According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
One may use the word “mystery” in at least two ways. One may think of a situation in which gathering more information will eliminate confusion and enable arriving at a firm answer. The Holy Trinity is a mystery, but not in that way. Even if we mere mortals had all the information about the nature of God, we could not understand it. We can barely grasp what we do know, and what we know raises more questions than it resolves. So be it. The second meaning of “mystery” is an ancient definition: One can know something only by living into it. One can know God by faith, for example.
The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the only Christian feast of a doctrine. It is more than that, though. Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher recommends thinking of Trinity Sunday as:
…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on theLutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
A doctrine–especially the Holy Trinity–can seem abstract. Some people (including moi) like abstractions. However, abstractions leave others cold and spiritually unmoved. Salvation is not abstract, however; it is tangible. And how it works is a mystery in at least the second meaning of the word.
Happy Trinity Sunday!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY; AND HIS SON, WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ALBANY; HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET AND RELIGIOUS WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND SAINTS OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZITA OF TUSCANY, WORKER OF CHARITY
Trinity Sunday is the only feast on the calendar of Western Christianity solely about a doctrine. Other feasts have events, as in the life of Jesus, attached to them.
The three persons (“masks,” literally, in Nicene terminology) of the Trinity are present in the assigned readings for this feast.
Proverbs 8 offers Sophia, the divine wisdom personified as a woman. Sophia influenced the Logos, identified as Jesus in John 1. Portions of the text also sound as if they could refer to the Holy Spirit. And does the Holy Spirit proceed from just the Father or from both the Father and the Son? Trying to reason through the theology of the Holy Spirit makes my head hurt, figuratively, so I rarely delve too deeply into it.
YHWH is God in Psalm 8. God is unitary in Jewish theology. We humans are, according to the text, literally, “a little less than the gods,” not “a little lower than the angels.” “The gods” are members of the court of YHWH. The Hebrew word for “gods” is elohim.
Romans 5:105 mentions that the Holy Spirit does not act independently, and that it glorifies Christ.
By the way, “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit of God” is feminine in Hebrew and Arabic yet neuter in Greek. The Holy Spirit is technically an “it,” not a “he,” in the New Testament.
My advice regarding the Trinity is to frolic in its glorious mystery, not to try to understand it. One cannot understand the Trinity. Attempts to do so have frequently yielded or reinforced heresies. I try not to commit any of these.
How can God simultaneously be on the Earth, getting baptized, in Heaven, and descending from Heaven? That is a mystery. We can accept the findings of early Ecumenical Councils Nicea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, et cetera) while bowing in humility before God, who loves us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 10, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARIE-JOSEPH LAGRANGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT AGRIPINNUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; SAINT GERMANUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; AND SAINT DROCTOVEUS OF AUTUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF FOLLIOT SANDFORD PIERPOINT, ANGLICAN EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN OGLIVIE, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1615
THE FEAST OF SAINT MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
I aspire never to diminish the glorious mystery of God, or to attempt to do so. The doctrine of the Trinity, which the Church developed over centuries via debates, interpretation, and ecumenical councils, is the best explanation for which I can hope. However, the Trinity still makes no logical sense. For example, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-eternal. Yet the Son proceeds from the Father. And, depending on one’s theology, vis-à-vis the filoque clause, the Spirit proceeds either from the Father or from the Father and the Son. Huh?
No, the Trinity is illogical. So be it. I frolic in the illogical, glorious mystery of God, who adopts us as sons (literally, in the Greek text), and therefore as heirs. I frolic in the mystery of the Holy Spirit, in whom is new new life. I frolic in the mystery and worship the unity.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 29, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
Trinity Sunday is frequently a difficult occasion to preach, for many heresies have their origin in attempts to explain the Trinity. Yet on this day, the only Christian feast devoted to a doctrine, one must say something.
The Bible offers a variety of images for God from Genesis to Revelation. Abraham and God, we read, took walks together and engaged in conversations. Yet, as we read in Exodus, the understanding of God had become one of a remote figure whose holiness was fatal to most people–Moses excepted. We read of the heavenly court, modeled after earthly royal courts, in Psalm 89. And we read in John 5 that Jesus and YHWH/God the Father have a relationship.
The full nature of divinity exceeds human capacity to grasp it, but we can know some truths. Hebrews 11 reminds us of the faithfulness of God in relating to we human beings. By faith, we read, people have committed great deeds that have glorified God and benefited others, even long past the lifespans of those who have committed those great deeds. The theme of relationship is also present in the Song of Songs (a book I advise reading in TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures, 1985). The relationship in Song of Songs 8 is between a man and a woman (marital status unknown), whose love has placed their lives at risk. Love and death are linked for them.
