Trinity Sunday 2024

I don’t do a lot of fancy footwork on the dance floor. My lack of moves is courtesy of my disability, and the teasing I received for my stiff groove when I did attempt to dance. Stiff groove is not a euphemism.

The Wedding Dance of God

Sometimes Christians have the opportunity to enhance the simple Gospel message by using accessible language. This is one of the best ways to effectively share the message of Jesus. Although Orthodox Christians may use big Greek words in their preaching, they can be excused as their ministry is mainly in Greece where understanding these terms would not be difficult. One of these words is Perichoresis.

Perichoresis is a word still used in Greece for a wedding dance! It is the dance of God or the dance of the Holy Trinity. Furthermore, it is also used in theology to describe the relationship of the three persons of God within the Holy Trinity.

The Greek wedding dance is like a party where two’s a company, but three’s a crowd, or in this case, a circle! They move in circles around each other, weaving in and out, creating a fabulous motion pattern. It’s like the Holy Trinity decided to show off its dance moves!

I’m on it! The analogy is on thin ice here. Picture this: at a Greek wedding, the dance picks up speed, and then… it’s a total breakdance! But hey, when it comes to the dance of God, it’s all harmony, always in sync and on the move.

The Godhead and humanity intertwined

My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

But there’s another use of perichoresis in theology! Apologies for the lengthy words. It is used for the interweaving of the nature of God and human nature in Jesus. There’s no way of knowing which nature is working in Jesus at any time; they are both always present. We can extend this to the Holy Trinity. Sometimes, the New Testament writers don’t seem able to distinguish one from another. Like this:

In a section of Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit, beginning at John 14:15, he says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (v. 23).

Any clear plan as to what each member of the Trinity does is clarified by this verse. In discussing the Holy Spirit being sent, Jesus speaks about himself and the Father also making their homes with us. This signifies the Perichoresis, the joyful dance of God. The term perichoresis, in general, embodies a cyclical movement, reciprocity, and interpenetration^[1].

You are invited

In my post for Pentecost 2024, I joyfully shared about Paul’s writings on the spirit. The letter to the Romans may be unclear in places as to whether Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit of God or the human spirit, yet I believe that in many cases it does not matter. When we have God’s spirit in us, there is a beautiful movement, reciprocity, and interpenetration where we cannot distinguish where the human spirit ends and God’s Spirit begins.

With this dance, this Perichoresis inside us, in Jesus and in the Trinity, it should come as no surprise that we are invited to join in with the dance of God. The interweaving dance of God can include you in its intimacy. Do you want to join in?

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^[1]vivatdeus.org

Incarnation – Epiphany – The baptism of Jesus – Temptation – Good Friday – Easter – Ascension – Pentecost – Trinity – The Return (advent 2024)