Sermon Illustrations for Trinity Sunday (2025)
Illustration
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8
In the film Secondhand Lions, young Walter is dumped on the porch of his older, great-uncle’s home by his irresponsible mother. Before leaving, she tells him the old men are rumored to have a great treasure hidden on the property, and she tasks him with finding it so that they can be a family again. Though neither the uncles nor Walter relish the idea of spending the summer together, a bond begins to form. Walter learns from the stories of his great-uncles, and through their care and wisdom, he discovers a treasure far more precious than the riches his great-uncles brought back from the grand adventures of their youth. Walter discovers and learns about their wisdom. In one of most powerful scenes in the movie, Uncle Hub (played by Robert Duvall) fights with three much younger guys and handles them easily. Then, after handling things that way, gives them the talk about what it means to be a man. It’s the talk, Uncle Garth (Michael Caine) tells Walter, that contains real wisdom.
Solomon wrote about wisdom as well. Wisdom was created by God at the beginning. Before anything else existed, wisdom did (vs. 22). Wisdom was active with God in creation and delights in human beings (vs. 30-31). J.I. Packer once wrote, “ Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”
Bill T.
* * *
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8
Genesis 1:1 takes us back only so far. The earth is formless and void, but it’s there. The waters brood in darkness, but the waters are there. Whatever creative activity occurred before is hidden from us in Genesis 1:1.
This passage from Proverbs opens a window into that time before time. And what is it that we see? “No depths…no springs abounding with water…Before the mountains…before the hills…(no) earth and fields or the world’s first bits of soil.” Wisdom was present when God “made firm the skies above…(and) established the foundations of the deep (and)…assigned to the sea its limit…”
These striking images remind us how astounding the world is, and remind us that wisdom was present in all of this. The universe is not chaotic (though it certainly isn’t safe), but it is secure and wisdom, in the midst of this creation is described as “playing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”
This Sunday’s accompanying Psalm 8 celebrates this wonderful universe observed by wisdom, and invites us to ponder with this songwriter, “What are we humans that you are mindful of us, mortals that you care for us?” One might well ask this question when looking at the latest photographs from the Webb telescope. Let’s not forget we are not just observers. God has called us to be stewards — wise stewards not simply consumers — of the world we share.
Frank R.
* * *
Proverbs 8:1-4
Famed ancient African theologian Origen provides insights on what this text pertaining to wisdom might have to do with the Christian belief in the Trinity. As he put it, “wisdom was the beginning of the ways of God…forming beforehand and containing within herself the species of all creatures…” Note how wisdom [feminine in character for Origen] is related to the creating Father. But then the great church father adds, “She must be the Word of God because she discloses all other beings and is the interpreter of God.” (Ante Nicene Fathers, Vol.4, p.246) Wisdom/Spirit is identical with both the Word and with the creating Father, and yet they are distinct. It is in this sense that feminist theologian Jackie Woods sees wisdom as the uniting of power (the Father) and love (the Son). In her view, “Wisdom helps love to have definition, and it helps power to have meaning. As you can see, all three must be present…”
Mark E.
* * *
Psalm 8
Martin Luther understood the psalm to testify to Christ’s charity and to the Trinity. He noted:
There are three sublime doctrines that David mentions and confesses in his words. First, the king has two natures, that is, he is the God and man. Second, he is an undivided person, not two persons, two kings, two lords and rulers, but one person, one king, one Lord and ruler. For since he ascribes the name and glory of God to the Lord or ruler, that is, to this man… this man must be no other God or idol, but really and truly God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. (Luther’s Works, Vol.13, p.101)
John Calvin envisions the psalm as a celebration of our total dependence on God:
There is no man of a mind so dull and stupid but may see, if he will at the trouble to open his eyes, that it is by the wonderful providence of God that horses and others yield their service to men… and that all sorts of animals supply them with food… And more than this, dominion is apparent, the more ought we to be affected with a sense of the goodness and grace of our God as often as we either eat food, or enjoy any of the other comforts of life. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.IV/1, pp.107-108)
Mark E.
* * *
Romans 5:1-5
Verse 5 of the lesson makes clear that God’s love and the Spirit cannot be separated, suggesting that the persons of the Trinity cannot be separated. As Martin Luther put it: “For it is not enough to have the gift unless the giver also be present…” (Luther’s Works, Vol.25, p.296) Augustine’s view of the Trinity as a fellowship in love is most relevant to this text:
[With the Father and the Son] the Holy Spirit too exists in his same unity of substance and equality. For whether he be the unity of the Father and Son or their holiness, or their love, or their unity because he is their love, or their love because his is their holiness, it is clear that he is not one of the two, since it is by him that the two are joined… Therefore the Holy Spirit, whatever it is, is something common to the Father and the Son. But that communion itself… may fitly be called friendship, let it be so. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.1, p.100)
In eternity, the Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the love who makes them one.
