For my Children’s Time on June 12, 2022, which was Trinity Sunday, I used the following illustration and message with the kids. Sunday’s Scripture was John 16:12-15.
I showed them the bottle of the 3-In-One Oil and showed how it is made and marketed for the three uses of Lubricating (Oiling), Attacking Rust Buildup, and Removing & Protecting from Dirt. I then put some of the oil into the cup and showed it to the kids. I asked them if by looking in the cup, could they identify which part of the oil did which of the three aspects of how it is designed to work. Of course, they said they could not because they are all mixed together. I told them they were correct. The oil was designed to work all at the same time but was able to do whichever of the three uses was needed at a particular time and on a particular part of the piece of item it was being used on.
I then talked about how we refer to God as God the Father (Creator), God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Then, I asked them if that meant we worship three Gods or just one. They again, correctly, answered that we only worship one God. So, we talked about how in talking about God in three ways we are just talking about the different ways that God works to relate to us and for us to relate back to God. Sometimes our focus is on how God created (and is still) creating all things. Sometimes our focus is on how Jesus came to save us from our sins. Finally, sometimes our focus is on listening to the Spirit for guidance on how to act and what to do. But, either way our focus is still on the one God who loves us more than we can comprehend. And just like the oil, we can not separate and see any of those aspects entirely on their own. Because they also always work together and it is God who decides which holy part needs to do the most work on us at a particular time in our life.
(Stay tuned and be on the lookout for my message to the Adults. I’ll share it soon!)
Notes from a Book Nerd 