Belief in the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is a hallmark of the Christian church, in contrast to other world religions. The divine services in Christian churches are likewise Trinitarian. The New Apostolic divine service also begins in this manner.
“In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”—such is the wording of the introduction to the divine service. And these words are not arbitrary. Rather, this invocation and worship of the triune God is the ticket to a worthy divine service: God is now present! He watches over His people. He watches over His word.
Starting with a vow to the Lord
The first words in a divine service should be meaningful. On Sunday mornings, believers come to attend the divine services straight from their beds or breakfast tables—or straight from work on midweeks—and are now to sanctify themselves. They have come to find inner peace. To feel the importance of the moment.
The Trinitarian introduction announces what is about to occur: whether prayer, sermon, hymn, or sacramental celebration, everything unfolds in the name of the triune God! After all, people have not merely gathered together in their own name, but rather in the name of God. The Priest makes a vow: everything that is now to follow occurs in the name of the Lord.
The invocation of the triune God is the vertical axis, so to speak: the view of the believer is directed from below to above. Those gathered for divine service think about the power of God, and the Priest helps them lift the eyes of their souls by way of a 2,000-year-old formula. Now it is no longer the horizontal view that counts—not an encounter at eye-level as is usual for human beings. Now it is the omnipotence of God that swings its pendulum in our direction.
From this point onward, external elements are of no significance: it is no longer about the Priest, the number of those assembled, or human limitations. Everything that follows occurs in the name of God!
Proclamation of God’s presence
“The commencement [of the service] in the triune name of God is not part of the opening prayer, but is a proclamation of God’s presence!” The opening prayer, on the other hand, constitutes our address to God. It is for this reason that there is a pause in speaking of about two to three seconds between the Trinitarian invocation and the subsequent opening prayer. So states the explanation of the liturgy of the New Apostolic Church.
In earlier times, the church inserted an “Amen” behind this formula as an expression of its legitimacy. Nevertheless, it is not to constitute a prayer, but rather an invocation.
What happens during these moments? The New Apostolic Catechism states the following with regard to this question: “The trinity of God is a mystery. The Trinitarian formula, ‘In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,’ does not use the plural ‘names’ but the singular: ‘the name’. The one God is the triune God” (CNAC 3.1.1).
The Son of God already instructed His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28: 19). It is difficult for human beings to understand the Trinity. It is actually more of a fundamental principle of faith. The triune God is not comprised of three distinct Gods, but is rather one God—three persons (hypostases), but not three beings (substances).
Tracing the Trinity in the Bible
This takes some time to process. Holy Scripture is chock full of references to the Trinity of God, even though it does not provide an explicitly formulated doctrine on the subject. The doctrine of the Trinity only really came about between the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and the Synod of Toledo (AD 675). But before this could happen, a number of theological disputes and factional struggles had to be overcome: is the Son equal to, or subject to, the Father? Is He of the same substance or only of similar substance? The Synod of Toledo finally proclaimed the following: “The Father is the same as the Son, the Son the same as the Father, the Father and the Son the same as the Holy Spirit, namely by nature one God” (CNAC 3.2.3).
The words that conclude the New Apostolic divine service today are recorded in the writings of Apostle Paul: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” (2 Corinthians 13: 14).
The divine service begins in the name of the Trinity, and also concludes in Trinitarian fashion.
Photo: Frank Schuldt