15 Jun 2025, “The Trinity—An Invitation into Love” John 16:12-15, Romans 5:1-5

Trinity - loving relationship

Good morning everyone. It is so wonderful to see you all this morning.

Now, I'll let you in on a little inside joke among ministers. If there's one Sunday of the year to conveniently take a holiday, it's today. They say all the 'smart' preachers suddenly get sick or find some other excuse not to be in the church this morning. And do you know why? Because it's Trinity Sunday.

But here’s the beautiful truth we’ve already felt together. As we were singing and praying, I’m sure you could feel the same warmth in your hearts that I did. That warmth reminds us that the Trinity isn't just a difficult doctrine or a piece of theology to be figured out; it's our God, who is still right here with us.

And I get it, though. That word, 'Trinity,' can sound intimidating, maybe even a little distant. It’s a mystery. And while that mystery might be why some preachers are on leave today, I truly believe it's also the most beautiful love story in the universe.

At its heart, it’s the story of three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who love each other so perfectly and so completely, that they are simply One. That is the story of our God.

So my hope for us today, as we think about the Trinity, isn't that we get lost in a complicated theory. My real hope is that we can discover—together—our personal invitation into this incredible relationship of love, and see how that love can meet us right where we are.

And in that spirit, may the peace of the Triune God be with you.

I’d like to share a story with you from my time serving at a previous church, Payneham Road Uniting Church. When I first began my ministry there,  I quickly discovered there were five retired ministers in the congregation. To be more precise, it was five couples, so that makes ten. Oh, wait—if you add one more minister's wife, it was eleven. Yes, eleven! It was totally unforgeable. Can you imagine being in my early 40s, navigating a new ministry, maybe feeling a bit like the new kid on the block? Yeah, daunting. And realizing that every Sunday I preach, there are 11 highly experienced, theologically trained ears listening intently. A whole team of consultants sitting right there in the pews! That sounds like it could be incredibly daunting. But setting all my concerns aside, what I discovered, very quickly, was something truly enjoyable. Because, each one of them had a different personality, a different journey, and a different gift to share. And far from being a panel of critics, they became my greatest supporters. They didn’t just sit and watch from a distance, they encouraged me, they shared their wisdom, and whenever I needed help (which was often!), they were always there, willing to help. I can say that it made all the difference to do my ministry surrounded by such faithful, generous mentors.

I was serving part-time, which meant I was responsible for preaching on the first and third Sundays of the month. The second and fourth Sundays were covered by two of the retired ministers from that group. So, I shared the Sunday preaching roster with these two. And after about a year of this shared preaching, Rev. Ray Creeby, another one of the retired ministers, made this comment that really stuck with me. He told me "You know, I thank God for the balance we have in our sermons here.” At first, I didn't quite understand what he meant. He continued, "It’s beautiful. Lindsay preaches on love, Mac preaches on hope, and you, Do Young, you preach on faith."

It was his observation after listening to the three of us for a whole year. Until that very moment, I had absolutely no idea that my sermons were so focused on "faith." It wasn't an intentional choice. I was simply preaching what was on my heart, week after week. We weren’t coordination themes at all, we were just preaching whatever felt right.  We weren't coordinating themes at all. We were just preaching whatever felt right. But through their individual authentic focuses, one consistently on faith, one on hope, one on love. I do believe, God was weaving something much larger and more whole. Three preachers, with our unique focus, was contributing to a more complete picture of the Good News for the congregation. And I would say that it represents this unplanned, harmonious work, this collaborative contribution to a larger picture as being, well, like the harmonious work of the Triune God. Just as the Father, Son, and Spirit work together in perfect unity and balance, each distinct yet contributing to the glorious whole, these three preachers, focusing on faith, Hope, and love reflected that same kind of divine harmony in their ministry. It's like a little picture of the big reality.

But then, suddenly, Rev Lindsay—the one who always preached about love, he passed away. His absence left a big gap, not just in our hearts, but on the preaching roster. The church began arranging for guest preachers, but suddenly, the question emerged on my mind. "Who will preach about love now?" And with that question, I began to feel a new responsibility—that perhaps I was the one who needed to step into that space. I felt this pull because I so deeply wanted the messages of "faith, hope, and love" to continue being shared.

