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Revelation Trinity Day 6
"John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen."(Revelation 1.4-6)
Seven Revelation Churches
John sends a letter at once to "seven Asian churches" in what is Turkey today. His words to each one address not only current conditions but also the future. He commends their strengths and warns about their failures.
Here are directions for us about our own churches and about our own personal lives. Christian churches and Christians themselves can become loveless, immoral or compromising in our faith today just like congregations in the Early Church. Our Lord makes it clear how he feels about their faults. These letters are as relevant today as they were in the first and second centuries A.D.
The Trinity Greets John
The Trinity in this passage greets John with the words "Grace and peace to you from him 'who is, and who was, and who is to come.'" The words "who is, and who was, and who is to come" represent the three persons of the Trinity and is a paraphrase of the name of God. 1
In the next verse, "the seven spirits" refers to the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ as the Son is described as "the faithful witness" and "the first born from the dead." The Father is called "the ruler of the kings of the earth." Again a clear reference to the Trinity. The specific phrase "Trinity" is not found in the Bible, but there are a number of places where the three persons of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are linked together.
Trinity Blessing
The Trinity is difficult to understand. The math of the Trinity just doesn't work. Three doesn't equal one any more than one equals three. But that is the trouble with trying to understand the triune God by mathematics. A formula will not do!
Celtic churchmen had a very special Trinity blessing. They began their prayers to the Trinity by holding their arm straight ahead with a pointing finger and turned three hundred and sixty degrees. This gesture acknowledged God's supreme control over every life and all creation. They believed that the Trinity blessed them in every place, in each way and at all times.
Trinity Meditation
"You, O eternal Trinity, are a deep sea, into which the more I enter the more I find, and the more I find the more I seek. The soul cannot be satiated in your abyss, for she continually hungers after you, the eternal Trinity, desiring to see you with the light of your light. As my heart desires the springs of living water, so my soul desires to leave the prison of this dark body and see you in truth." 2
1. Do you feel reassured by this greeting from the Holy Trinity?
Trinity Prayer
"Blessing and honor, Thanksgivings and praise more than we can utter be unto thee, O most adorable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, by all angels, all men, all creatures forever and ever Amen and Amen. To God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; To God the Son who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; To God the Holy Ghost, who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts, be all love and all glory for time and for eternity. Amen." 3
Notes
1Exodus 3.14-15 2St. Catherine of Siena (1347 -1380) 3Thomas Ken (1637 - 1711)
"who is, and who was, and who is to come"
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