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    May 10, 2020

    Trinity

    Trinity

    Passage: Matthew 3:11-16

    Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

    I will pour out water upon thirsty ground and streams upon dry land. I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants and my blessing upon your offspring. (Isaiah 44:3)

    Fifth Sunday of Easter

    May 10, 2020 10 am

    Call to Worship

    “Because the Christian God is not a lonely God, but rather a communion of three persons, faith leads human beings into the divine communion. One cannot, however, have a self-enclosed communion with the Triune God- a "foursome," as it were-- for the Christian God is not a private deity. Communion with this God is at once also communion with those others who have entrusted themselves in faith to the same God. Hence one and the same act of faith places a person into a new relationship both with God and with all others who stand in communion with God.”

    Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity

    It is commonly said that the Trinity is a mystery. And it certainly is … . But it is not a mystery veiled in darkness in which we can only grope and guess. It is a mystery in which we are given to understand that we will never know all there is of God … . It is not a mystery that keeps us in the dark, but a mystery in which we are taken by the hand and gradually led into the light … .

    Eugene Petersen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Eerdmans, 2005) p. 306.

    Hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling #384 – Verses 1, 2 and 3

    Love divine all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down
    Fix in us Thy humble dwelling; all Thy faithful mercies crown!
    Jesus Thou art all compassion, pure unbounded love Thou art;
    visit us with Thy salvation; enter every trembling heart.
     
    Breathe O breathe Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast!
    Let us all in Thee inherit; let us find that second rest.
    Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be;
    end of faith as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.
     
    Finish then Thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be.
    Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee;
    changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
    Till we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder love and praise

     

    Unison Prayer

    Holy God, you have given us grace,
       by the confession of the faith of your holy church,
       to acknowledge the mystery of the eternal Trinity
       and, in the power of your divine majesty, to worship the Unity.
    Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship,
       and bring us at last to see in your eternal glory
       One God, now and forever.   Amen.

     

    Proclamation and Response

    Scripture Reading

    Genesis 1:1-2

    1When God began to create the heavens and the earth— 2 the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters.

     

    Isaiah 44:3

    3 I will pour out water upon thirsty ground
        and streams upon dry land.
    I will pour out my spirit upon your descendants
        and my blessing upon your offspring.

     

    Psalm 104:30

    30 When you let loose your breath, they are created,
        and you make the surface of the ground brand-new again.

     

    Matthew 3:11, 15b-16

    11 John the Baptizer said,] I baptize with water those of you who have changed your hearts and lives. The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
     
    15bJohn agreed to baptize Jesus. 16 When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him.

     

    Acts 1:8

    8 Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

     

    Meditation Trinity

    Listen

    One of the questions that came up when we talked about the Holy Spirit in the context of the Paul series was, “Why don’t we ever talk about the Holy Spirit?”  From my perspective, we talk about the Holy Spirit all the time, but I think the question was really focused on why we don’t teach or do sermons about the Spirit more often. 

    So let’s start, literally at the beginning.  The presence and activity of the Holy Spirit is evident throughout scripture, including in the act of creation.  We speak of God as Creator, Christ as Savior and Spirit as Comforter, but scripture is very clear that God in God’s fullness is active and working as one from the beginning. 

    Genesis 1:1-2 says:  1When God began to create the heavens and the earth— 2 the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters.  The NRSV of the Bible notes that God’s wind can be – and often is – translated “the Spirit of God.” 

    There are numerous references to the Holy Spirit’s work in the stories of the judges and kings of Israel, in the Psalms and in the stories of the prophets.  Today we read just two.

    In the birth stories of Jesus, all 3 synoptic gospels, the Spirit plays a significant role, communicating with both Mary and Joseph.  The Gospel of  John is different.  John doesn’t repeat stories about the birth of Jesus.  What John says is:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

    All 4 gospels recount the activity of the Spirit in the baptism of Jesus.  All of this prior to the time when Jesus says he will send the Spirit for the disciples.

    From the beginning, through the life and ministry of Jesus and on into the future, the Spirit plays an essential role in the work of the Trinity.  When we talk about the Holy Spirit, friends, we are talking about God.  When we talk about God, we are talking about the Holy Spirit – and about Jesus Christ.  Each “person” of the Trinity has a particular role, each role essential to God’s work – to God-with-us and in our life as disciples – as the People of God.  Each is also essential to our understanding of God.

    Why do we talk about God as Trinity?  Why doesn’t God just have one name, one description? 

    Miroslav Volf put it this way, “Because the Christian God is not a lonely God, but rather a communion of three persons, faith leads human beings into the divine communion.”

    From the outset, God who wishes to be in relationship with us is expressed AS relationship – a relationship where each part is as important as the next.  Some theologians describe the relationship among the three persons of the Trinity as “pure, unbounded love” as Wesley wrote in the hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.  It’s like God is modeling for us a kind of relationship within God’s very being – showing us the nature of love within God’s being.

    Seem complicated?  Theology is not simple.  We humans have to work to articulate faith.  We don’t all see matters of faith exactly the same way, and it has been challenging from the beginning of time to express clearly what faith is, who God is, how salvation works – and on and on.  It is no surprise that different people have different perspectives on many aspects of faith.

