Bishop Justus Church of England School Morning Worship The Trinity 1st June 2015 Bishop Justus Church of England School

Gather The Lord be with you And also with you Trinity Sunday was yesterday. It is a day to remember the nature of God as a relationship. God as 3 in 1. This is most often expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Another expression is Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier… Symbols of the trinity…. Triangles are often symbols of the Trinity being 3 sided and yet one shape. There have been lots of attempts to explain the trinity—such as St Patrick’s Shamrock—three parts to one shamrock. Another illustration is using one person and how they relate to other people e.g. one person can be a sister a daughter and a mother. Another illustration is using H2O—which can be ice, water or water vapour. Christians believe the Trinity is a mystery and no one can fully understand how it works. More important than trying to explain God is to celebrate God who is more than we can ever make sense of.

  Receive In this reading from Trinity Sunday Jesus talks about the kingdom of God and the Spirit—we see God as trinity in this reading Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3: 5-9

Engage Trinity—A Mystery Explaining the Trinity is impossible. The concept remains a mystery. God is essentially bigger than we can imagine and there is much we do not know… Discuss the things that are mysterious to you? The universe, relationships, life, religious ideas etc. What life questions would you love to know the answer to? The Trinity is a relationship between God and Godself and us Some people use the symbol of a triangle to understand the relationship of the Trinity. Use rolled up waste paper or straws to make a tower. Use sticky tape to put it together… Discuss the strongest shapes for building… (you should find triangles are strong…) Is the Trinity a strong understanding of God: God as relationship?   Other Ideas Illustrate the mysterious Trinity with a mystery that can’t be solved—for example describe a detective mystery giving some clues but don’t give all the information so the mystery can never be solved—but partial ideas can be gained Music There are many hymns and songs which speak of the Trinity—play and reflect quietly on the mystery of God... Traditional hymn sung by Hillsong http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414dGGTedpM&feature=related Worship song There is a Redeemer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a49srZkiX5A Create a Trinity Mobius strip Give every student a long strip of paper—about 30 inches long. Write God and Jesus on one side and Holy Spirit on the other side Twist the paper once and bring the ends together so that the paper forms a continuous loop (with one twist that won’t be very obvious). Tape the ends together.

faithful and unchanging: Respond Holy God, faithful and unchanging: enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth, and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen Alternative Collect for Trinity Sunday

Go The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be with us all evermore. Amen