We have a new way to do math this week. We are claiming that one plus one plus one equals one.
One of the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith is the Trinity. We believe in one God, three persons, a triune God. There is God the Father, who created us. There is God the Son, who redeemed us. There is God the Holy Spirit, who sustains and sanctifies us. The doctrine of the Trinity is more than an exercise in theological rumination. Belief in the Trinity gives us strength and wisdom for the living of our days.
Our first way of apprehending God is as God the Father. This is the face of God we think of on Thanksgiving. This is the face of God we perceive when we look around at the world. To know God the Father is to know God as our protector and provider.
The second way we apprehend God is as God the Son. This is God come to earth in Jesus Christ. This is the word made flesh, the incarnation. God the Father may feel remote, mysterious, transcendent, but God the Son is one of us. Jesus ate, drank, slept, got tired, got angry. He restored us to a right relationship with God through the sacrifice he made on the cross.
The third way we apprehend God is as God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sustains and sanctifies us. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, counselor, advocation, helper. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to teach and encourage his followers after he had departed from them. To know the Holy Spirit is to trust that God is still at work in this world.
In our sermon this Sunday we will look at the doctrine of the Trinity and how one plus one plus one equals one.