When I was young, I went to church and learned many of the various tenets of doctrine, explanations, etc. that explained the Lutheran religion I was raised on. I remember hearing often about the Holy Trinity, a difficult concept I pondered over as child.

God, the father was an easy figure to understand. Although seemingly distant way up in heaven, he could be a nice guy, a strong guy and sometimes an angry guy. He was referred to a lot in church, especially in a formal manner, and he seemed the most polaric. Black and white. God the Big.

Jesus on the other hand, to my child's mind, conveyed a friendlier, more accessible version of the Trinity. At Christmas he was a cute baby to oohh and ahhh over, in Sunday School, he was the nice guy with long hair who seemed so calm and gentle. Good with kids and animals, plays well with others-a guy your mom would let you hang out with.

But the Holy Spirit, that was a reach for my child's imagination. He wasn't a person, he didn't haunt so he wasn't really a ghost, and he could turn into fire! It was all very confusing to me. Never being able to put a face on the Holy Spirit, I had problems talking to him, so in the ways of children, I dropped him.

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:18 [1]

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

It's funny, as an adult, I can see the Holy Spirit more simply, accepting that I don't need a face to experience that aspect of God, instead I've relied on the Holy Spirit being a feeling of God.

Read: Romans 15:13 [2]

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It's one thing to talk about a child's mind and its often funny or cute rendering of the complexities of God, but it's another thing as an adult trying to explain it. We all have our images or ideas about how God may work. And these things can get tricky. Perhaps some of you are better at figuring it all out, but I still struggle and it's difficult for me to just open up and talk about my ideas. What if they don't make sense, what if my ideas are considered wrong or worse, just plain weird?

 

Consider: Open a discussion of how you imagine the various parts of God with someone you know won't judge you. Be ready to listen to their views.

But what arches over Lutheran doctrine, Christian doctrine, western or eastern theology, or any structure of belief, is that usually indescribable feeling we all define as Faith. Sharing the personal faith that keeps you bolstered is sharing what makes us human. If God made us human, then certainly he'd want us to see him through a human-like vision.

That's why the moment shared between Pastor Beth and her friend was so poignant to me, so very basic and sublimely human. Our shared humanity is also shared divinity.

Read: Gen. 1:26 [3]

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

Faith in God fulfills the need to have something solid to believe in, something that will take you over the messes, through the humdrums and celebrate with you during the greats. That's the important thing to hold on to. Doctrines can be a structured way to educate, explain and can provide a sense of security that comes from commonly shared ideas. I'd also like to think that our doctrine can be a pliable structure that will always hold many different forms of faith expression. God wants us to share his love, his hope, his forgiveness. How do we do that? Well, maybe simply trusting that God gave us our own unique human gifts.

Read: Ephesians 1:17-18 [4]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.

Read: 2 Corinthians 13 [5]: 11-13

 

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." -Matt. 28: 19-20

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. ¹³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.