Following the lectionary, the church celebrates the Sunday after Pentecost as Trinity Sunday. The liturgical logic is clear: now that the Spirit has come, we know God to be triune. Yet, from the very beginning the Trinity looms as agent of creation. Word spoken and Spirit breathed evoke the unfolding creation and carry God’s self-communication throughout history.
The relationships that constitute the being of God as Creator, Christ, and Comforter provide a model for human living. Trinitarian relationships are all about self-giving, hospitality, and receptivity. Abba and Son and Spirit are revealed through their interactions, their willingness to allow others to participate in their intimate union. God as Trinity is not self-contained, but open and inviting, as Jürgen Moltmann reminds us. God calls us to image this kind of relationality.
What would a church look like if it was thoroughly trinitarian in faith and practice? I believe it would be more hospitable, creating space for the stranger. I believe it would prize diversity and celebrate all the ways humanity expresses the image of God. I believe it would find creative ways to tell the story of God’s trinitarian history in creation and redemption and consummation. This church would revel in its remarkable vocation of participating in the life of God.
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