The Holy Trinity
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
-- 2 Corinthians 13:13
Paul concluded what we now call the second letter to the church at Corinth with this threefold blessing. While the doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in scripture, it is at least implicit in the early church. The strength of the church is experienced in grace, love, and communion. When we invoke the three persons of the Trinity, we lay claim to these three qualities in our life together in the church. As the church repeatedly discovers, we are not held together by our moral strength but by the grace of Christ. In that grace, we discover the love of God that is not defeated by the principalities and powers of our world. As that love of God infuses our lives, the communion of the Holy Spirit connects us. Paul's appeal to the Corinthians that they "agree with one another, (and) live in peace" suggested that the Corinthians had as much trouble doing that as our current churches do. The image of the Trinity provides us a picture of how we are to live in peace. Each part of the Trinity is distinct; yet they exist together in perfect harmony. We do not think of the Trinity as competing with each other or needing to defer to one another in order to maintain peace. Rather each part is thought of as fulfilling its full identity in a way that enhances the other parts. They greet each other with a "holy kiss" as it should also be in the community of the church.
-- 2 Corinthians 13:13
Paul concluded what we now call the second letter to the church at Corinth with this threefold blessing. While the doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in scripture, it is at least implicit in the early church. The strength of the church is experienced in grace, love, and communion. When we invoke the three persons of the Trinity, we lay claim to these three qualities in our life together in the church. As the church repeatedly discovers, we are not held together by our moral strength but by the grace of Christ. In that grace, we discover the love of God that is not defeated by the principalities and powers of our world. As that love of God infuses our lives, the communion of the Holy Spirit connects us. Paul's appeal to the Corinthians that they "agree with one another, (and) live in peace" suggested that the Corinthians had as much trouble doing that as our current churches do. The image of the Trinity provides us a picture of how we are to live in peace. Each part of the Trinity is distinct; yet they exist together in perfect harmony. We do not think of the Trinity as competing with each other or needing to defer to one another in order to maintain peace. Rather each part is thought of as fulfilling its full identity in a way that enhances the other parts. They greet each other with a "holy kiss" as it should also be in the community of the church.
