3.27.2026 - Scott Elgersma

Friday, March 27, 2026

Hebrews 1:1-4

We read today from Hebrews 1:1-4. Read the passage now or at the end of this devotion. What can we learn today from the light of God’s word to us?

Sometimes, when we come into a devotional space, we’re calm, rested, and prepared to listen to the Spirit. Other times, we are harried, stressed, over-scheduled, and ill-equipped to hear God’s voice. In either case, allow the next few minutes to be time where you focus on breathing, posture, and clearing your mind of the things of the world. Allow the rhythm of your breath to tune you into the Spirit’s voice as you prepare to engage with the Word.

We are just past St. Patrick’s Day. Perhaps you wore green. Maybe you had corned beef and cabbage. Maybe you drank something green (hopefully non-alcoholic). We all have our own traditions around these sorts of days and hopefully that day gave you some joy in recognizing the power of Christ to bring his love to an entire island nation. 

That is really the story that the life of St. Patrick told. He was English, kidnapped as a child and taken to Ireland by brigands. He eventually escaped, returned to England, was brought to the faith and called by God to go to back Ireland to bring the gospel. He did so. One big part of his work while in Ireland was bringing some light to the understanding of the Trinity. This is where my St. Patrick’s tradition comes in. 

Every year on St. Patrick’s Day, I go to YouTube, type in “St. Patrick bad analogies” and watch a cartoon. It is a fictitious and humorous conversation between St. Patrick and two crude Irish peasants. It’s a little ridiculous, but it’s funny. Importantly, it’s also theologically precise at heading off some heresies about the Trinity and getting to some truth. 

The characters interact with the peasants asking Patrick to give them analogies to better understand “One God in Three Persons”. After they shoot down every analogy as heresy, in frustration Patrick exclaims,

“Fine! The Trinity is a mystery which cannot be comprehended by human reason but is understood only through faith, and is best confessed in the words of the Athanasian Creed, which states that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance; that we are compelled by the Christian truth to confess that each distinct person is God and Lord; and that the Deity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, co-equal in majesty!”

It may look a little dry on this page, but if you watch the video, you will understand and maybe even chuckle a little; this is a pretty important statement about a profound and incomprehensible truth.

Our passage today about the Majesty of the God’s Kingship puts us in a space where accepting the incomprehensible nature of the Trinity is affirmed.

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty of heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”

If you watched the video, you’ve heard of just some of the Trinitarian heresies. Modalism, Partialism, Arianism. There are more; Subordinationism, Tritheism, Macedonianism. The point is that there are a lot of ways to get the Trinity wrong because it is incomprehensible. It is outside of our understanding. In reading this passage, we can understand some of that complexity.

Jesus is God, but he is also distinct from God (an exact representation of his being). He himself spoke to humanity in the incarnation while being the “Word” that the Father spoke to humanity. He is an heir to all things and yet his inheritance was created by him and through him (John 1). 

When we speak of the Trinity, we speak with our tongue tied. When we imagine the Trinity, we are faced with the impossibilities of something that is fundamental to our belief. 

And while it is impossible, it is also true. One God, three persons. The Majesty of the Godhead on display. The God who hung on the cross is the same God who made him human. Their persons are distinct and their unity is assured. 

As we close this week, let’s be reminded again of the majesty of our God. We may not comprehend everything of who he is but we can know always:

He is King and he shall reign forever and ever!

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his smile towards you and give you his peace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I love you all. Blessings.

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To contact the author, please email: elgersma@therivercrc.com