June 7, 2020
The Holy Trinity
Prayer of the Day
Almighty Creator and ever-living God: we worship your glory, eternal Three-In-One, and we praise your power, majestic One-In-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith, defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Genesis1:1-2:4a
Psalm 8
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20
Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
I will begin this message by emphasizing endings.
Matthew’s Gospel ends with Jesus comforting his disciples saying, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” St. Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth ends with the assurance of God’s abiding presence : “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” And in the creation account from Genesis 1, when all was said and done, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
Today’s readings inform us that at all times, Jesus is with us, the Father is loving us, and the Holy Spirit is holding us all together in God’s arms. And this is very good. It is very good for us, as Psalm 8 declares, that the Lord is mindful of mortals and cares for them. We need these words of reassurance especially in chaotic times. In other words, we need these words today.
The creation account in Genesis 1 is an amazing statement of how God brings order out of chaos and creates something that is very good. A prayer I have in my heart is that God will do this for our country. I pray that decency will be the fruit of discord and that solutions can be found to address the nation’s ills. Realistically, the order that I desire will not be delivered immediately by either divine or human fiat. Genesis Chapter 1 teaches us that God’s way is to bring order out of chaos through process. God created over the course of time. Process takes diligent, painstaking, loving work.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is an excellent study in process with a purpose. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father for the purpose of overcoming the chaos imposed upon the creation by sin and death. The process followed by the Lord to fulfill his purpose was a challenging, head-butting, loving work that lead him to a death on the cross. His undeserved death won forgiveness for sinners and his well-deserved resurrection assures them of a place in the endless joy and love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From the chaos of sin and death, Jesus brought forth the order of a salvation and life that is very good.
In thinking about the process that should be followed in bringing order out of our country’s present chaos, St. Paul has much to teach us. He ministered to the church in Corinth which was no stranger to conflict and hard feelings. In his parting words to the Corinthians he advised them to put things in order, agree with one another and live in peace. This sounds good but how does a community actually accomplish that end? It is by following the teaching and example of the process of the Prince of Peace that God’s people may live in peace.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to teach others everything that they learned from him about love of God and neighbor. This is the teaching, this is the process, this is the way of life, that must be followed in order for any group of people – family, nation, or world – to live in peace. Love is foundational to a successful process of conflict resolution. Love is required for peace to prevail.
The love taught and modeled by Jesus was selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. If something resembling this kind of love can find a place in the midst of human relationships then peace has a very good chance. Consider applying the principle of love to any disagreement. First, love demands that common ground be sought. It is always best to focus on what unites people before tackling the issues that divide. That’s the easy part of the process.
With respect to divisions that separate people, love calls for respectful, thoughtful consideration of the other’s point of view. Listening to one another with compassion and empathy and fairly considering the other’s position is an expression of love. Having a keen sense of humility combined with the ability to view the other person as a fellow child of God, and to genuinely care about them, goes a long way in bringing order out of chaos and delivering a result which is very good.
This doesn’t mean that there will always be agreement. It does mean that abiding by the principle of Christ-like love, people can disagree agreeably. People can have different points of view without engaging in “scorched earth” attacks. People can affirm the God-given dignity inherent in every person and resist the temptation to demonize those with whom they disagree. “Iron sharpens iron” as the proverb declares, and orderly disagreement can open the door to new ways of thinking and being. As the cross of Jesus reminds us, the road to peace will meet obstacles, but none of them can withstand the power of Christ-like love.
The beginning of this message mentioned the endings of today’s readings. Together they proclaim that at all times, Jesus is with us, the Father is loving us, and the Holy Spirit is holding us all together in God’s arms. You are promised that “the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11) God is with you every step of the way through this chaotic and confusing time that you are experiencing. And the God, who consistently brings order out of chaos and in the process creates something very good, never fails. Amen
The Lord bless you, keep you, and give you peace,
Pastor Bill
BONUS SERMON FROM ELCA BISHOP ELIZABETH EATON
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has recorded her national sermon and Gospel reading to share with the church on Sunday, June 7, The Holy Trinity. For those with access to the internet, Bishop Eaton’s sermon can be viewed online at the following link. BISHOP EATON HAS REQUESTED THAT HER SERMON NOT BE RELEASED ON SOCIAL MEDIA UNTIL SUNDAY, JUNE 7.:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! (Reginald Heber)
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! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee
perfect in pow’r, 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!