The doctrine of the Trinity is very old, in fact, as old as the Council of Nicea and beyond. The Nicene Creed we recite every Sunday came from that council, and outlines what we, as Christians, believe. Most of the Nicene Creed is comprised of an outline of the belief in the Trinity.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives the apostles their great commission. Here is one of the few places in the New Testament where the Trinity is actually mentioned, in one breath, so to speak. The other was at the start of His ministry, when Jesus was baptized at the Jordan River by John, when the Father spoke, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove. In today's reading, Jesus tells the apostles to baptize in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus, Himself, mentions all three together.

I am currently taking Hebrew from Rabbi Les Scharnberg at his place, a refurbished old barn, which he calls the Barnagogue. We learn Hebrew, but there are also some lively discussions. Oddly enough, the subject of the Trinity came up a month or so ago--the last group I ever thought would be discussing the Trinity, believe me. One of their members is married to a Roman Catholic, and her mother-in-law has some very strange ideas, one of which is the notion that you pray to Mary unless it's really important, then you pray to Jesus, but never to God the Father, because you don't want to bother Him. She also asked for an explanation of the Holy Spirit. Oy!

I was raised Roman Catholic, though I've made a home in the Episcopal church, so I remembered all I had been taught in catechism as a child. I was never taught the kind of hierarchy she mentioned. We were encouraged to pray to all three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, without fear of "bothering anyone." When I got the chance, I gently pointed out to her that her mother-in-law was a little confused, and that the Holy Spirit might be explained by the "Breath of God," pronounced Ruakh in Hebrew. I didn't try to launch into an explanation of her strange notions of chain-of-command prayer. I think one of the Jewish members said it best. "God is always there for you." I blessed her, silently.

As I tried to say earlier in the discussion at the Barnagogue, but was unable to, since I couldn't get an "edge in word-wise," St. Patrick explained the Trinity using a shamrock, a three-leaf clover. We don't have Irish Shamrocks here. Another irony: Did you notice as you were coming in this morning that these plants are growing right outside the entrance? This is an oxalis leaf, which is larger and much deeper in color than the little shamrock a friend brought back from Ireland, but it does nicely as an example. Each lobe of the clover is a single leaflet, but they are all part of the whole leaf, just as each member of the Trinity is part of the whole. St. Patrick's Breastplate, which has been haunting me all week, is number 370 in our hymnal. It makes a shield of the name of the Trinity he believed in so strongly:

I bind unto myself today,
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three.

Another name for this hymn isDeer's Cry. Legend has it St. Patrick sang this while walking from Slane to Royal Tara, after lighting an illegal fire for Easter. The people laying in ambush for him and his clerics saw them as a herd of deer, which saved their lives, hence the name.

Observant Jews today still recite the Shema: Shema Yisrael: Adonai Elohenu Adonai ehod--"Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One." It is from Deuteronomy 6:4, where Moses gives the laws and ordinances to the people.

It is hard to explain to non-Christians that we do not worship three gods, but one God, and that one God is a Trinity. It confuses them. It even confuses Christians. The pat answer is "It's a mystery."

I was never really satisfied with that when I went through catechism. Mysteries are frustrating to those of us who really want explanations, but sometimes mysteries are necessary. In all humility, sometimes we must admit there are things we do not know. We cannot fully understand the nature of God, any more than we can know God's mind. Our human intellects are much too small and primitive for that. Theologians come up with ideas, but they, too, are human.

If God can give His prophets the ability to do miracles--even Elijah, for example, was able to raise people from the dead, part water, and float a metal axehead--why is it so hard to believe that it is possible that God is one being, yet three, a Trinity?

The person who sets the clock on Sunday night, thinking he or she will wake up early on Monday morning and achieve great things is not the person who hits the snooze button on Monday morning repeatedly, thinking "Who was the idiot who set this alarm so early?" Yet, those two personalities are still the same person, and not part of a personality disorder, at least I hope not! This same thing happens to me!

Jesus says all authority on heaven and earth has been given Him. By whom? The Father. He then commissions the apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Trinity: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. He also tells them that He is with them always, to the end of the age. Notice he doesn't say he will be with them, but that he is with them. The Eastern Orthodox study Bible I have reads "to the ages of ages."

What is the end of the age? I don't know. It is never explained. Does it mean the end of the world? Until the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, when they will no longer need Him, but will have the Spirit to guide them? I don't think so. It sounds more like He is saying He is always there, even if they cannot see Him. As with the Father, so also the Son is, was, and will be forever with them.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he tells them to examine themselves to see whether they are living in the faith, to put things in order, and to agree with each other. He prays they will be made perfect. Ow! How many times have I prayed to be made perfect? How long will this take?

Evidently, the Corinthians were a difficult group, and Paul didn't want to have to go there and settle disputes or exact heavy discipline. I suppose Paul is being optimistic when he tells the Corinthians to agree with each other. I've never been in a group that agreed with each other all the time. Hopefully, they did as he asked, and were at peace with each other.

If we profess to be Christians, then we must do as Jesus commanded. In order to follow Him, we must do as Paul said and examine ourselves. Are we putting into practice those things we say we believe? Do we visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give shelter to the homeless? Do we set aside time to pray? Do we follow the example set by Jesus? Are we simply reciting empty words, or do we put into practice those things we profess at church? Can people tell we are Christians by what we do outside church?

More important than whatever gift we are given, others should be able to tell we are Christians by our love--not just for one another, or for God, but for others we meet who are strangers to us, whether or not they look or act in ways that we find comfortable. We, as Christians, should reflect the love the Trinity has for us in everything we do, say, and think. Having said that, I feel it important to make clear that since I started attending here at St. Alban's, I have noticed that this community does more to show that love on a practical basis than any other Christian congregation I have attended. In being a community of Christians, we are members of the body of Christ, one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Being perfected, though, is a continual, lifelong growing process. Perfection is a goal we cannot achieve by ourselves. As with everything we do, we have to hope and pray that one day we will achieve it, with God's help.

Amen