Trinity Sunday 2025 St Andrew’s Milngavie
Today we celebrated Trinity Sunday accompanied by John.
This Week
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room
Wednesday 7pm – NWRC St Andrew’s
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House.
Readings for next Sunday – 1st Sunday after Trinity – Isaiah 65:1-9 Galatians 3:23-end Luke 8:26-39
Today’s readings – Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31, Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15
It is nearly a year now since the book group did a murder mystery in one of our meetings. It was great fun. We were all given different parts and a script, the narrator guided us through the text to revealed various clues at different points which we then used to solve the mystery of who did the crime. I can’t remember who it was, think it might have been Liz in the end but I’m not sure…the point is it could have been any of us as we all had a motive, it was all a bit of a mystery.
In many ways the Bible is similar – mysterious and complex in its content as it tells the story of God. But, like the script in our play, it’s a good place to find clues to help us understand the concept of the Holy Trinity, that extraordinary relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit which we celebrate today.
In the Old Testament the focus is mainly on God the Creator and we read about the building up of his relationship with his people. We only get the merest hints about the Son and the Spirit.
In the New Testament we discover that the God who made the world was so concerned for us, his people, that he wanted tangibly to be part of us. So sent his son to be born as a human, to share in our earthly life. So, God the Creator became also God the Father
We also learn in the New Testament that, in Jesus, God was prepared to die for us, a death that was not an end but a beginning – a doorway to eternal life for all of us. God the Son is also God the Redeemer.
Pentecost or Whitsun which was celebrated last week reveals yet another aspect of God’s character, another dimension to his love.
At Pentecost God shared that love with us by sending his spirit upon the apostles and all his people, inspiring, equipping and enabling them to proclaim the gospel and assuring us of his presence with us always, through his spirit as Christ promised to his disciples before he ascended
“I will send the advocate to you …………..
When the spirit of truth comes
He will guide you into all truth…” John 16:13
God the Holy Spirit is also God the Sanctifier and Sustainer.
But if we think of the bible as a mystery story, the mystery of The Almighty, in a sense it is only the first volume. There are still many things God wants to tell us and there is a sequel, but the sequel involves us. It involves us seeking the spirit’s guidance in our everyday lives, embracing the scriptures and nurturing our faith through prayer and relationship. All in a world so different from Jesus’ time but just as real and relevant.
And there is to be a further episode too. There will be a time when all the clues in the Trinity Trilogy make sense and when we see in full, though now we see only in part through a glass darkly, a concept so well expressed by St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians.
“ For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
But for now, we must live with mystery. We need simply to accept that God’s essential nature is an enigma. Each of us at our baptism became part of that and each at our Holy Communion today can share in the mystery, which is the love of God, the real presence of God brought to us through the sharing of the bread and wine.
So often in our journey in faith we seek and desire definite answers to serious questions about God and our relationship with him and his people.
Why is there suffering in the world?
Why do we suffer?
Why are there wars?
Is there life after death?
Does God really love and forgive us?
Why do our prayers sometimes seem to go unanswered?
The list could on…….Many, many theologians over the centuries have tried to answer these questions, but there are no definite answers.
Faith isn’t like that. In the letter to the Hebrews it says in chapter 11 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen”
Simple acceptance of mystery that is what faith is about.
Amen