05/31/2026
Holy Trinity Sunday
May 31st, 2026
Finding God In Creations
Rev. Dillon J. Epler, Pastor
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tamaqua PA
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
Those are the triune words of St. Paul from our second scripture reading this morning from 2nd Corinthians.
Today, we celebrate the festival of the Holy Trinity.
Holy Trinity Sunday is the one day in the Church’s calendar when we focus not on an event in Jesus’ life, but on the mystery and experience of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: a relationship Christians have encountered throughout the centuries.
There are many ways to speak about the Trinity, but one of my favorites is through ice cream and creation. Those who know me well know that my favorite sundae is a banana split, with maple walnut coming in second.
This week, I found myself thinking about the simple joy of a banana split: one banana, three scoops of ice cream, chocolate syrup, strawberry and pineapple toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and maybe a cherry on top.
A banana split is sweet, colorful, and usually too much for one person alone. It is a dessert meant to be shared. And maybe that is one small way to think about the mystery of the Trinity.
There are different flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Each is distinct. Vanilla is not chocolate, and chocolate is not strawberry. Yet all are equally ice cream. None is greater or lesser than the others. Together, they share the same nature while remaining wonderfully distinct.
Christians speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in much the same way. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. Yet all three are one God, sharing the same divine nature in perfect unity, equality, and love. And perhaps the making of a banana split can even help us think about creation itself.
Our first scripture reading from Genesis tells the story of God creating the heavens and the earth. For generations, some Christians have argued that Genesis was written as a literal scientific account of how the universe began. But Genesis was never intended to function as a modern science textbook.
Instead, the Genesis creation stories were written to speak about the importance of relationships, meaning, purpose, and the goodness of God revealed through creation itself, which continues to evolve. In many ways, Genesis is more like poetry than science: a sacred story proclaiming deep truths about God, humanity, and the world.
Many scholars also remind us that these creation stories of Genesis took shape among people who had experienced suffering, exile, displacement, and enslavement at the hands of the Babylonian Empire.
For you see, the people of Israel needed stories that reminded them that the world was not born out of violence or chaos alone, but from a good God who creates, loves, sustains, and saves.
This morning, we heard these words from Genesis:
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth… the Spirit of God swept over the waters.”
Even at the beginning, we encounter relationship: God creating, the Spirit moving, and, as St. John’s gospel tells us, Christ the eternal Word present from the beginning. Creation is not chaos accidentally becoming order. It is the loving work of a relational God bringing life into being and calling it “good”.
And isn’t that a little like making a banana split?
You begin with simple ingredients laid out separately: a banana, scoops of ice cream, syrups, toppings, and whipped cream. Each ingredient is good on its own. But when they are brought together with care, something joyful is created.
The one preparing the dessert becomes part of the process: arranging, pouring, scooping, and sharing. Relationship exists between the maker, the ingredients, and the people gathered around the table.
Genesis tells us something similar about God and creation. The triune God does not create the world and then walk away from it. God remains deeply involved with creation. The Father speaks life into being.
Christ enters creation and walks among us. The Spirit continues to move through the world through wind and water, music and prayer, compassion and community.
Creation itself becomes a place where God meets us. And just as a banana split is meant to be shared, creation is meant to draw us into relationship: with God, with neighbor, and with the earth itself.
That is why Genesis repeatedly says that creation is “good.” The world is not disposable. People are not accidents. Life is not meaningless. Everything exists within the care and delight of God.
In closing, the Trinity cannot be solved like a math equation. Instead, we experience the Trinity through the waters of baptism, in the bread and wine at Christ’s table, in the singing of hymns and the hearing of sacred stories together, in acts of compassion, and even in laughter shared over ice cream.
At the heart of the Trinity is relationship. God exists not in loneliness, but in eternal love and shared life. And we, made in God’s image, are invited into that same communion with God and with one another.
So, the next time you enjoy ice cream with someone you love, remember this: holy things can be found in ordinary moments. The sweetness of creation points us toward the Creator. The sharing of dessert can become a glimpse of divine fellowship with Christ, who shared meals with friends and strangers alike, and with the Spirit, who continues to draw us together.
The Trinity is a mystery, yes. But it is also a delight. And sometimes grace tastes a little like chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice cream, all served together in one dish--on a warm summers’ day outside amid God’s “good” even “very good” creation.
This week, take someone you love out for ice cream. Share a banana split or a sundae with them and remember the triune God calls us to be in relationship. For that is the God-shaped reality that lives within us all, as people made in the image of the triune God.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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