Though the word trinity is not found in the scriptures, today’s second reading includes the apostolic greeting that begins the liturgy: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In the gospel Jesus sends his disciples forth to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. More than a doctrine, the Trinity expresses the heart of our faith: we have experienced the God of creation made known in Jesus Christ and with us always through the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity in word and sacrament, as we profess the creed, and as we are sent into the world to bear witness to our faith. Holy Trinity Sunday reminds us that God isn’t something that we’re supposed to be able to wrap our heads around, but rather that God is the one we are supposed to pull up a chair next to so that we can know and be known. God’s very essence is relational, and with God we are given a place at the table.
image: Russian icon of the Old Testament Trinity by Andrei Rublev, between 1408 and 1425. In the public domain.