Today is Trinity Sunday in the Christian calendar. Although the word “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, the concept of God as plural, while remaining ONE….appears throughout. The beautiful benedictions that we close our worship with each week include Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But what can we learn from this mystery – three in one – that would encourage our own faith? Here are a few ideas:
1. God is Dynamic — Always Moving Toward Us
Paul’s blessing is active: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The Trinity is not static or distant. God is always moving toward humanity.
- The Father sends the Son
- The Son comes near us in grace and truth and lives among us.
- The Spirit dwells among us, teaching, reminding, empowering
Sometimes we imagine God as still and silent, arms folded, waiting for us to figure life out. But the Trinity reveals a God who is always reaching, giving, speaking, comforting, restoring.
Even in scripture, the members of the Trinity are constantly interacting—at Jesus’ baptism (where God speaks, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove, the Son is baptized and loved), in the Upper Room discourse (where Jesus prays to his Father, and promises the Holy Spirit’s arrival) and many other instances. God is alive, relational, and active.
If God is dynamic, faith cannot merely be stagnant belief. We are invited into an ongoing relationship.
2. God is Diverse — Unity Without Sameness
The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. Yet they are one. The Trinity reminds us that difference is not division. In a fractured world, we often think unity means sameness: “Think like me, worship like me, vote like me.”
But God’s own being suggests something deeper: A perfect unity with beautiful distinction.
“At the center of the universe is not loneliness or competition—but harmony.” The Trinity tells us diversity is not a problem to overcome. It may be part of God’s own fingerprint upon creation.
“A healthy church does not erase difference. It learns how to belong to one another.” I see this clearly at JCC!
3. God is Communal — Relationship Is at the Heart of Life
The Holy Spirit is described here as fellowship or communion. The Trinity means that relationship is not something God invented later.
God has always existed in relationship.
Before creation, there was already love, delight, communion. That means relationship is not secondary to life—it is central to life. We are made for connection because we come from a relational God.
“At the center of everything is not power, but relationship.”
People wonder:
“Do I matter?”
“Why do relationships hurt?”
“Why do I long for connection?”
Because we are made in the image of a communal God.
4. God is Loving — Love Is God’s Native Language
Notice Paul’s words:
- Grace of Jesus
- Love of God
- Fellowship of the Spirit
All three are relational gifts. The Trinity teaches that love is not merely something God does.
Love is who God is.
Before there were humans to love, the Father loved the Son in the Spirit. Love is older than creation.
“The deepest truth about reality is not chaos, fear, or survival. The deepest truth is love.”
Our weekly benediction is not merely a formal ending. It is a weekly reminder:
“You are being sent into the world surrounded by the grace of Christ, held in the Father’s love, and accompanied by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”
“The Trinity is not a math problem to solve. It is an invitation to know the heart of God.
A God who is dynamic, always reaching toward us.
A God who is diverse, yet beautifully one.
A God who is communal, drawing us into fellowship.
A God who is loving from all eternity.
And every Sunday, as the benediction is spoken, God reminds us: This life is lived inside that love.”
(the above is a summary of the message shared during our worship on May 31, 2026.)
Japanese Congregational Church 