So, I began to intentionally look at the scriptures through the lens of love. And as I did, something amazing happened. Scripture came alive in a way I had never experienced. It was as if a brilliant light had been hiding in plain sight, just waiting for me to see it. Stories I knew by heart opened up and revealed how deep God's love really was.  A beautiful 'aha' moment and Epiphany! With love at the centre, I started to see it everywhere: in every gesture of Jesus, in every step of his journey, in every word he spoke, in every single part of his ministry, there was love.

This whole journey for me, from starting with faith, to being reminded of the importance of hope, and now being called to speak on love has given me a profound realization this. I used to see faith, hope, and love almost like separate items on a checklist. But now I see clearly. These three are not separate at all; instead, they are beautifully woven together. And that connection isn't made by our own effort or understanding, they are already connected as one in the very heart of God. And that’s why I’m convinced that the true image of the Trinity is this: a relationship beautifully united in love. It’s not that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings or appearances, but rather, they exist as a dynamic, living relationship grounded in love.

In this scene, let is look at the John 16, Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit who is to come. He says: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you."

What does this mean? It highlights how the Spirit's entire mission is to glorify Jesus. The Spirit doesn't draw attention to himself. He makes Jesus shine brighter, helping us see Jesus' work and glory more clearly. That is the Holy Spirit's way of loving the Son. Such an amazing.

And what about Jesus? And Jesus operates the same way towards the Father. His entire life was dedicated to doing the Father's work and giving glory back to the Father, holding nothing back. He says, all that belongs to the father is mine not out of possession but out of perfect unity and a desire to show the father's glory.  That’s Jesus’s way of loving.

Then what about the Father? His love is the source of it all. He loves the Son so much that He gives everything to Him. He reveals Himself through the Son, and as we know from the voice from heaven, He delights, He takes true joy in seeing the Son glorified. That’s the Father’s way of loving.

So we see the Spirit's way of loving, Jesus' way of loving, and the Father's way of loving. They are, as the source puts it, constantly lifting each other up, shining the spotlight on each other, working together in perfect harmony. And there's no competition.  No hierarchy of ego, no one trying to be more important or draw more attention than the others. It's a perfect self-giving dance of love. And this perfect relationship of love in its breathtaking unity and self-giving is the mystery. We are invited into this mystery love. But this invitation and this profound mutual love doesn't just stay in heaven; it overflows to us. As Paul tells us in Romans 5, the entire Trinity works together to bring us this love—from the Father’s loving plan to the Son becoming our bridge, to the Spirit pouring that love right into our hearts.

My dear brothers and sisters,

We often speak of faith, hope, and love. But let's be clear: faith without love is merely an idea. Hope without love has no real power. Love, you see, is the very source from which the others flow. And love, of course, cannot exist without its own essence. In the very same way, it is with the Trinity. The Son cannot exist without the Father. The Holy Spirit cannot exist without the Father. And the Father Himself does not exist in isolation, but in an eternal relationship of love. They are inseparably and perfectly connected. And it is this foundational relationship of love that I want to explore with you today.

So today, on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit invite us into their own uplifting relationship of love. And they desire for us to live out that same love in our personal lives, within our community, and toward the world.

What does that look like? Well, for me, it looked like that unforgettable group of retired ministers. With all their wisdom and experience, they chose to do what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do for each other: they chose to lift me up, to encourage me, and to shine the spotlight on me so that I could flourish. They showed me what it means to live the way of the Trinity finding joy in making someone else shine, and living together as a community that reflects that same beautiful harmony.

And this leads to our challenging question, especially because every day, we turn on the news and see a world that runs on a different principle. It’s a way of thinking based on power, on victory, on winning at any cost. That is the mindset that creates conflict and hurts people.

But the way of our Triune God is the complete opposite. It’s a way of mutual love, of passing the spotlight to someone else, and of finding joy in their success. So let’s not leave this beautiful, Trinitarian love sitting here inside the church walls. This week, through our small and simple actions, let's live this love out. When we do that, we’re not just learning about God; we are joining in on His mysterious, loving dance. And there is nothing more beautiful, and nothing more joyful, than that.

So let us all respond with joy to this mysterious and beautiful invitation of the Trinity. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist together in harmony through love, I pray that each of us might become ‘Trinitarian people’ who bring that same harmony into our own lives. I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.