Judith's parish is in transition at this time so like many readers she is reaching out to her people.
This Sunday 7th June, is Trinity Sunday. There are many analogies and ways of thinking about what it means, but I like this one,
Tertullian, one of the theologians of the early church, explained the Trinity in a metaphor. God the Father he described as “a deep root, Jesus the Son as the shoot that breaks forth into the world, and the Spirit as that which spreads beauty and fragrance.”
As a gardener, this makes sense to me, although as a chocolate eater I do like the Mars bar analogy too. There is the nougat the base of this yummy confectionery, representing God the Father. Probably the first part laid down in the making of it. Then there is the caramel, nicely positioned on top, separate yet part of it, this is Jesus, the Son. And then there is the chocolate coating surrounding it all, the Holy Spirit. A student once said to me so the Trinity is a Mars Bar Miss, I think they missed the point! It is of course a way of trying to explain the connection between the three persons of the Trinity.
An analogy for the spirit is sometimes described as the love which binds people together. You cannot see it but you know for certain that it is there. The spirit binds us together in love.
However we look at the Trinity, it seems to me to be about relationships. We are all connected with each other and God in lots of ways. To remove ourselves from all forms of relationship is I think almost impossible. To interact with others for good or bad is part of being human, and not just other humans but also nature and our planet. To have a relationship with God would seem natural and for God to have a relationship with us. Through the Trinity we can begin to see that each part leads to the other in a connected whole. The Son leads us to the Father and the Spirit; the Father leads us to listen to the Son and the Spirit; and the Spirit leads us to the Son and the Father. God’s nature is relationship. Life is relationship. It is through relationship that God is revealed to us and through relationship that we respond to God
Blessings to you all Judith
A link to the whole of Judith’s letter.