On Friday evening, 5/28, I was part of two small ceremonies. First, I went to visit a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. The husband has a lot of physical problems and has not been able to leave his home for several years. His wife sat on the bed with him as I prayed over them, thanking God for their 50 years of marriage, and His love for them. One of their sons was present. Small, simple; a couple of hard working people who raised a bunch of kids, steered them in the right direction, kept their faith in God and each other. When it was done, we celebrated with a cup of coffee.
Later that same evening, I drove to a suburban funeral home for a service for a deaf man who had died very suddenly last Sunday. He and his wife had been married almost 40 years; no children. He had been very devoted to her through the years and her illnesses. His death was a shock and a cause of great sadness for all those who knew him. About thirty people were there as we said "good-bye" to this good man.
TRINITY SUNDAY celebrates that the God of all Christians is a God of relationships. The Father loves His Son; the Father loved us so much that "He sent His only Son so that through Him we might be saved"; the Father and Son's love for one another gave us the Holy Spirit so that we might continue to love one another. Trinity Sunday tells us that the Trinity is a mystery because love is a mystery! Even God does not want to be alone!
If we want to truly celebrate the wonderful gift of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - then look around your dining room/kitchen/picnic/back yard table this Memorial Day weekend. Look at the people who are there, who fill our lives with their love. Go to the cemetery. Bring a pail for water to wash off the grime of winter; bring some shears to cut away the clutter. Then stand there and simply remember how much you were loved, how much you were given, how much you owe. And in that quiet moment, when the whole mystery of loving and being loved overtakes you, then realize you have gotten as close to understanding the Trinity as you ever will.