Holy Trillium

I spoke with a young couple on Sunday after church. The young man was having difficulty trying to understand the concept of the Trinity - the Christian belief that God exists in three, distinct persons or entities, yet is at the same time one God.

This is a difficult thing to grasp even for the knowledgeable but here is one man's take on it.

I heard one of my pastors once describe it this way. Light three candles in a single room. How many candles are there? Three. How many "lights" are there? Well, there is only one light, from all three candles. Each candle might have different individual characteristics but they join together to product one light.

Here's my attempt. On my way back from meeting with this young couple I saw some flowers by the roadside - trilliums. They were everywhere! I thought, "Perfect. Three pedals, one flower. Three-in-one! One aroma emanating from it. The Trinity."

There some people who believe in a partial Trinity, kind of like how water exists in three separate forms - water, water vapor (steam) and ice. They believe that the three parts never occur at the same time. These people are called modalists. Though they call themselves Christians they really are not. The concept of the "three in one" is an essential tenant of the Christian faith. Check this passage from the Book of Matthew.

"16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:13-17

All three parts of The Trinity are present at the same time - Jesus is standing on earth, God The Father is in heaven and The Holy Spirit is descending.

The Trinity is a difficult thing to understand. Will we ever fully understand it? When we get to heaven will we see three? Or One?

Finally, there is a symbol used in many churches to represent the Trinity. Does this symbol at the right look familiar? It should. It looks just like a trillium. :)

I don't profess to be all-knowledgeable on this subject, but my view lines up with many. Can you think of other example of three-in-one in this world? You probably can. In the meantime, scour the woods where YOU live in search of the Holy Trinity. :)

This I Believe (The Creed) - Hillsong Worship

Clover

Have you ever searched for a four-leaf clover? When you first saw this picture did you look to see if you could find one? When I was a child I remember laying on my belly in the grass of a park, searching in vain for such an illusive rarity in God's creation. To this day I have never found a four-leaf clover.

They really do exist though. I have actually seen one. But what do we do if we should ever find one? Should we pick it.? Maybe save it in a book some place, because we have found something extremely rare. Or should we let it be?

Some people think a four-lead clover is lucky. The luck of the Irish you know. They like shamrocks. Shamrocks are in same botanical family as clover. The Word shamrock actually means "little clover." If you find one you will have luck, right? Wrong. I don't believe in luck. I believe in something better.

I'd like you to look closer at a piece of clover for a moment. There are many different varieties. Do you have any clover plants growing in your yard? Well-kept yards don't have much clover because many consider clover to be a kind of weed. My yard has lots of it. Go get some and take a look at it if you can.You will find something interesting.

Closer usually has three leaves. If you picked one of them off the stem and looked at it, what does it look like? That's right! It looks like a heart.

I have heard many descriptions of The Trinity. Christians believe that God exists in three parts - Father, Son (Jesus) and The Holy Spirit. They are three distinct entities, yet one at the same time. It's kind of confusing.

I heard one pastor describe The Holy Spirit as three candles. There are three individual candles, yet there is only one light. That's a good description. But consider the clover.

Three leaves, yet there is one stem - three in one, just like the Trinity. Three living parts of one plant, all linked together. And it's alive! Also, each of the three leaves is shaped like a heart, representing love. God IS love.

"8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. " - 1 John 4:8

There is a city near where I live named Plover. Do you know what their city's slogan is?

"The city with love in the middle"

The same thing can be said of clover.

So the next time you see some clover in your yard, think twice before ripping it up. It is a reminder of the God who created ALL things, not just clover. It is a reminder of who He is and how three Gods can be one.

"The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” - John 10:25-30

Halleluiah - Cloverton