Thought for the Day – Trinity Sunday 2022
by Daryl Bates
I have always found it fascinating to see how the readings for each Sunday fit together and the message that is given about that week’s theme.
This week, on Trinity Sunday they are amazing particularly if one reads first the Psalm, followed by Proverbs and St John.
Psalm 8 is a wonderful image of the majesty of God, the Father, “O Lord our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth.” It continues to consider the wonders of creation “the wonders of the heavens, the moon, the stars” and then looks at the amazing fact that God made man just a little lower and gave him power over his creation. (What must he think of what we have done?)
Here is majesty, power and above all love which is then echoed in the extract from Proverbs. Again, we have another wonderful view of creation in which not just God the Father, but God the Son is present from the beginning of time. “The Lord created me at the beginning”. At the first of his acts “I was there……..I was beside ………. I was daily his delight”. So once again we have the beauty of creation, the amazing power of God and his love for the Son.
Had we read the verses from Paul’s Letter to the Romans as well, we would have heard that we are justified by faith, we live in peace with God “and that God’s love has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”.
So the third part of the Trinity is added to the picture by this and by the Gospel from St John. Jesus tells the disciples “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth”. “He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.”
For us on this Trinity Sunday without a Vicar there is a clear message. God the Father is with us what ever might happen. He has sent His Beloved Son to teach and guide us and he has sent the Holy Spirit to guide, inspire and help us bear all things.
We should glory and be strengthened by the power of this image.
We can repeat with enthusiasm the last part of the hymn known as “St Patrick’s Breastplate”.
“I bind unto myself the name
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three
Of whom all nature has creation
Eternal Father, Spirit, word
Praise to the Lord of my salvation
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.”
