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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
The Father
The one who created and knows intimately and individually the
details of every molecule in every speck of dust of every asteroid
orbiting every planet in every galaxy of the universe.
The one who created and knows every human being who ever
lived, who is alive today, and who will ever live.
The one who is the creator and monitor of every process occurring
in the universe.
The one who was before the beginning, is now, and will be
beyond the end of all things.
The Son Jesus Christ
The one who is the historical embodiment of the Word, the organizing
principle of God the Father.
The one who was born in a stable, lived his life, and died
his death in total obedience to God the Father, for our sake
that we might know the truth about God's gracious love for
us and thus have life.
The one who suffered innocently, was rejected by the religious
establishment, and was put to death on a brutal cross, because
he dared to love God and all the world.
The one who was raised from the dead and ascended to be with
God the Father forevermore, even as he was one with the Father
from the beginning.
The one who embodies the truth that faithfulness entails
sacrifice, but that by the grace of God there is always life
after every death.
The Holy Spirit
The one who takes the truth about God and gets it through to
us, even when we resist it.
The one who moves here and there through all of history,
influencing the course of events, comforting the sorrowful,
and bringing life out of death.
The one who bends life to fulfill God's purposes, working
even through people who do not know or believe in God.
The one who calls the church into being, sustains it with
Word and Sacrament, and sends it into the world to lay down
its life for God and neighbor.
The Trinity
One way of talking about the Trinity is to say:
God the Father is all-powerful, but we don't
know from that alone whether he is good.
God the Son shows us that God the Father is not
only all-powerful, but is good and loves us.
God the Holy Spirit convinces us of the Father's
power and goodness and brings us into positive relationship
with God.
When we invoke the name of the Triune God, we are announcing
that we are not gathered in the name of
- fellowship
- feeling good about ourselves
- learning new ethical principles
- receiving information about current social and political
issues
- trying to get our kids to straighten out and behave themselves
- avoiding punishment
- gaining enough points so we can go to heaven eventually
when we die
When we invoke the name of the Triune God at the beginning and
the ending of our worship, we are pointing to the Mystery of
God that frames our very being. We are declaring that this One
whom we do not fully understand is not only powerful, but good
and gracious toward us. We are announcing that were it not for
this One we would have no reason for being at all. And we are
stating that the Triune God is an objective reality even for
those who do not know or believe.
Copyright 1996 Edwin
D. Peterman. All Rights Reserved.
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The
Wonder of Worship: The Trinitarian Formula