Other easy-to-understand illustrations for the Trinity include Basil the Great’s analogy of the three persons as akin to a three-link chain (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol., 8, p.139) and the idea of the three persons as like different forms of water (water from a river, from a fountain, or as in a cup of water) suggested by another ancient African theologian Athanasius (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol., 4, p.84).
Mark E.
* * *
John 16:12-15
It’s quite possible for someone who doesn’t work out to show up the morning of a 5K and walk/jog their way to the finish line. You can probably lose two or three pounds just by going most of a day without food or water. And lots of folks can get dressed up once or twice a year and make it through a worship service for a special event.
But to truly change your life, it’s okay to start small and work your way up. Jog a little bit every day and then when you show up for the 5K, you’ll not only celebrate the finish line, but you’ll be ready the next day to jog again. Make small but consistent changes in your lifestyle and you can lose weight permanently. Making worship a part of your week through daily prayer, Bible reading, and living the Word and who knows, you might just become a disciple of Jesus Christ for, like, forever.
When Jesus tells the disciples “You cannot bear it now…” he’s not insulting them. He’s telling them that discipleship doesn’t have a finish line. It’s a lifestyle. And just as one should do a little study and consult a doctor before starting out exercising or altering the way we look at food, the Holy Spirit lives and moves in us, guiding, guarding, chiding, and celebrating!
You cannot bear it now — but you will! Yes, you will!
Frank R.
* * *
John 16:12-15
Karoline Leavitt was recently appointed the press secretary for the Trump administration. As such, she is the chief spokesperson for the president and the administration. She advises the president on press strategy and press relations; briefs the press daily; and coordinates with press offices in other agencies. I think if I were to describe succinctly what she does, it would be that she does not speak on her own or for herself. She is communicating for the president.
I thought about the press secretary when I read about some of the work of the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel. Of the Holy Spirit, John writes, “he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” Part of the job of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is to glorify Jesus and magnify his message. Francis Chan once wrote, “If I were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God's kingdom and purposes, one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit.”
Bill T.
In the film Secondhand Lions, young Walter is dumped on the porch of his older, great-uncle’s home by his irresponsible mother. Before leaving, she tells him the old men are rumored to have a great treasure hidden on the property, and she tasks him with finding it so that they can be a family again. Though neither the uncles nor Walter relish the idea of spending the summer together, a bond begins to form. Walter learns from the stories of his great-uncles, and through their care and wisdom, he discovers a treasure far more precious than the riches his great-uncles brought back from the grand adventures of their youth. Walter discovers and learns about their wisdom. In one of most powerful scenes in the movie, Uncle Hub (played by Robert Duvall) fights with three much younger guys and handles them easily. Then, after handling things that way, gives them the talk about what it means to be a man. It’s the talk, Uncle Garth (Michael Caine) tells Walter, that contains real wisdom.
Solomon wrote about wisdom as well. Wisdom was created by God at the beginning. Before anything else existed, wisdom did (vs. 22). Wisdom was active with God in creation and delights in human beings (vs. 30-31). J.I. Packer once wrote, “ Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”
Bill T.
* * *
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8
Genesis 1:1 takes us back only so far. The earth is formless and void, but it’s there. The waters brood in darkness, but the waters are there. Whatever creative activity occurred before is hidden from us in Genesis 1:1.
This passage from Proverbs opens a window into that time before time. And what is it that we see? “No depths…no springs abounding with water…Before the mountains…before the hills…(no) earth and fields or the world’s first bits of soil.” Wisdom was present when God “made firm the skies above…(and) established the foundations of the deep (and)…assigned to the sea its limit…”
These striking images remind us how astounding the world is, and remind us that wisdom was present in all of this. The universe is not chaotic (though it certainly isn’t safe), but it is secure and wisdom, in the midst of this creation is described as “playing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”
This Sunday’s accompanying Psalm 8 celebrates this wonderful universe observed by wisdom, and invites us to ponder with this songwriter, “What are we humans that you are mindful of us, mortals that you care for us?” One might well ask this question when looking at the latest photographs from the Webb telescope. Let’s not forget we are not just observers. God has called us to be stewards — wise stewards not simply consumers — of the world we share.
Frank R.
