CORINTH

-Sermon Notes-

May 31, 2026 (Trinity Sunday)

 

“Testifying for the Trinity”

Apostle’s Creed, Genesis 1:26-28, John 3:1-17

     Today is Trinity Sunday, the only “special” day set aside that celebrates a doctrine rather than an event or person.  And like Nicodemus having a hard time grasping what Jesus is teaching, we likely have a hard time fully understanding the concept of the Trinity. 

     By way of background, the doctrine of the Trinity was created in 325 when Emperor Constantine called together church leaders in order to address and settle some theological differences that were dividing the church.  This gathering became known as the Council at Nicaea; one of the teachings stirring-up controversy was generated by an elder in the Alexandrian church named Arius.  Arius proposed that while Jesus was higher than humans, he was inferior to God, and was a creation of God (and therefore not divine.)  Led by bishop Athanasius, the gathered council established the doctrine of the Trinity, which states that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit; not three Gods, but three-in-one (this doctrine is included in what we know as the “Apostle’s Creed” which is in our hymnals.)

     Three points I would like to make on this Trinity Sunday:

• The doctrine of the Trinity is not some sort of rarified theological speculation, created as a way for theologians to amuse and impress themselves.  No, instead the doctrine of the Trinity is our honest attempt to understand who God is, and how God is expressed through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• It is a mistake to suppose that the doctrine of the Trinity should sit on a library shelf gathering dust somewhere, and that it has little to do with our day-to-day living.  No, the amazing truth of the Gospel is that God himself in his love has really come into our world as Jesus Christ, and that God himself in his love has really come into our experience as the Holy Spirit.

• It is important to acknowledge that our faith, and our full understanding of God never truly “arrives.”  It is not as if one day we cross a finish line and exclaim “There! I’ve arrived! I know everything there is to know about God; I understand it all!”  Instead we recognize our understanding and our faith are fluid, evolving, and growing.  That is why I come to church; it is my desire to surround myself with the Word, with music that inspires and instructs, and with people that help me learn more about my faith and God.  It is why we partake of the sacraments of baptism and communion, which are invitations for God’s grace and love to dive deeper into our hearts and souls.  Much like an athlete placing him or herself in an environment which helps them increase strength and stamina, we place ourselves in church and involve ourselves in personal prayer and study.  A gain in strength and stamina for an athlete does not just “happen” or fall out of the sky, instead they must be worked at, much like our faith and understanding.

 

On this Trinity Sunday, let us be thankful for a loving and faithful God, who expresses himself as Father, Son Jesus Christ, and as Holy Spirit.

 

Extra: Why do we embrace the idea of a “Triune God?”  Because of what we find in scripture.  Our reading from Genesis includes: “Then God said, let us make humanity in our image…” (vs. 26.) Note the plural nature of “us” and “our,” something accompanying Father God in this creation.  Our reading from John today includes Jesus referring to both Father and Spirit.  We find other references to the Triune nature of God in Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, and Galatians 4:6.  This has inspired us over the years to capture the essence of our Triune God, but typically our words fall short in describing something that is indescribable.