Enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth
Trinity Sunday is a good day to be praying for our minds to be enlarged with the knowledge of God’s truth. We need that to be able to attempt an understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity — one of the more complex doctrines of Christianity.
Trinity: one in three and three in one. We, Christians, believe that there is only one God. But that doesn’t mean that when God became man God was no longer in heaven, and that when Jesus died, God died.
Within the one God there are three beings/entities/people, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It was God the Son who took on our human experience as Jesus. And at the same time God was reigning in heaven as God the Father. This same paradox continues even to this day. God the Father, and God the Son are in heaven, yet we can know them because God the Holy Spirit is with us now.
So how can God be one, and yet three at the same time. There have been numerous illustrations suggested to attempt to explain the Trinity. But, as with all these analogies, they fall short of the reality. One of my favourites, though, says that, “I am a father, a son and a husband, but that doesn’t mean that I’m three people, I am just one man! I have different relationships and roles with different people, but when I’m with my wife and am relating as a husband I’m still a father to my children and a son to my parents.”
I believe wholeheartedly in the doctrine of the Trinity; but, as you can probably tell, I’m pretty hopeless at explaining it. However, I’m not sure that that’s a bad thing. It’s right and proper that we should wrestle with these complex issues, enlarge our minds with the knowledge of God’s truth, but now is not the time to fully understand him, only believe in him. It’s one of the “mysteries” of our faith.
Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.Additional Collect for Trinity Sunday
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council
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