* * *
Proverbs 8:1-4
Famed ancient African theologian Origen provides insights on what this text pertaining to wisdom might have to do with the Christian belief in the Trinity. As he put it, “wisdom was the beginning of the ways of God…forming beforehand and containing within herself the species of all creatures…” Note how wisdom [feminine in character for Origen] is related to the creating Father. But then the great church father adds, “She must be the Word of God because she discloses all other beings and is the interpreter of God.” (Ante Nicene Fathers, Vol.4, p.246) Wisdom/Spirit is identical with both the Word and with the creating Father, and yet they are distinct. It is in this sense that feminist theologian Jackie Woods sees wisdom as the uniting of power (the Father) and love (the Son). In her view, “Wisdom helps love to have definition, and it helps power to have meaning. As you can see, all three must be present…”
Mark E.
* * *
Psalm 8
Martin Luther understood the psalm to testify to Christ’s charity and to the Trinity. He noted:
There are three sublime doctrines that David mentions and confesses in his words. First, the king has two natures, that is, he is the God and man. Second, he is an undivided person, not two persons, two kings, two lords and rulers, but one person, one king, one Lord and ruler. For since he ascribes the name and glory of God to the Lord or ruler, that is, to this man… this man must be no other God or idol, but really and truly God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. (Luther’s Works, Vol.13, p.101)
John Calvin envisions the psalm as a celebration of our total dependence on God:
There is no man of a mind so dull and stupid but may see, if he will at the trouble to open his eyes, that it is by the wonderful providence of God that horses and others yield their service to men… and that all sorts of animals supply them with food… And more than this, dominion is apparent, the more ought we to be affected with a sense of the goodness and grace of our God as often as we either eat food, or enjoy any of the other comforts of life. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.IV/1, pp.107-108)
Mark E.
* * *
Romans 5:1-5
Verse 5 of the lesson makes clear that God’s love and the Spirit cannot be separated, suggesting that the persons of the Trinity cannot be separated. As Martin Luther put it: “For it is not enough to have the gift unless the giver also be present…” (Luther’s Works, Vol.25, p.296) Augustine’s view of the Trinity as a fellowship in love is most relevant to this text:
[With the Father and the Son] the Holy Spirit too exists in his same unity of substance and equality. For whether he be the unity of the Father and Son or their holiness, or their love, or their unity because he is their love, or their love because his is their holiness, it is clear that he is not one of the two, since it is by him that the two are joined… Therefore the Holy Spirit, whatever it is, is something common to the Father and the Son. But that communion itself… may fitly be called friendship, let it be so. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.1, p.100)
In eternity, the Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the love who makes them one.
Other easy-to-understand illustrations for the Trinity include Basil the Great’s analogy of the three persons as akin to a three-link chain (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol., 8, p.139) and the idea of the three persons as like different forms of water (water from a river, from a fountain, or as in a cup of water) suggested by another ancient African theologian Athanasius (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol., 4, p.84).
Mark E.
* * *
John 16:12-15
It’s quite possible for someone who doesn’t work out to show up the morning of a 5K and walk/jog their way to the finish line. You can probably lose two or three pounds just by going most of a day without food or water. And lots of folks can get dressed up once or twice a year and make it through a worship service for a special event.
But to truly change your life, it’s okay to start small and work your way up. Jog a little bit every day and then when you show up for the 5K, you’ll not only celebrate the finish line, but you’ll be ready the next day to jog again. Make small but consistent changes in your lifestyle and you can lose weight permanently. Making worship a part of your week through daily prayer, Bible reading, and living the Word and who knows, you might just become a disciple of Jesus Christ for, like, forever.
When Jesus tells the disciples “You cannot bear it now…” he’s not insulting them. He’s telling them that discipleship doesn’t have a finish line. It’s a lifestyle. And just as one should do a little study and consult a doctor before starting out exercising or altering the way we look at food, the Holy Spirit lives and moves in us, guiding, guarding, chiding, and celebrating!
You cannot bear it now — but you will! Yes, you will!
Frank R.
* * *
John 16:12-15
Karoline Leavitt was recently appointed the press secretary for the Trump administration. As such, she is the chief spokesperson for the president and the administration. She advises the president on press strategy and press relations; briefs the press daily; and coordinates with press offices in other agencies. I think if I were to describe succinctly what she does, it would be that she does not speak on her own or for herself. She is communicating for the president.
I thought about the press secretary when I read about some of the work of the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel. Of the Holy Spirit, John writes, “he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” Part of the job of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is to glorify Jesus and magnify his message. Francis Chan once wrote, “If I were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God's kingdom and purposes, one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit.”
Bill T.
