Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelations 4:8)

The bells of Christmas, the bells of Easter, and the bells of Pentecost will ring as one throughout Christendom this coming Sunday, known as Holy Trinity Sunday, celebrating of the mystery of the Triune God. It’s opportunity to solemnly proclaim that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.

Sadly, members of non-Christian religions believe that we worship three Gods or three Lords or that the belief of the Triune God in three Persons is not Scriptural. This belief in the Holy Trinity is beyond our human reason. How can God be in three persons, named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

As a child, I remember singing in church with my parents: “Holy, holy, holy merciful and mighty! God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!” And we would recite The Athanasian Creed on Holy Trinity Sunday. This lengthy creed did shed some mental light for me on the divine mystery of the Trinity.

What helped me the most to explain the mystery of the Triune God was the shamrock. While trying to convert the Irish to Christianity; St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet it remains one shamrock. Yet, it remains a mystery.

“This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.” (I Corinthians 4:1) I believe that this Scriptural teaching is but one of those mysteries of God. The mystery of the Virgin Birth of Jesus, the mystery of God becoming flesh and blood, the mystery of God’s Spirit using a book — the Bible, water in Baptism, bread and wine in Communion to create and renew a person’s gift of saving faith.

In Job we are asked: “Can you understand the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? (Job 11:7) The older I become the more I become child-like in just believing in all these biblical mysteries recorded in Sacred Scripture. And Jesus said: “Truly I tell you,” “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

Another mystery “who or what are the four living creatures…”? Since, Scripture interprets Scripture, we learn that they are the four Gospel evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Within these four written accounts of Christ’s perfect life, suffering and death on Calvary’s cross and His physical resurrection and ascension we have received the mysteries of Christ’s Gospel.

Within all four Gospel announcements they proclaim “Holy, holy, holy (three shouts) is the Lord God Almighty,” And they give us that blessed assurance that our Savior God does not change. “Who was, and is, and is to come.”

Thus, we acclaim: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Chopp is a clinical chaplain emeritus, MDiv, BCC, from Marshall