our logo

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 I hope that by writing this, I'll learn more about how Trinity by the Sea arrived at our logo--I haven't asked many people about it.  For now, I just want to reflect a bit on it. It's not an original image; it is ancient and powerful one. It is inherited or adopted and it is appropriate for this church.  I like the logo at first glance, just because it is so unusual.

A friend, who is also a priest, was visiting and was commenting on the Trinity-Fish symbol, and how many Episcopal Churches are named for the Trinity. He said, "It's cool that we use the name 'Trinity,' because it says up front that we embrace the mystery." That may be why I like the logo-symbol so much. It's an impossible image. There can't be a single-eyed-single-headed-three-tailed fish. And yet, there it is. It invites deeper consideration, and it points to something beyond itself. There is a tradition in Christianity called apophatic theology that proposes human categories are not capable of conceptualizing God*. I am thankful for the rich tradition of metaphors and symbols we use to speak about the relationship humanity has with God, and I am thankful for our apophatic theology that reminds us that God is God: always beyond our control or containment. Personally, I am suspicious of easy answers and even of certainty when it comes to speaking about God. If we could have certainty, we wouldn't need trust/faith/belief. We worship a God who is Trinity: three in one. It points to a mathematical impossibility, it points to something "that passes all understanding."

Bearing the name "Trinity" and using the Trinity-Fish logo says, "God is greater than we can even imagine." Using an impossible image, and reflecting on God-in-Community, the Trinity in Unity, leads us to a place of humility, openness, and curiosity. It invites us to Journey with God,  and not to rest at easy answers. That means there's always more to learn, more to discover, and more to be revealed.


*Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Donald McKim, Westminster John Knox Press, Louiville. p. 15

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