Three in One – Trinity

A Children’s Sermon for the first Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday – RCL Year A

Scriptures: Matthew 28:16-20 and 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is also called “Trinity Sunday.” This is a Sunday when we remember that God is three persons in one God. Throughout history, humans have struggled with this idea, and some have even started new religions because they could not understand how God could be One being and Three persons at the same time. Just because we cannot understand some things, does not mean that they are not true. The world is full of mysteries. Science has solved many mysteries, that is true, but still the world and the universe are full of mysteries.

Before Jesus returned to God the Father in heaven, he told his followers to go and baptize people who came to believe in Christ. He said, “Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” When you see a baptism, you will notice that the pastor says these words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” God is three in one.

Saint Patrick, a Christian who lived many years ago was said to have explained the Trinity by using a shamrock, a plant with three leaves on one stem. Sometimes the three forms of water are used to help us understand the Trinity: ice, liquid water and steam are all H2O, water. But they appear in different forms.

I think that your family might be one way to help us understand the Trinity. Think about your mommy and tell me if she has a mommy of her own? (Children can answer here.) Your mommy is also a daughter, right? She is a mommy and a daughter at the same time. If she has brothers or sisters (also called siblings), she is also a sister. You see her as a mommy. Your grandma sees her as a daughter. And her siblings see her as a sister. She is just one person, but she is called three different names.

But the most important thing about a mommy is not what she is called. It’s how much she loves you. It’s the same with God. In 2 Corinthians 13, one of the readings for today, the Bible says, “Live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” God wants us to live in peace with one another and to love each other. We are all children of our heavenly Father. Jesus came to earth to bring that message. We are part of our own families, but we are connected to each other as well. “Live in peace,” says the Bible. And that verse ends with a Trinity blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God (the Father), and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus as a message of peace. May the Holy Spirit help us to love each other and live at peace with our neighbors, welcoming them into the family of God.