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The Holy Trinity Explained, Sort of.
Sunday is Trinity Sunday, yet many pastors will avoid explaining what the Trinity is. Some will say, “No matter what I say, I’ll probably preach heresy.”
So, I’m taking the easy way out, at least for this week’s musings. Here are a few humorous, tongue-in-cheek explanations of the Holy Trinity that fit reasonably well with our Lutheran sensibility — meaning they preserve the mystery rather than pretending we can completely solve it. Sourced from the internet.
Martin Luther reportedly approached the Trinity with reverence rather than explanation. A Lutheran-style paraphrase might be: “If you try to fully explain the Trinity, you’ll lose your mind. If you deny the Trinity, you’ll lose your congregation.”
Here are a few less serious explanations of the Trinity, and some even make perfect sense!
The Lutheran Coffee Trinity
The Father creates the coffee bean, the Son redeems the exhausted pastor, and the Holy Spirit gets the congregation through the sermon after daylight saving time. Three distinct persons. One divine caffeine strategy.
A Lutheran explanation of the Trinity
We boldly confess it in the creeds, preach it carefully in sermons, and secretly hope no one asks us to draw a diagram.
The Potluck Trinity. Debbie and Jeannie will like this one!
The Father plans the church potluck, The Son multiplies the casseroles, and The Holy Spirit convinces everyone that Jell-O with marshmallows counts as a salad.
The Choir Loft Trinity
The Father writes the music. The Son sings the melody. The Holy Spirit somehow keeps the altos and tenors in harmony. A miracle every Sunday.
A More Theologically Accurate Joke
A seminary professor supposedly said, “Every analogy for the Trinity is bad eventually. The good ones take longer to become heresy.”
This is very Lutheran — humble about mystery, cautious about oversimplifying God.
The Most Lutheran Ending
The Trinity is like grace: bigger than our understanding, richer than our words, and still mysteriously present whether or not we fully understand it.
I love the honesty of this next one.
Lutheran Law & Gospel Version
The Father says, “You shall love the Lord your God.”
The Son says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The Holy Spirit says, “Yes, even yours.”
We celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday this week as we confess our faith in the Triune God. We will also hear the command and promise Jesus gave to the disciples. The command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” And the promise: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Join us at Hope for worship on Sunday at 10:30 AM or via Facebook at HopeClinton as we welcome the Triune God in our midst.
You are welcome here.
Peace+
Pastor Eric
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