Let me be a seal upon your heart,
Like the seal upon your hand.
For love is fierce as death,
Passion is mighty as Sheol;
Its darts are darts of fire,
A blazing flame.
Vast floods cannot quench love,
Nor rivers drown it.
If a man offered all his wealth for love,
He would be laughed to scorn.
–Song of Songs 8:6-7, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Neither can anything quench or drown divine love for us, despite our frequent lack of love for God. Yet for a relationship to be healthy, more than one figure must be engaged in maintaining it. May we embrace the mystery of the Holy Trinity and pursue and deepen a healthy relationship with God, whose goodness and mercy alone pursue us in Psalm 23.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 15, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN ELLERTON, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF CARL HEINRICH VON BOGATSKY, HUNGARIAN-GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LANDELINUS OF VAUX, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AUBERT OF CAMBRAI, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP; URSMAR OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DOMITIAN, HADELIN, AND DODO OF LOBBES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 9:1-9, 11:1-13 or Ecclesiastes 8:1-17
Psalm 35
John 15:18-25 (26-27); 16:1-4a
2 Corinthians 12:11-21; 13:1-10 (11-13)
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One might suffer for any of a number of reasons. One might, as did Solomon, suffer for one’s sins; actions do have consequences, after all. Or one might suffer because of the sins of at least one other person. This is one reason one might suffer for the sake of righteousness. Or perhaps one might suffer for merely being at the wrong place at the wrong time. On other occasions there might be no apparent reason for one’s suffering.
This is a devotion for Trinity Sunday. Many attempts to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity have resulted in heresy. I have resolved to cease trying to explain it and to revel in the glorious mystery instead. God is greater and more glorious than I can imagine; thanks be to God!
I do feel comfortable in making some comments, however. For example, Jesus of Nazareth (the historical figure) was the incarnated form of the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son. I do not pretend to grasp the mechanics of the Godhead, but so be it. Jesus suffered and died, but not because of any sin of his; he committed none. God suffered due to human sinfulness and made something wondrous out of something brutal and base.
That extravagant grace imposes certain obligations on those who benefit from it. Among these obligations is building each other up. St. Paul the Apostle’s words on that topic remain as applicable today as they were in Corinth nearly 2000 years ago. Christ Jesus is in me. He is also in you, O reader. He is also in those around us. How will we treat them? We have Jesus, a role model, to emulate. Where would the human race be without him?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF GUSTAF AULEN, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT FILIP SIPHONG ONPHITHAKT, ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN THAILAND
THE FEAST OF MAUDE DOMINICA PETRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MODERNIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF RALPH ADAMS CRAM AND RICHARD UPJOHN, ARCHITECTS; AND JOHN LAFARGE, SR., PAINTER AND STAINED GLASS MAKER
Psalm 29 or Canticle 13 from The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Trinity Sunday is a potentially awkward time, one at which a person might feel the temptation to try to explain the Holy Trinity. This temptation has given rise to a host of heresies, including Adoptionism and Arianism. The Trinity is a mystery; may we be content with that. As far as I am concerned, the concept of the Holy Trinity, as we have it, comes as close as any human idea can to summarizing God. Yet there must be far more than what we can possibly imagine.
Yet we can make some statements confidently. As Paul reminds us, God has adopted us into the family. And, as the Johannine Gospel tells us, God seeks to redeem, not condemn,us. We occupy a seat of privilege because God has placed us in it. This status brings with it certain responsibilities. We need, for example, to love one another, not fear, hate, and loathe each other. We need to treat others as fellow members of the family of God. Obeying this mandate will reform us and our societies, challenge mores (and perhaps laws), and maybe place us in harm’s way. There are, unfortunately, those who find simple compassion threatening–sometimes to the extent of being willing to commit or condone violence.
God loves even those who find love so baffling that they are willing to kill to resist it. And we must love and bless them too, by grace. Jesus did no less. And, if we are to follow our Lord, we must do as he did.
Adoption into the family of God can be a joy, but it can also lead to much grief in this life. Such is the world as it is, but not as it needs to remain. We can make this world a better place simply by being better people in it. This is part of of our call from God. Redeeming the world is God’s task, for which we are not equipped. Yet the inability to do everything is no excuse to do nothing, so may we do what God commands us; may we love one another and act accordingly. May we be salt and light.
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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