Genesis 1: 1 – 2: 4a, Matthew 28: 16–20

By Revd George Mwaura

There’s a story of a Sunday school teacher who asked the class, ‘Can anyone explain the Trinity for me?’ An eight-year-old girl seated at the front thought for a moment and said, ‘Well… God is kind of like a 3-in-1 shampoo: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… all in one bottle!’ Now, the teacher wasn’t quite sure whether to laugh or correct her, but I honestly admire her observations!

I wonder, what is your understanding of the Trinity?

You see, Christians have been trying to explain the Trinity for more than two thousand years, and every illustration falls apart. Some people compare the Trinity to water, which can exist as ice, liquid and steam. Others compare it to an egg that is composed of a-shell, yolk and white. But none of these ideas fully captures the heart of the Trinity. And maybe that’s the point. The Trinity is not a mathematical problem to solve; it is the Church’s way of describing the God we find in the Bible: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God. Three persons. And at the centre of it all is not confusion – but love.

Today’s readings help us see that clearly. We begin in Genesis, right at the start of creation. And what do we find? We encounter God creating the heavens and the earth. But notice something; God is not distant or silent. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, moving, breathing life into chaos. Then God speaks: ‘Let there be light.’ So even in the opening lines of the Bible, we see something beautiful happening: God’s Word bringing life. Later, in the New Testament, John tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. Suddenly the pieces begin to connect.

In Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Jesus stands before his disciples. Some worship him, and some doubt. I find that comforting, because it means you can stand in the presence of Jesus and still have questions. Faith does not require us to understand everything perfectly. And what does Jesus say? ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ If you blink, you’ll miss what Jesus just said: in the name/ not names. Not three gods. One God. The Trinity was not invented centuries later by theologians trying to make Christianity complicated. The Church simply tried to describe the God revealed in Scripture and experienced in worship. And what they discovered is this: at the heart of God is relationship.

You see, God is not a lonely King sitting far away in heaven. God is eternal love living in perfect communion. Before the world existed, there was love: the Father loving the Son, the Son responding in trust, and the Spirit filling everything with joy and unity. Creation itself flows out of that love. God did not create because he was bored or lonely. God created because love naturally reaches outward. And Genesis tells us that human beings are made in the image of God. That means we are made for relationship too. Perhaps that explains why loneliness hurts so deeply, why division wounds us, and why community matters so much. We are created in the image of a relational God.

That is also why Jesus sends the disciples outward saying. ‘Go and make disciples.’ The mission of the Church flows from the nature of God. Because God is love, the Church must love. Because God reaches outward, the Church cannot become inward-looking. The Trinity is not just a religious teaching we talk about once a year and then forget; no: the Trinity shapes how we live our lives every day. And we see glimpses of the Trinity whenever love is freely given and freely received. Every time someone forgives instead of retaliating, every time neighbours help one another, every time families gather around a table, every time this church prays, sings, laughs, cries, and lifts one another’s burdens – we see echoes of the life of God.

And to be fair, sometimes church life reflects the Trinity beautifully. Look around you and you’ll see that we are all different people with different personalities, opinions, preferences and abilities, and yet somehow by God’s grace we remain one family! That alone is a miracle worthy of celebration. Trinity reminds us that unity does not mean sameness. Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct, yet perfectly united in love. And the Church is called to reflect that same unity – not uniformity but love, strong enough to hold differences together. And here is the good news: the God who created the universe does not remain distant. Jesus promises, ‘I am with you always.’ The Father loves us, the Son walks with us, and the Spirit lives within us. The Trinity is the living reality of a God who invites us into perfect love.

So perhaps the best response to the Trinity is not to try to explain it completely, but to live it, to love more generously, forgive more freely, welcome more openly, and live more deeply connected to God and one another. Because at the centre of the universe is not chaos, fear, or power, but love – self-giving eternal love. And that love has a name: Trinity – One God. Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the Church says,

Amen