Trinity Analogies


trinity.jpg

Yesterday was Trinity Sunday, the day when preachers cower and hide away from the challenge of trying to explain the Trinity (God: Father, Son & Holy Spirit).

I felt challenged by a few updates on Twitter yesterday. The first read:

Well, I’ve been invited to preach at a local church next Sunday and as they didn’t have a Trinity service yesterday, and because I’m feeling brave (or stupid), I’m going to preach on the Trinity.

The other tweets read as follows:

If you’ve been going to church for a while I’m sure you’ll have heard some of the many analogies used to help explain the Holy Spirit. Here’s my incomplete list – just from memory:

  • Egg: shell/White/yolk

  • Water: ice/steam/liquid

  • Jaffa Cake: sponge/chocolate/orange jelly

  • Man: worker/husband/father

  • Apple: skin/core/pulp

  • Human: body/soul/spirit

  • Three blade propeller

  • Three leaf clover

So:

  1. How would you critique these analogies?

  2. Would you add any other analogies to the list?

But my main question is this:

Is it helpful to use these analogies, even knowing that they are imperfect representations of the Trinity?

Discuss…