The Secret Sauce
I missed sharing about the Holy Trinity on Sunday — the day of focus toward gratitude to God for giving us the “Three-in-One”. It boggles my finite mind to consider it. I’ll speak to this wonder after I tell you about another “holy trinity” that I found out about when a guest chef came to our apartment home complex and showed us how to cook up Cajun crawfish and shrimp etouffee which included the “holy trinity” (emphasis on the lowercase holy triinity).
Apparently the “holy trinity ” to a Cajun cook is the secret sauce, the reason our food tastes so good; and the key ingredient for adding that extra umph to a dish. Drum roll, please — the holy trinity is merely diced onions, green pepper and celery. Suddenly, I had a name for what I had been using in soups, my Thanksgiving dressing, and casseroles for years. Oh, but hold on….that holy trinity pales in comparison to THE Holy Trinity.
Our secret sauce (well, it isn’t secret….it’s out in the open for us) is the Holy Trinity. I witnessed it in action on Sunday when over 40 people were baptized in water by the pastor who used some of the words spoken by Jesus to His disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them IN THE NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) Aw! The TRUE Threesome! I love this photo I found that shows the scene of Jesus, the Son, being baptized. God, the Father, spoke “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” and then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove showed up with His approval. The Holy Trinity celebrating together.
Pastor Daniel said: “Today, May 30th is my water baptism birthday — May 30, 1997.” And, with all the others being baptized, there was Pastor Daniel’s young son being baptized. He said to his son: “From this day forward, you and I will share baptism birthdays. Mine is May 30th, 1997 and yours is May 30th, 2021.”
As followers of Christ, we believe in a triune God — the Holy Trinity — that He is one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I learned it in Sunday School as a child when my teacher explained: “Like an egg has three parts, yoke/white/shell, the Bible teaches that God is the Father, Son and Spirit. In Matthew 28:18–20, a passage often referred to as the Great Commission, we are commanded to make disciples of all the nations. This includes going into the world, sharing the good news of salvation, and baptizing those who would publicly proclaim their new faith in Christ. In baptism we are confessing the old is passed away and we are brand new. We are followers of Christ.
Just think about how the Holy Trinity, in relationship one with the other, leads us up to the moment of our salvation, the Father called us, the Son died for us, and the Holy Spirit convicted and convinced us to come into the Family. Now that we are believers, the Father calls us His child, the Son calls us His brother/sister, and the Spirit calls us His temple — His dwelling place. Now that is what I call the “key ingredient” for adding that extra umph — peace, faith, love, hope, and so much more, to our lives.
Thank you, Father, for calling us and bringing us into Your Family. Thank you, Jesus, for sacrificing Your life, dying for my sins, and accepting me as your brother/sister. And thank You, Holy Spirit, for convincing me and my heart to accept the wonderful gift of salvation that was so graciously offered to me. May I be a temple that is pleasing for Your holy presence. And may I love you, Lord, with all my heart, soul, mind, and body.
Sure, the chef convinced us that the best ingredients for the tastiest food are adding the holy trinity of onions, green peppers and celery to our recipes. But it no way compares to the blessing of the love relationship we have with Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirt. May we celebrate that Love as it is given to each of us. In doing so, may we seek to build our relationships with one another in the unity of this great Love of God.