One God but Three? Explaining the Trinity in Children's/Youth Ministry

This post is late for Trinity Sunday, but the ideas could be used any time. Our faith has many tricky concepts that can be difficult for children, particularly those who are still concrete learners and not ready for abstract ideas. The Trinity is a prime example of this. How do we communicate what God is like, a God who we experience in intangible ways and can’t see, except for pictures of Jesus on parlour and classroom walls?

It’s a good idea to begin by acknowledging the power of words. Father, Son and Holy Spirit may pose a challenge for those who have had difficult relationships with their fathers or whose fathers have been absent. We can talk about how God our Father is the father we wish we had, the one who loves unconditionally, who made us and who is always available to us.

Each part of the Trinity manifests in slightly different ways. I like the naming of the Trinity as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer because they summarize the overall role of each of the three. These names also remove gender, which, apart from Jesus, is really a non-issue and limits God in human terms.

While all three parts of the Trinity have been around in some form since before creation, they have shown up in a big way at different times in history. We can focus on how Jesus was God in human form, someone who could explain and make visible what we can’t see about God, and who would show us just how huge God’s love is for us to have Jesus take our place on the cross. Jesus reinforced and explained the Creator God of the Old Testament and told the disciples about the Holy Spirit coming to live within them.

The Trinity are inter-dependent – all three Persons are essential. A minister I worked with talked about the dance of the Trinity and that they move and inter-mingle together. I love that image. The book 3 in 1 by Joanne Marxhausen and Ed Koehler uses an apple with its skin, flesh and seeds to explain the Trinity. I’ve also seen water used - it can be in the form of ice, water and vapour. All are made from the same molecules but are in different forms at different times. Trilliums and clovers also communicate a three in one concept. I like these better than a triangle with one corner above the other two, seeming to create a hierarchy instead of equality.

Regardless of which images work best for you that you can share with your learners, how do we make this relevant to them? Theology and doctrine to memorize are not exciting to most kids and youth, at least not the ones I know. Consider one or more of the following:

1. Use yarn or strips of fabric in three colours and teach braiding (you could use green for Creator, red for Redeemer and blue for Sustainer). Talk about how God is strong, and part of God’s strength is in the three parts of who God is. You could also reference Ecclesiastes 4:12. Talk about how and when the group has experienced God while you braid.

2. Particularly with youth, talk about which Person of the Trinity they understand best. Often we connect to one more than the other two. For me, I get God as Creator very well, managing and keeping things in harmony while creating. I also love to spend time in God’s creation. For some, Jesus as Saviour, the human form of love walking the earth and teaching and healing resonates most. For others, the flowing, gentle Spirit’s presence that opens up opportunity and guides and directs us from within is most easily experienced.

3. Set up 3 stations to experience the Trinity – 1) A creation station for God as Creator with clay or play dough, paints and/or pastels and markers. Allow lots of space for creating! 2) A station where kids can look at pictures and/or a short movie clip about Jesus and make a cross necklace to remind them of God’s love through Christ. 3) A station with music and ribbons on thin dowel to dance with and/or a parachute if your group is large. You could also have bubbles and/or water flowing through a fountain to get the idea of the Spirit’s presence moving around us. Another idea is to provide a compass and talk about what they are for and how they are like the Spirit’s presence inside us.

As we explore this, we need to remember that these are our ideas of God with human limitations. We can’t box God in, but we can celebrate who God is for us and the ways God has been made known to us. Be sure to offer a prayer of thanks for how God has shown up in our lives.