When I think of Trinity Sunday, the Great Commission isn’t exactly what comes to mind. And yet…it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it?
The fact that it works is not surprising as much as it is not how we might think of addressing the feast itself.
The first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. Our focus is on the Trinity. Which probably means that our first thought isn’t evangelism.
Two Sundays
There are two Sundays of the church year that draw our minds away from events like the birth or resurrection of Jesus or from the teachings of Jesus. And they are the first and last Sundays after Pentecost.
These two Sundays invite us to focus on concepts. The Trinity and the reign of Christ.
While the concepts are familiar, and not altogether unnatural, they also aren’t driven by the story. Preachers feel the need to discuss the concept: the Trinity. Parishioners often want to focus on the Trinity.
This really is the one time each year when we’re invited to give the Tƒrinity itself our attention. And yet, there’s also a reason we don’t. It really isn’t the easiest concept. Especially in early postmodern era.
Discussing the Trinity
Let’s go back to the gospel passage from Matthew. So we can tie it and the Trinity together.
The Great Commission is so heavily tied to Jesus, more than the Trinity. It certainly serves, for many, as the active work of the Christian. But it feels far more like an invitation to follow Jesus himself than it does the will of the Triune God.
So, for many, this may be the way to speak of the relationship within God and ours to God.
That Jesus is a means of connection. The manifestation of God—offered for partnership and learning through connection.
So, in that sense, it is quite obvious that a Trinity discussion would begin with the one we relate to. And that he turns us toward the Father and the Spirit.