Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, One God, now and forever.
A few years ago we had a total solar eclipse here in the US. Portland did not get totality, but it was not far from here. We spent the morning at the home of my wife’s uncle which was in that narrow shadow cast by the moon upon the earth.
The eclipse crossed much of the United States. Seward, Nebraska happened to fall right in the total eclipse. Concordia University extended an invitation to all the parochial schools in the area to send their students to the campus, sit in the stadium so they could enjoy the eclipse and a little educational presentation by one of the science professors from CUNE. There was much excitement, lots of students and their families, but as the time approached, there was dread as well. It was cloudy. The eclipse would darken the sky, but they would not be able to see it. Disappointment loomed! I know some of the folks who serve at CUNE, and they were worried.
Then, to the relief of the organizers and the delight of the children, just before the eclipse was to begin, a window of clear sky opened in the clouds, and they all got to see it. They were awed by what they saw. It was something I had waited over fifty years to see myself. I had been in partial eclipses to that point, but never a total eclipse. It was well worth driving to see. We are thankful in this prayer that God has given us a chance to acknowledge the eternal Trinity. Like those children gazing hopefully into a cloudy sky, it is not a given that God reveals himself to us. It is not something we can force or demand. It is a gift when it happens. In the Trinity, God pulls back something of the mysterious veil which obscures His true nature from our sight. We cannot say that we understand it, but we are glad to see it, for it reveals God’s gracious and loving nature to us. We confess a Father who sends a Son to die for our sins.