Today we celebrate—not an event in Jesus’ life—but a doctrine: The Trinity. We believe that the one God exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In her sermon called “What is the sound of three hands clapping?” (in Home by Another Way, Cowley Publications, 1999, pp. 151-54), Episcopal priest and writer Barbara Brown Taylor likens the Trinity to a Zen koan. A koan is a bit like a riddle with no answer. It is experienced more than it is understood. How can God be one and also three?

One way to look at this is that the Trinity keeps our limited perception of God in balance. Some Christians may dwell too much on God’s judgment and wrath. Others narrowly see God as Christ the redeemer, who “saves” them personally. Others have a diffuse faith that misses out on the grounding of scripture and tradition.

Our own lives probably move in and out of balance on one aspect of God. Sometimes we need that sense of God’s omnipotence in the face of our own powerlessness. Other times, we need Jesus as our companion, our role model, and friend. And, when it comes to day-to-day survival, we need the Spirit’s help.