One God, Blessed Trinity – Week of June 5, 2023

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14

As children grow in their spiritual and moral development, they may wonder “Who is God, really?” Some see him as a protector. Others are a little frightened by him. For some children, the adult relationships in their lives shape how they feel about their Heavenly Father. Because they’re just learning about God, it can be difficult to explain the power that he has and how God can be both three and one.

God is one God but also three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The concept of God as a Trinity, or 3 persons in one, can be confusing. How can God be both three and one? First, we can acknowledge that this is a bit mysterious. Second, we can acknowledge that God IS God. It’s no surprise that we can’t always understand who he is. We trust that what God says about himself is true.

Instead of doubting, we can find comfort in our God. In the Bible verse that we consider today, we’re told with three words who God is and what God does. The three words are grace, love, and fellowship.

The work of Jesus, who is sometimes called God the Son, is described by the word grace. Jesus humbled himself by becoming a human and then suffering on the cross for us. Jesus showed us grace, or undeserved love, when he lived a perfect life on earth. Everything that we do is tainted with sin, and we cannot live the sinless life that would be needed to go to heaven. Jesus lived the perfect life that we cannot. Jesus showed us grace when he allowed himself to take all our sins on himself and die for us.

The work of God, who is sometimes called God the Father, is described by the word love. Oh, how God loves us! He loved the world so much in fact, that he sent Jesus, his son, to die for us. God sent his son to die for us even though he knew that we are sinners and would continue to sin as long as we are alive on this earth. God wants us to be in heaven with him. God knew that we could not get there by ourselves, so he sent Jesus to be that way for us.

The work of God the Holy Spirit is described by the word fellowship. Fellowship can be defined as a belonging or holding something in common. Through the Holy Spirit we belong with Jesus and with other believers. The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen our relationships with each other and with God through our faith in Jesus.

What comfort this brings to us! Our God is strong, loving, and wants only what is best for us. He wants us to remember daily that we are his dear children, and he wants us to share his grace, his love, and his fellowship with others.

Prayer:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our songs shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Christian Worship 21 483:1

A Question to Consider:
The words grace, love, and fellowship can be used to describe our almighty God. How do these words bring you comfort and how can you share those words of comfort with others?

Early Childhood Ministry Educator’s (ECME) Devotions are brought to you by WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.