Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost to honor the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity, although the word does not appear in Scripture, is taught in Matthew 28:18-20 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 (and many of Biblical passages). It can never be understood or rationalized, but can only be accepted by faith. Faith comes through the work of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is appropriate that this mystery is celebrated the first Sunday after the Pentecost where the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit first occurred.
The Christian Church ponders with joy and thanksgiving what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have done to accomplish the salvation of sinful humanity. It is brought to remembrance how Christians should respond to the love God has shown us, praising Him and giving Him glory. We remember the Father as our Creator, the Son as our Savior and the Holy Spirit as our comforter. Scriptural readings for the Trinity Sunday ceremony may include Psalm 8, beginning and ending with, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name is all the earth.” 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 appealing to believers to aim for perfection, live in peace ending with the prayer that the grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all. Including again the commission Jesus left for believers in Matthew 28:16-20.
The Trinity, three persons in one God, is the basic mystery of our faith far beyond human understanding. Today, Trinity Sunday is to explain, to the best of man’s ability, the clues written in Scripture fro us to guide us to a fuller understanding. The Father is God from the beginning (John 1:1); Jesus revealed Himself as equal to the Father in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” Together they sent the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). “For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7-11).
Basic Facts
Liturgical Color(s) : White
Time of Year : The Sunday After Pentecost
Duration : One Sunday
Celebrates/Symbolizes : The Holy Trinity
Scriptural References : Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; John 1:18; John 15:26
A Historic Summary
The Church has been celebrating the Trinity in its life and worship since the earliest days of the Church, as evidenced by the Trinitarian baptismal formula. The earliest known liturgies (including that contained in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus) include many references to the persons of the Trinity, including prayers that end with Trinitarian doxologies. Nonetheless, there was no general feast of the Trinity in the early Church. Over time, dioceses and churches began celebrating feasts of the Trinity locally, perhaps in response to Arianism. Early dates of the localized feasts include the first Sunday after Pentecost, or the first Sunday before Advent. Both placements have symbolic value. The post-Pentecost date celebrates the Trinity as the final celebration of the Church Year, after Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The pre-Advent date, no longer observed, began the Church Year with the celebration of the Trinity, the source of all creation. Both show the importance of the Trinity as the foundation, beginning and end, of Christian belief and experience. In addition to the yearly observance of Trinity Sunday, the Church’s weekly, daily, and hourly worship is strongly Trinitarian in nature. Trinity Sunday has been especially popular in England, perhaps because Thomas Becket was consecrated on Trinity Sunday, AD 1162.
Recommended Resource
Unbelief a Marvel by Bishop J. C. Ryle