This Sunday is Trinity Sunday and in my church we believe in one true God who is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons but of one and the same divine essence, equal in power, equal in eternity and equal in majesty.

3 in 1: A Picture of God– The Trinity can be confusing for anyone to understand, especially children, so I spent some time this weekend trying to explain it to my daughter. I was excited to find the perfect picture book, 3 in 1: A Picture of God by Joanne Marxhausen, to help my daughter gain a better understanding. The book, 3 in 1: A Picture of God, uses the analogy of an apple to explain to children the Triune God. With simple terms and illustrations, children learn how God the Father creates and protects them, how God the Son saves them and how God the Holy Spirit plants faith in their hearts. We found an animated version of the book online. CLICK HERE to view the video.

Apple Exploration– After reading the book we cut an apple open and reviewed the three parts. First we look at the apple’s skin and remembered it is like God the Father because they both provide protection. Next we looked at the apple’s flesh which is like God the Son, who was flesh and died on the cross to save use from our sins. Lastly, we examined the apple core which contains the seeds and it reminded us of the Holy Spirit that is planted in our hearts and grows like our faith.

Peel. Flesh. Core. Three parts . . . one apple.

Father. Son. Holy Spirit. Three Persons . . . one God.

3 in 1 Drawing– I found several apple handouts online that go along with the book. Most of them required a fee to download so my daughter and I created our own. We enjoyed working together and sharing our work with daddy and with Nana on Facetime.

 3 in 1 Children’s Message– Before we went to bed we watched a special children’s message recorded by the DCE at my mom and dad’s church. Mr. and Mrs. H. use the apple to explain the Holy Trinity just like the book. My daughter really enjoyed watching this video and I enjoyed seeing Mr. H, a former teaching partner of mine. CLICK HERE to watch this special children’s message.

A Monumental Sunday– With each passing day we find more and more things opening up in our community. This weekend our church opened back up for face to face worship. Our pastor made it very clear that we should come back when we feel comfortable and ready and that masks would be encouraged. Our family of three wasn’t quite ready to go back just yet so we continued to worship at home by watching our church through the TV. On this Trinity Sunday we sang one of my favorite hymns, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

The classic hymn in a 1941 Lutheran Hymnal that my parents recently discovered in their basement.