Quantum Physics & the Trinity

A sermon for Trinity Sunday - 15 June 2025

A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore, where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and paternal figures out there. Interesting that often Father’s Day falls on Trinity Sunday – a time when the church reflects on the idea of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I find the image of God as Divine Family to be a comforting one – recognizing the ways a loving family reflects the image of God. Of course our human families are far from perfect, and some of us know deep pain experienced at the hands of family members. But the degree to which we have been hurt may actually be further proof of an intrinsic need to be connected to one another, especially to our families.

On Trinity Sunday we might catch a vision of the divine order – the interconnectedness of divine persons and the creation God birthed. With the news coming out of Denmark this week that scientists have successfully teleported a particle using principles of quantum physics, I thought I’d try to understand this a little better because I find in it perhaps a helpful way of thinking about the Trinity and the way our universe works.

Bear with me, I’m not a physicist and am bound to misspeak here. But here’s a stab at some ideas from quantum physics: Description of the smallest things in the universe – smaller than cells, down to molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, - how they all work and how they interact with light. They express fundamental rules of the universe, but it's also very strange. For example, we have Particle Wave Duality – subatomic particles like bouncy balls, bouncing around – but sometimes you see them as waves at the same time. There's also Superposition – something that can do opposite things at the same time. (spinning around in different directions at the same time). It's difficult to put into words, but can be described using mathematics.

And then there's Quantum entanglement: a concept in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become linked together in a special way. If you measure a property of one entangled particle, you instantly know the corresponding property of the other, no matter how far apart they are. It's like having two connected coins, where flipping one instantly determines the outcome of the other, even if they're on opposite sides of the universe. 

Example:

Imagine you have two entangled particles, and you measure one's "spin" (a quantum property). If you find it has "spin up", you instantly know the other particle has "spin down" (or vice versa), even if they are light-years apart. In simpler terms: Think of it like having two gloves in a box. You don't know if they are left or right gloves. If you send one box to a friend on the moon and open your box to find a left glove, you instantly know the box on the moon contains a right glove. Entanglement is similar, but with quantum properties instead of left and right gloves.

Trinity: A bit like quantum mechanics – a way of trying to understand the universe that may seem illogical/ impossible. God is One and God is Three at the same time? Father, Son, Holy Spirit like a Divine Community, or Family. Jesus tells us that when we see him, we see the Father – kind of like how when we see one entangled particle, we can know what the other particle is doing – even if they’re light years apart. There’s a way in which we are all connected – and I think the idea that God is also connected within God’s self, that there are three persons but one God, is a way of trying to understand that we’re interconnected as well. We say that God pours out the Holy Spirit to us, filling us with love, binding us to one another.

Complicated ideas from quantum physics and theology – just as mathematics gives us a language to describe what’s happening on a quantum level, perhaps technical theological language gives us a way to talk about the mystery of God? Ultimately, these fields teach us about how we’re all connected to each other, and to God.

St. Augustine wrote about how the Trinity of Persons is like the dynamic of a loving relationship.  There is the lover (the Father), the beloved (the Son), and the love that binds them together (the Holy Spirit).  Of all the analogies for the Trinity that are out there, this is the one I resonate with the most.  It allows us to imagine the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect unity and harmony, overflowing in the giving and receiving of love.  God is churning with love within God's self – but it is not a closed circle.  Through the Spirit God's creation is drawn into the divine life – we receive the love of God poured out and are moved to love others. 

I like how this writer talks about belief in the Trinity: “God moves, relates, dances, and manifests Godself in the world—always through relations. In many ways, the Trinity is an entanglement that keeps unfolding back and forth, a sign and metaphor for our own ways of living together, being different and yet being a part of the same life. God, human, other beings, the earth, the rivers and oceans, the air—everything is a big relation of deep belonging and entanglements.”

It's not hard to see how our world has become fragmented. During the pandemic especially, we were cut off from the usual connections we have with one another and with creation. Since that time, we were able to start seeing loved ones again, we returned to offices, we renewed connections. Yet, our world is more divided than ever. Rise in populism, fascism, fueled by racism and homophobia; economic uncertainty; wars that seem unending (and escalating); I could go on and on. So in this time when the human family seems more fragmented than ever, can we find an image of hope in the idea of the Trinity? Can quantum physics remind us that, at our most fundamental level, we are connected to one another? Are there practical, little ways, that you can reconnect and embrace the relations of deep belonging and entanglements? Can you think of opportunities for us to reconnect with others, creation, and even God, in unique ways?

Maybe walking nature trails can help you find the Spirit in the streams and rain drops and creepy crawlies. Maybe immersing your bare hands in the cool earth can reflect the deep rootedness you desire in the Creator’s care. Perhaps walking barefoot through your backyard, feeling the grass between your toes and the unevenness of the earth can ground you in the knowledge that God promises always to be with you. Like a child, run through a sprinkler, the cool water reminding you that at your core you are water and spirit. Perhaps the act of mindful breathing – taking slow, deep breaths, reminding you of the ruah or Spirit of God breathing life into your very being can help you to connect with the deepest parts of yourself? Or maybe a phone chat, a friendly exchange across driveways with neighbour, taking up writing letters to friends and family (perhaps for the first time in years) may provide ways for you to sense afresh the interconnectedness of all people and all things in the image of the Divine Community.

My friends, I think we are all in need of renewing our connections to God, and to one another. Let us pray that as the sun rises each morning, God would birth us anew, each and every day, each and every moment. My God deepen our awareness of the interconnectivity of all things and draw us deeper into the divine life…for God so loves us…