God in Relationship

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.

John 16:12–15 (NIV)

Today is Trinity Sunday, the only Sunday in the Church year named not for an event, but for a doctrine—the teaching that God is one in essence and three in persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

For many Christians, the Trinity seems hard to understand and even harder to explain. It can feel like a theological riddle or a topic best left to the experts. But the truth is this: the Triune God is not an idea to be analysed, but a relationship to be received. And once received, it changes everything.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the inner life of God. 

This short passage overflows with relationship—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not acting alone, but in perfect communion. There is no competition, no confusion, only mutual love and shared glory. This is the Triune God. And this God draws near for you.

Today, I want to reflect on three simple but life-changing truths about the Trinity, and how they shape the way we live as the Church and as people sent into the world: God is relationship, God shares relationship, and God forms relationship.

1. God Is Relationship

“All that belongs to the Father is Mine… the Spirit will take from what is Mine…”

John 16:15

God is not a solitary figure, floating in the clouds. God is a communion of persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son receives from the Father, the Spirit receives from the Son, and all glorify each other in love. This eternal relationship of love is not just something God does. It is who God is.

That’s why Scripture says, “God is love.” Not just that He loves, but that His very being is love—because within God, love is always flowing between the Father, Son, and Spirit.

This means God didn’t create us out of need or loneliness. He created us from love and for love—to share in what He already has.

We see this throughout Scripture:

• “Let Us make humankind in Our image…” (Genesis 1:26)

• At Jesus’ baptism, the Father speaks, the Spirit descends, and the Son is affirmed.

• At Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out in the name of the risen Son, by the will of the Father.

So when we speak of the Trinity, we are not trying to solve a mystery. We are confessing the God who is eternally and joyfully relational—and who draws near to you not as an abstract power, but as a personal God who loves you.

2. God Shares Relationship

“He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”

John 16:14

The Triune God does not keep His glory to Himself. He shares it. The Father sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and the Spirit brings the life of God to us.

This is not distant or theoretical. It is happening right now.

Through the Son, we know the Father. Through the Spirit, we receive the Son. The Triune God is present and active—calling you, forgiving you, teaching you, shaping you.

This is how the Church is formed. The Church is not a building, a meeting, or an institution. It is a people drawn into relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “Where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them.” (Matthew 18:20)

That means the Church is present around your kitchen table, in those conversations with the neighbour when you take out the bins, in the hospital ward when the nurse finds you praying or reading your Bible, and in this building on a Sunday morning.

Where the Triune God is known, received, and confessed, there is the Church—whether it’s in our sanctuary or scattered in daily life.

As Luther wrote, “Wherever the Gospel is rightly taught and the sacraments rightly administered, there is the holy Christian Church.”

So, let’s be clear: the Church is not limited to a time or place. It is wherever God’s people live in relationship with Him and with one another. The Triune God draws near not only to bring us to church, but to make us His Church in your street, in your neighbourhood, in your town, and in the world.

3. God Forms Relationship

“He will make it known to you…”

John 16:14

God who is relationship, and who shares relationship, now forms us into a new kind of community—one shaped not by preference or convenience, but by His love.

In the Church, we are called to reflect God’s relational nature. The Trinity is not a hierarchy of power but a fellowship of love.

This challenges how we:

• Lead: not with pride but humility

• Speak: not with gossip but grace

• Serve: not to be noticed but because we belong to each other

Outside the Church, we carry this relational identity wherever we go. You are sent by the Triune God into a world that is hungry for real connection. In a world full of fractured families, fake news, and fragile communities, your relationships matter.

• When you forgive someone, you reflect the Father who forgives.

• When you serve quietly, you imitate the Son who humbled Himself.

• When you comfort a neighbour, you carry the Spirit who speaks peace.

You are not just a private believer—you are a public witness to the life of the Triune God.

The Apostle Paul says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

This is why we go outside the walls. This is why we care about mission, invitation, and welcome. Not because we want to grow our numbers, but because we are involved in the love of the Triune God, and that love always moves outward.

Conclusion

The Trinity is not a puzzle to be solved, but a promise to be received.

God is relationship.
God shares relationship.
God forms us into relationship.

So today, don’t walk away thinking you’ve grasped the doctrine. Walk away knowing this:

The Father created you.
The Son redeemed you.
The Spirit lives in you.

You are not alone. You are loved. And you are sent. Wherever you go this week, you carry the name of the Triune God. And wherever His people gather—even in twos and threes—He is there.

May the Church be known not just by what we believe, but by the love and unity that flows from the God we believe in—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

May the peace that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.