A synopsis of the sermon delivered by the Rev. David L. Hicks at St. Paul’s Reformed Episcopal Church on Trinity Sunday, June 6, 2004. Please read Revelation 4.

Today we celebrate “Trinity Sunday,” which is a day that we set aside to give particular emphasis and attention to the essential Christian doctrine of God’s revelation of himself as a trinity of persons. By this we affirm that we believe in one God only, but God exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – a difficult mystery for human minds to grasp. By glancing through today’s service bulletin, one readily sees in the hymns, Scripture readings and prayers a close connection between God’s holiness and his self-revelation as a Trinity. The lesson from the book of Revelation communicates this quite clearly in its description of John’s vision of God’s throne. Much like the vision of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6), John observes that all that are in God’s presence sing this hymn: “Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8). The ascriptions of praise continue with the words, “Thou art worthy to receive glory and honor and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11). Here we clearly see that God’s self-disclosure, the revelation of himself to his creatures, communicates the idea of his holiness. He who is the Creator exists in distinction from that which he has created.

The concept of holiness is used throughout the Scriptures to describe many things, but in every instance holiness relates to separation or distinction from the ordinary. In the Old Testament, anything set aside for the worship of God was considered to be holy. That is to say, it was not to be used in a common, every-day manner, but it was separated for God’s service only. Moses is told to take off his shoes when God spoke to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3), because he was standing on holy ground – ground that was made distinct from other ground because of God’s presence. Similarly, God’s people are to be holy, which means that they are to be separated or dedicated to the exclusive use and service of Almighty God. However, it is important to note that all holiness, whether people or things, finds its origin in the holiness of God himself. Although humanity is created after the image of God, humanity is not God. The Scriptures remind us of this often, because we quickly forget this distinction. 

The doctrine of the Trinity is best way that human words can describe what God has said and shown about himself. A right understanding of this doctrine demands our recognition of the holiness of God and the worship that we owe him as his creatures. Similarly, a rejection of this doctrine strikes against the holiness of God, for a person who rejects the Trinity is presumptuously attempting to fashion God to suit his or her own liking. If we would avoid idolatry and worship God in Spirit and Truth, we must embrace the Scriptures’ teaching regarding the Holy Trinity. “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, let the whole earth stand in awe of him” (Psalm 96:9).