    The early church was no different.  Remember the stories of Paul when he found that other teachers had visited the churches that he had started and began telling them that their theology was wrong?  Do we eat this or that?  Do the men really have to be circumcised?  Do I have to be a Jew before I can be a Christian? 

    As the church developed, councils were held to determine what was orthodox.  Remember that at that time there was ONE church – no denominations.  One.  Just as in the time of Peter and Paul, disagreements arose.  Modeled after the time of the apostles in the very earliest church, there were people in leadership who guided and who were given the responsibility to lead and teach the faith of the apostles who carried the faith after the resurrection of Jesus.

    So, that body called together the leaders from the churches in the world of the time so that they could be guided together through the power and presence of the Spirit.  It was in these councils – not so much different from our United Methodist General Conference – that our creeds and articles of faith were born.

    One of the earliest creeds is The Apostles Creed.  On the website of the Reformed Church in America, they describe this creed this way:  This creed is called the Apostles' Creed not because it was produced by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings. It sets forth their doctrine ‘in sublime simplicity, in unsurpassable brevity, in beautiful order, and with liturgical solemnity.'

    The Apostles Creed is in your bulletin so you can review it and think about it.  Notice that it is Trinitarian in shape.  I believe in God the Father.  I believe in Jesus Christ.  I believe in the Holy Spirit.  And in each segment there is a description of the work of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.  Notice that the work of the Spirit, includes the church and communion of saints and the forgiveness of sins – just as the story of Emmaus pointed to – and also the resurrection – breathing new life.

    Take a look for a moment at the Nicene Creed.  This one, too, is Trinitarian and reaffirms the work of the Spirit in several important ways: 

          We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life – the basic work of the Spirit
          He proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
          and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified – affirms the
                Trinity’s relationship – together Father, Son and Spirit are worshiped
                and glorified
          He spoke through the prophets.  As the scriptures show
          The last 3 sentences are grouped with the work of the Spirit just as they
          are in the Apostles Creed:
          We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
          We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
          We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
          and to life in the world to come.
     

    Creeds are statements of what we believe, and the two creeds we have discussed today are old.  They articulate the faith that the church has formally professed since about the 3rd century – almost 2000 years.  We are going to close this meditation with a song that does the same.

     

    The Apostles Creed

    I believe in God, the Father almighty,
          creator of heaven and earth.
     
    I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
          who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
          and born of the virgin Mary.
          He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
          was crucified, died, and was buried;
          he descended to hell.
          The third day he rose again from the dead.
          He ascended to heaven
          and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
          From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
     
    I believe in the Holy Spirit,
          the holy catholic* church,
          the communion of saints,
          the forgiveness of sins,
          the resurrection of the body,
          and the life everlasting. Amen.
     
     
    The Nicene Creed
     
    We believe in one God,
          the Father almighty,
          maker of heaven and earth,
          of all things visible and invisible.
     
    And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
          the only Son of God,
          begotten from the Father before all ages,
               God from God,
               Light from Light,
               true God from true God,
          begotten, not made;
          of the same essence as the Father.
          Through him all things were made.
          For us and for our salvation
               he came down from heaven;
               he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
               and was made human.
               He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
               he suffered and was buried.
               The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
               He ascended to heaven
               and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
               He will come again with glory
               to judge the living and the dead.
               His kingdom will never end.
     
    And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
          the Lord, the giver of life.
          He proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
          and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
          He spoke through the prophets.
          We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
          We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
          We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
          and to life in the world to come. Amen.

     

    Song We Believe[1]

    In this time of desperation, when all we know is doubt and fear
    There is only one foundation:  we believe, we believe
     
    In this broken generation, when all is dark, You help us see
    There is only one salvation:  we believe, we believe
     
    We believe in God the Father.  We believe in Jesus Christ
    We believe in the Holy Spirit.  And He's given us new life.
    We believe in the crucifixion.  We believe that He conquered death
    We believe in the resurrection, and He's comin' back again, we believe
     
    So, let our faith be more than anthems, greater than the songs we sing
    And in our weakness and temptations, we believe, we believe
     
    We believe in God the Father.  We believe in Jesus Christ
    We believe in the Holy Spirit.  And He's given us new life.
    We believe in the crucifixion.  We believe that He conquered death
    We believe in the resurrection, and He's comin' back again, we believe
     
    Let the lost be found and the dead be raised
    In the here and now, let love invade
    Let the church live love our God will see:  we believe, we believe
    And the gates of hell will not prevail,
    For the power of God, has torn the veil
    Now we know Your love will never fail.  We believe, we believe
     
    We believe in God the Father.  We believe in Jesus Christ
    We believe in the Holy Spirit.  And He's given us new life.
    We believe in the crucifixion.  We believe that He conquered death
    We believe in the resurrection, and He's comin' back
     
    He's comin' back again.  He's comin' back again.  We believe.  We believe.
     
     
    Joys and Concerns
          Prayers of the People

    Announcements

    Benediction

     

    [1] Hooper, Fike, Ryan © Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook))  CCLI License # 1011499