Two big things are happening this week.
First, we welcome our students to campus for the Summer Residential Focus Session (RFS). Prayers for safe travel on Friday and a fruitful time of learning in community on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We will have a simple chapel service of prayer and welcome on Saturday. Students are encouraged to attend local congregations for worship on Sunday morning. Then we will conclude with a service of Holy Communion on Monday.
Second, it is Holy Trinity Sunday!
This is one of the most challenging Sundays for preachers. It is further complicated by the fact that it is Father’s Day in the USA.
There are three temptations this week:
- Offer modalistic metaphors like an apple, a clover leaf, or water. Note: modalism presents God as shifting from one “mode” of being to another, but not actually being one-in-three simultaneously.
- Reduce God to masculine terms, especially on Father’s Day. Note: God is neither male nor female. The first creation story says that God created humanity in the image of God, male AND female, therefore, both and neither are God’s image.
- Avoid the topic altogether and focus on the lectionary readings, ignoring the Trinitarian implications.
What is the preacher to do?
I love talking about the Trinity so much that I devoted my PhD Dissertation to it, as it relates to Spiritual Formation. I’ve put together The Art Pastor’s Guide to the Trinity that is chock full of images, animation, PowerPoints, and an extensive bibliography. Perhaps something in there might be helpful to you this week. CLICK HERE to explore the resource. Reach out with questions.
