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Trinity Sunday
Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Good morning, welcome to all on this day when we celebrate the Trinity.
It is a privilege and honour to share in worship with you today.
Today we offer prayers for our Frontline Workers, all those working in the Vaccine Clinics.
It is my joy to welcome Reverend Ted Eden, our Honorary Assistant today as our preacher.
Morning Prayer:
The Gathering of the Community
We gather recognizing that we live, work, and play in the traditional lands of the Coast Salish People, Cowichan Tribes.
We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building with our 1st Nations neighbours.
Call to Worship:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.
O come let us worship!
Hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Public Domain
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning
our song shall rise to thee:
Holy, holy, holy,
merciful and mighty,
God in three persons,
blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy!
though the darkness hide thee,
though our sinful human gaze
thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy;
there is none beside thee,
perfect in power,
in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy
Lord God almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name
in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy,
merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons,
blessed Trinity.
Introductory Responsory:
My life is in your hand, deliver me; * shine on your servant with the light of your love.
My life is in your hand, deliver me; * shine on your servant with the light of your love.
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
Shine on your servant with the light of your love.
Incline your ear to me; make haste to deliver me.
Shine on your servant with the light of your love.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
Shine on your servant with the light of your love.
I put my trust in the Lord; I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
Shine on your servant with the light of your love.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
My life is in your hand, deliver me;
shine on your servant with the light of your love.
Proclamation of the Word:
1st Reading: Acts 6:1-8
Isaiah gives the grounds for his authority as a prophet. Uzziah’s reign has been prosperous, but uncertain times lie ahead. Assyria is expanding its borders, and the northern kingdom, Israel, is trying to coerce Judah into a military alliance against the Assyrian threat. Back then, dreams were taken seriously.
2nd Reading: Romans 8:12-17
Paul has told us how Christian experience is dominated by life in the Spirit, rather than the desires of the flesh, or self-centeredness. People are still subject to suffering – to bearing crosses and affliction – but not to condemnation. Not being condemned, we have hope. We have been made children of God.
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
God of mystery and power,
open our eyes to the flame of your love, and open our ears to the thunder of your justice, that we may receive your gifts of blessing and peace, to the glory of your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Gospel:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel according to John 3:1-17
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."
Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a 2nd time into the mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.'
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?"
"Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "
Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon: -The Rev. Ted Eden
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts,
be now and ever acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength, and our redeemer.
Amen.
I don’t believe it! It’s seems like deja-vue all over again.
When Rev. Brian asked me if I would be the preacher today, I thought, “Oh no, Trinity Sunday...
‘What can you say that hasn’t already been said and been heard many times over?’”
Like one of my wife’s cousins said to me over a Saturday night game of cribbage in the rectory of my 1st parish...
“Once you’ve said ‘Sin...don’t do it!’ What more is there to say?”
Well, in fact-- there’s a lot more,
about God’s love and care for each and every one of us;
about his unlimited power; about forgiveness and redemption;
and about resurrection and the gift of eternal life.
But then, I began to recall that the first sermon I ever preached as a newly minted deacon in the church of God was at All Saints, Ladner, on June 2nd, 1974 - which happened to be Trinity Sunday that year.
So here we are again--47 years later--still trying to fathom the impenetrable mystery of the miracle of the Godhead - 3 persons in 1 substance - a challenge for someone just 25 years old, let alone for someone now 72 years old.
Perhaps, you’ve already surmised that I’d like to remind you that today’s sermon,
“is brought to you by the number 3, and by the letter ‘T’."
I know it’s a little bit unusual to offer a Sesame Street quotation which would be more familiar to those of a much younger age, but there you have it!
If any of you happen to be horse-racing fans, and want a different reference, you know that at this particular time of year in the United States, the number 3 usually refers to the elusive Triple Crown - the Kentucy Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.
For car enthusiasts, “three-in-one” is a reference to motor oil.
For very young children, when we’re talking about 3, it’s often a reference to “Goldilocks & the 3 bears”, or “The 3 little pigs”.
Biblically speaking, however, we have the reference to the mysterious visit of the 3 men to Abraham and Sarah, prophesying the birth of Isaac in Genesis, chapter 18:1-15.
In this morning’s 1st lesson from the familiar 6th chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah relating his call to his profession,
we also have the vision of the seraph chorus with their 3pairs of wings, flying around the throne in attendance on the Lord of hosts, and proclaiming the oft repeated “threefold Sanctus”:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,
the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Is. 6:3b)
In St. Matthew’s gospel,
there’s the visit of the Magi - the 3 “wise men from the East” (Mt. 2:1),
bearing their gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11.),
and much later, the obvious Trinitarian baptismal formula,
in which Jesus encourages his apostles, friends, and followers to
“Go...and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19).
Ecclesiastically and doctrinally speaking,
we have the early church proclaiming the mystery of “The Triune God”, “The Holy Trinity” - Father, Son and Holy Spirit", co-eternal together, and co-equal”
(Book of Common Prayer, Creed of St. Athanasius, #26, p. 696).
As you’re no doubt well aware from previous sermons on Trinity Sunday,
historically, there’s also the story of St. Patrick (c. 389 - c. 461 A.D.)
famously describing the relationship of the triune Godhead to his Irish converts by picking up a shamrock with its 3 leaves on 1 stem, and saying that the nature of God was like that.
Other symbols of the Trinity, which you’ll commonly find in art,
or carved in various places in churches throughout the world,
would include a circle, a triangle, or a trefoil,
like the one on the banner over my right shoulder, or repeated in panels on the front of the altar rail right there.
