The Holy Trinity

It is interesting to think about the three facets of God that we call the Holy Trinity. It is not a concept referred to in the Bible, but something which has grown later. That it is an important concept is clear when you think of the many churches who take their name from it. But how does it work in practice and what holds it together?

The first mention of God and the spirit is right at the beginning of the Bible when Genesis speaks about the spirit of God hovering above the dark waters. So we learn from this that God and his spirit did not appear at a later stage in events. They were always there. Many people mistakenly believe that the Holy Spirit came about on the day of Pentecost. In fact we can say here that this appears to have been its greatest intervention.

I do not believe the Genesis story as fact. The best version I can think of is the "Big Bang" with the Universe exploding into existence. But I do believe that God is our creator. This means that I only differ with others as far as method is concerned. Let's be honest, who could possibly have been there to witness the creation of matter from nothing? But that God always existed I can truly believe. He is a great mystery and no matter how much time we devote to thinking about him we shall never get near to him.

In the Old Testament he is described as leading part of humankind through the likes of Abraham, Moses and Joshua. Later he speaks to the people through his hard working and frustrated prophets. Through all this he acts as supreme leader, encourager, lover and friend. As time passes God becomes more remote. To Moses he was a force who lived in the mountain, a vision to the people of cloud by day and fire by night. But later there appeared to be less involvement and a remoteness which was interpreted by the prophets who were called to be his mouthpiece. But the one enduring aspect of God was that, despite the waywardness of his people, he never gave up on them and always offered a new start.

At certain points we area aware of his spirit. When Samuel anoints Saul as king the holy spirit then goes into the king. Its sets him apart but is not a guarantee of infallibility as the stories tell. There are references to ecstatic utterance (reflected at Pentecost) which also suggest activity of the spirit. But the main theme is one of God speaking through prophets who warn of the obvious consequences if the people do not follow God's instructions.

But then we come to a more direct intervention by God. He enters the world as Jesus the Son. He comes as a frail new born child brought up by Mary and Joseph until he is old enough to make his own decisions and start his ministry. Jesus shows us how to live. He shows us that we have got it all wrong and that riches are not a sign of God's benevolence. We are shown that the poor have the riches and that God blesses them in particular. We have got the rules the wrong way round and have to be shown the true values of God.

Remember how God has had infinite patience all through the Old Testament era. Jesus now shows us that we have to have that quality in our attitude to our fellow humans. The position of Jesus as Son of God shows us that God is our father and looks upon us just as we who are parents look on our children. Jesus uses this imagery to show us what our relationship with God ought to be. His miracles all show the activity of a strong love at work. His preaching spells out where we have got it wrong and shows us what we need to do about it. The authorities of his day clearly see the threat he poses and his days are numbered as they plot to remove him.

Then, supremely on the Cross we see the lengths which the love of God will take to save us. There we see the human side of Jesus die. His job is done and we await the next intervention. The closest friends experience the resurrection for they are the ones who will physically take the work forward. Now happy men and women they begin the work. But Jesus made a promise that they would have a comforter who would be with them as they did their work. That comforter would be a guide in all their deliberations.

When that comforter arrived it was very dramatic. There was a rushing wind, tongues of fire, people speaking in languages they had never learned. Three thousand people, that day, came forward to join the early church. The missionary work was set on fire! They were enabled to take the good news forward and would soon find a man who would be their emissary to the world beyond Judaism, Paul of Tarsus.

And so the Good News was preached far and wide. It was a dangerous mission but it started and continued into the years to come. It now encircles the globe. Christianity is everywhere. In places it is very active and in other places it seems to be doing very little. At the head of all the work is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a trinity bound together in love.

Why do I say this? I have, over the last few years, been privileged to visit grieving families prior to a funeral. Sitting there with close families, talking about their loved one, has been an absolute privilege. Most of my families came from East Manchester, an impoverished area of the city. Most of them were not churchgoers. They had long ago lost the habit of worshipping God. But they had one thing in common. This was the very obvious love for one another. On the day of a funeral I would see young men, who preferred to look and dress hard in their daily lives, carrying a coffin with tears running freely down their cheeks. Here was an expression of love for the father, the mother, the grandfather or grandmother whose body they were carrying into the chapel. This was love in reality. Take all the layers of supposed hardness and aggression away and there was an inner centre full of human love.

Here is my reason for saying that the three separate parts of the Holy Trinity are fused together in love. I strongly believe that we can trust the words of Jesus who said "Which one of you who are fathers would give your son a stone when he asked for bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish?" This is how Jesus taught us to think of God as Father. Jesus clearly was the Son of God. The proof is in what he did in the three years of his ministry. His promise came true when the Day of Pentecost brought the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit. The whole thing is bound up with the love of God. And we carry on in this atmosphere of heavenly love as we take the gospel to the world. We are fortunate indeed.