My mother made an appointment with the pastor and he agreed to meet with me to discuss the possibility of baptism and what that would mean. And while I don’t remember much about that meeting, I do remember that the pastor tried desperately to explain the Trinity to me, drawing diagrams with arrows and interlocking circles, and by the end of the conversation, he finally just said “look, it’s all just God. I hope you understand that.”
I’m honestly not sure that I did or even that I do now, but I love to read and pray and meditate on the topic of the Trinity because it’s an opportunity to do theological mental gymnastics and so it becomes an exercise for my inner nerd.
However, I’m also keenly aware that not everyone needs or wants to do these kinds of theological exercises…
Not too long ago, I took a course in my phd studies titled “Women Prophets, Mystics and Wisdom Teachers.” One of my favorite parts of the course was getting to read a book titled “In a Chariot Drawn by Lions”. In this book, the author examines the literary tradition of Lady Wisdom—Hochma—Sophia, throughout early Jewish culture, other Ancient Near Eastern religious traditions, and Christianity. And the big take-away (and there were lots of take-aways in this book) was whether you want to understand it as a “she” as “spirit” or the “pre-existent Christ”, Hochma was with God in the beginning and continues to be present and active in the world today. We see this in the creation story from Genesis… “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
As one scholar noted, “Wisdom’s fingerprints are all over God’s creation”. Not only was Lady Wisdom-Hochma-Sophia, the Holy Spirit present at the beginning of time, but she continues to be present even now.
So what does any of this have to do with Trinity Sunday? Well, through the scriptures, we are given a glimpse as to what it means to be creative, loving and nurturing. We are told that God-the Holy Spirit-Jesus is with us always. We are taught how to be in community with each other, our neighbors, and even the strangers among us.
When preparing for Sunday, I often turn to artistic images to help me find inspiration. That’s part of why my desk faces a wall filled with icons…their wisdom and truth-telling often help illuminate what God’s message is trying for me to learn. But as I scoured the internet for images, I was struck by three dancing figures that were titled “the Trinity”.
Like many other Trinitarian icons and paintings, the figures are all the same in appearance, but they were holding hands in a circle, smiles on their faces, and they were dancing. And then I came across this quote by Jeff Paschal that reads, “The triune God is a joyous, dancing God who pours out overflowing gifts to humanity with gladness”. A joyous dancing God. I love this idea! And this image was guiding me in my continuing journey with the mental gymnastics of understanding the Trinity. It certainly beats the traditional triangle with arrows pointing in each direction to explain the Trinity!
Where do we experience this joyous dancing God in our lives? When in our lives have we been bold truth-tellers, creative artisans, clear-sighted and discerning? When in our lives have we been life-givers and love-makers to others? When in our lives have we been mentors and guides for others? When have we been hope-filled?
I tend to think of it like this…when we plant little seedlings and beautiful flowers and rows and rows of tomatoes, the Creator Spirit is there. When we cook the most delicious meal our family has ever tasted, the Creator Spirit is there. When we raise our children and watch them bloom and grow, the Creator Spirit who delighted in the human race is there.
She does not do these things alone…she is a co-creator with God. You see…the Holy Spirit’s fingerprints are found all over our lives when we speak truth and act in love. It is in these moments that the joyous dancing God of the Trinity, present with the Beloved Son, and Wisdom-Hochma-Sophia, the Spirit is there.
I want to leave you with one final thought as you ponder the idea of the Trinity, and that is this blessing from Jim Cotter’s book “Prayer at Night’s Approaching”:
To God the Creator who loved us first and gave this world to be our home:
To God the Redeemer who loves us and by dying and rising pioneered the way of freedom:
To God the Sanctifier who spreads the divine love in our hearts:
Be praise and glory for time and for eternity.