And then there’s the various creeds,
most especially the “Creed of St. Athanasius”
on page 695 of the old Canadian Book of Common Prayer (1959 or 1962 ),
written in either the late 4th ,or early 5th century A.D.,
and most recently attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 339-397 AD)
which talks about “3 persons in 1—undivided and indivisible”—
3 persons but only 1 substance, which I’m sure,
is a phrase that you’ve very likely heard many times before.
As I’m sure you know, the word-‘Trinity’-itself is not found in Scripture,
but to quote the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (F.L. Cross, p. 1375),
“the conception is there both implicitly and explicitly”.
But, why then, is it so important to designate one particular day,
and an interminable season of the Christian year - all in liturgical green –
except the day itself which is ‘white’—
on this particular doctrine of the church.
You might remember that, in years gone by,
we used to number the remaining Sundays of the year as "Sundays after Trinity."
Now, of course, we number them as "Sundays after Pentecost."
Why should we focus on a doctrine of the church, and not on a saint,
or an event in the life of Jesus?
Quite simply, it’s because the doctrine of the Holy Trinity sets us apart from all other faiths,
and especially from other quasi-Christian groups
which shy away from the mystery of the complicated, and ultimately inexplicable,
formula of “3in1”.
It also provides the basis for the proclamation of the dual nature of Jesus as both fully God, and fully human,
and for all of the miracles associated with our Lord and Saviour,
from his calming of the storm (Mk. 4:35-41);
through various healing miracles including the cleansing of a leper (Mk. 1:40-45);
the healing of a paralytic (Mk. 2:1-12); the feeding of the 5,000 (Mk. 6:30-44) and,
many more examples of Jesus’ nature as being one with God.
To quote his own words in St. John’s gospel, “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30).
The Trinity is a mystery which we hold to be true,
but which like other mysteries, we don’t attempt to logically explain.
As with our belief, hope, and trust in God, we simply hold it to be true.
We know only that-- we profess that we worship the God who creates all life;
who re-creates it through Jesus and the power of the cross;
and who sustains it through the gift of his guiding, and indwelling, spirit.
With the prophet Isaiah, you and I can only respond to God’s call
to share the “good news” of the gospel with others, by proclaiming, “Here am I, send me” (Is 6:8b),
for we believe, hope, and trust in the one God who expresses himself in so many different ways in our lives and our world as Father, Son, and Spirit.
We perceive him in the lives of family and friends; in the world of his creation;
in his promises of forgiveness, and new and eternal life with him in his kingdom;
and in the continuing presence of his guiding and comforting spirit at work
in each and every one of us, and in the world around us.
Like Nicodemus, in this morning’s gospel reading (Jn. 3:1-17),
we remain mystified in the face of our triune God,
but we accept, and boldly proclaim, our unshakeable conviction that
the God whom we serve, and profess our belief in,
is one - whole, complete, and undivided -
in Trinity of persons and in unity of substance. Amen.
And now unto that same God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be ascribed as is most justly due,
all might, majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
Hymn: Copyright Protected and thus, we are unable to post lyrics
Affirmation of Faith:
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say,
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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.
Prayers of the People:
Let us pray to be led by the Spirit, so that as God’s daughters & sons
we may carry out all that Christ has commanded.
Our prayer response today:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May our worship of our Creator lead to greater reverence for the creation birthed with love. We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May the honour we give to Christ, truly God and truly human, draw others to discipleship with the Saviour of all humankind.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May the glory we offer the Holy Spirit, enable all God-centered people to live devoutly all the days of their life.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May our reverence for the Trinity inspire the church to foster unity among all peoples, so that peace may prosper everywhere.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May the greatness of God, revealed in the saving mission of Christ and the Spirit, be our source of hope in time of trial.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May your guiding Spirit continue to guide those in leadership.
We pray for: Anna our Bishop, Rev. Brian, Rev. Ted, Rev. Heather,
and Rev. Brenda Nestegaard Paul—Trinity Lutheran Church, Pt. Alberni,
Bishop David Lehmann—Diocese of Caledonia.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May the greatness of God, revealed in the saving mission of Christ and the Spirit, be our source of hope in time of trial.
In our Parish, we pray for God’s healing touch for:
Roy & Gail C., John R., Steve M., Geoff E., Daryl & Sue G.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May all who are baptized in the name of the Trinity, be brought together in one communion of love to profess the one life-giving faith.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
May the faithful departed come to rejoice in the Trinity’s unending love.
We ask in faith:
God, guide us in all our ways.
Loving God, we acknowledge your love revealed to us in the glory of Christ, and the splendour of your Spirit.
Receive our prayers, and grant that we may come to the inheritance held out to us in Christ. We pray as your adopted children in Christ. Amen
Collect of the Day:
Father, we praise you.
Through your Word and Holy Spirit, you created all things. You reveal your salvation in all the world by sending to us Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
Through your Holy Spirit, you gave us a share in your life and love.
Fill us with the vision of your glory, that we may always serve and praise you,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn: verses 1 & 4 Public Domain
God, whose almighty word
Chaos and darkness heard,
And took their flight:
Hear us, we humbly pray,
And where the gospel-day
Sheds not its glorious ray,
Let there be light!
Holy and blessed Three,
Glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might!
Boundless as ocean's tide,
Rolling in fullest pride,
Through the world, far and wide,
Let there be light!
The Blessing:
The peace of God, which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge & love of God,
and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Dismissal:
Let us go in peace to love and serve God and our neighbour.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia.!
Hymn:
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow