tracy, which gained a lot of interest! Thanks to Windsor Baptist Church for holding a virtual Quiz, well done to all who joined in. And thank you to Susy for her thought provoking and challenging ‘daily devotionals’, which inspired and motivated us during the week. And anyone else who did something which we don’t know about! When we started out a couple of months ago we had no idea what we could raise, so this is a fantastic result. Many thanks for all your help and support, from all in the Windsor Christian Aid Group. Tracy Tickle
Church Council Meeting -
A ‘Zoom’ Church Council meeting will be held on Thursday 11th June. If there is any matter that you wish to be raised, please contact one of the Leadership Team by Wednesday. The meeting will be recorded and made available to all the following week.