Trinity Sunday -- June 7, 2020

The Sunday after Pentecost is always designated in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) as Trinity Sunday, a celebration of one of Christianity’s central doctrines: the three-persons of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It begins what we call ordinary time, which is the longest period in the church calendar – from now until Advent.

Christian hymnody is plenty rich with texts acknowledging and celebrating the Trinity. Perhaps the most well-known Trinitarian text is “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” It is most assuredly a hymn of praise to the Triune God, describing this three-part person as holy, merciful, mighty, worthy of adoration, perfect in power, love, and purity. Indeed, both the opening and closing stanzas begin and end in the same way: “Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!” ... “Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!” The third stanza seems especially poignant this year, amid all the strife and unrest in our society and lives:

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinfulness thy glory cannot see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love and purity.

A Trinitarian hymn that may be less familiar to us is Canadian poet Jean Janzen’s 1991 text, “Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth.” Janzen’s inspiration for the text comes from writings of 14th-century mystic, Julian of Norwich (c. 1343-c. 1416). In 1373, when Julian was gravely ill, she experienced a series of 16 visions, which she recorded in writing shortly after. These writings have long been regarded as the earliest book in English written by a woman, and they are contained in what is now known as Revelations of Divine Love. Here is Janzen’s text in full:

Mothering God, you gave me birth in the bright morning of this world.
Creator, source of every breath, you are my rain, my wind, my sun.

Mothering Christ, you took my form, offering me your food of light,
grain of life, and grape of love, your very body for my peace.

Mother Spirit, nurturing one, in arms of patience hold me close,
so that in faith I root and grow until I flower, until I know

In reflecting on Janzen’s text, I find Rev. Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s commentary helpful. Daw is an Episcopal priest and former Executive Director of The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada. He writes,

In addition to being an alternative to patriarchal images of God, this text is notable for its concrete images that contextualize the attributes of the Trinity within human experience. The First Person, addressed both as “Mothering God” and “Creator,” is sketched by references to “birth,” “bright morning,” “breath,” “rain,” “wind,” and “sun.” Similarly, the Second Person, addressed only as “Mothering Christ,” is celebrated for becoming human (“took my form”), yet is described in images joined in nontraditional pairs: “food”/“light,” “grain”/“life,” “grape”/“love,” “body”/“peace.” The Third Person, the “Mothering Spirit,” traditionally described with minimal imagery, is called “nurturing one” and given “arms of patience.”

We will experience both of these hymns in our Trinity Sunday service this year, and I hope that this reflection will deepen and enliven your worship.