Through the years, I have usually preached on the doctrine at least once a year on Trinity Sunday. Due to the Bicentennial Sundays, I did not preach on Trinity Sunday this year, but someone asked for a sermon on the Trinity as one of the Grab Bag sermons.
I have used different approaches to preaching on the Trinity over the past twenty years. Sometimes, I have tried to rationally explain (as best I can) what God in three persons means. Other times, I have seen that as a futile effort and focused on how we choose to categorize the way we experience God in three ways (Father/Creater; Son/Redeemer; Holy Spirit/Sustainer), which builds on the three persons, but does not try to explain it. I have also focused on the relational aspects of the Trinity and how it reflects a relational God, which makes no effort at trying to explain what we mean by Trinity in a theoretical sense.
The two texts I have chosen (probably without thinking through it thoroughly) offer a glimpse at the mystery of the Trinity (John 1: 1-14) and assume the Trinity without any explanation (Matthew 28: 16-20). I'm thinking about not trying to explain the Trinity, and focus on the relational aspect of God and how we discover God in three ways.
Some thoughts that might make the sermon.
1. David
Lose, Biblical Preaching Chair at Luther Seminary, puts it
bluntly:“Here's my rule-of-thumb regarding the Trinity: People who
say they understand it aren't to be trusted. I mean, well, the
Trinity is, quite frankly, more than just a little beyond our
comprehension and understanding. Which is why we lean on metaphors
and analogies, from the Desert Fathers (you remember, the two
Gregorys and Basil) comparing the members of the Trinity to the
source of light (Father), the light itself that illumines (Son), and
the warmth when you feel the light (Spirit) to Augustine's Lover
(Father), Beloved (Son), and the Love shared between the two
(Spirit). That's the best we can do.”
2. Christology at the Crossroads, Jon Sobrino, (xxiv): "Christology
is possible only if the Father continues to be the ultimate horizon
of reality, the son continues to be the definite example of how human
beings can correspond to the Father, and life according to the Spirit
of Jesus continues to be the authentic Christian way of acting that
makes us sons and daughters in and through the Son."
3. Other faith traditions have some type of triune understandings of God.
how have you understood the Trinity? Does it matter?
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