The Trinity

The Trinity is a theological word which speaks to the reality that there is One God who expresses Himself in three ways.  It is also something which is problematic and confusing for a lot of folks who regard themselves as Christians.  The Scripture affirms there is One God.  Monotheism is a foundational plank in the theological system of traditional Christianity.  Yet, there is also this business about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which seems to point toward a heresy of three Gods.     

As I look back over the faith I grew into as a young boy believer, I realize I was taught to address my prayers to God, or Lord.  And when it came time to end a prayer, the only right and proper way to end it was to conclude with the words, "in the name of Jesus."  After all in John 14:14 the Word reports that Jesus said, "If in my name, you ask for anything, I will do it."  Begin with God and end with Jesus and the prayer was complete.      

As the years passed and I ventured outside my traditional Methodist framework, it was disconcerting and confusing to hear people ending their prayers with words like, "in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Spirit."  What was easy to do in the beginning of the venture outside the church of my childhood was to dismiss such an ending as some unnecessary thing done only by Catholics and Episcopalians.  But, such thinking soon gave way to a growing appreciation of the mystery of the Trinity.  It took a while, longer than it should, but finally it came to me that there was value in praying with an awareness that affirming the three dimensions of the Trinity enlarged my understanding of God's presence in the world as well as the way He made Himself known within it.