The Christian Year

The Parish Church of St James
St. James's Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ (Parish Office 020 8941 6003)

WORSHIP/SERVICES
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The Christian Year - Trinity

On Trinity Sunday, the church rejoices in the mystery that God is triune (three-in-one) - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Christians believe that the One God is made up of three Persons or aspects, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This godhead is called the Trinity or the Triune (three-in-one) God. Think of it as a clover leaf which has three parts to it. The symbols of the Trinity always have three parts.

The Father is the creator of all things; Jesus Christ, his only son, is the redeemer or saviour of all people; the Holy Spirit blesses everyone and everything and makes them holy.

We might also think of it this way:

God as Father is God greater than us and above us.
God as Son is God alongside us, sharing our humanity.
God as Holy Spirit is God within us, present always.

All three work together. The mystery of the interaction of the three parts of God is central to the Christian faith. That statement of faith is made in the Creed that we say every Sunday in Church.

	God




	Holy
Jesus	Spirit

What does the Trinity mean for us?
We can thank God our creator for the universe and all His wonderful works.

We can thank Jesus that He loved us so much He died on a cross for us, and rose again and is always with us.

We can be aware of the Holy Spirit in our lives, invisible like the wind. It guides us and teaches us the right way to think, and to love and care for others.

Symbols of God

A Symbol of God the Father
A hand coming from a cloud, or a hand raised in blessing.

Three Symbols of God the Son, Jesus Christ
IHS or IHC - the first three letters of the Greek for Jesus (IHCOYC).
INRI - the initial letters of the Latin words for 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews' (IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM). This was the inscription which Pilate wrote and put on the cross (see John 19, v. 19).
XP - the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ (XPICTOC).

Symbols of God the Holy Spirit
A dove with a halo, or a sevenfold flame, as a symbol of the Holy Spirit's power (see Acts 2, v. 1-4).

This famous window is in Holy Trinity Church in Long Melford, Suffolk.

It shows three rabbits, each with two ears but only three ears between them - the symbol of the Trinity.

Further Information
	Contact the Parish Office 020 8941 6003 or the The Vicar 020 8979 2069

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