Lectionary for Trinity,
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:3
Collect. Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory 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 you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; for you live and reign with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Romans 5:1-5. This passage contains some of the best remembered verses and phrases; “justified by faith; peace with God; hope does not disappoint”; the list could go on and on. Though it is well known it is not an easy passage to fully grasp. We will begin by thinking about suffering which is also a major feature amongst these few verses. The experience of Christians in the early church was almost always one of suffering. This is not surprising for the Good News of the Gospel was being proclaimed in a pagan world. It was not simply that people did not believe in or follow Jesus Christ. The pagans of the ancient world were passionate devotees of the gods that controlled the environment around them. According to their beliefs, every aspect of their lives was under their control. For someone to renounce the local pagan devotion and cling only to a belief in Jesus was dangerous. When the crops failed or a valuable animal died it was because the gods were displeased and so who had caused this displeasure? Why? it was those people who now no longer worshipped the local deities. Thus faith in Jesus would inevitably lead to suffering. It is with that in mind that we need to understand the amazing promises that the Gospel affords! In the ancient world there was no opportunity to be a half hearted Christian, yet by having a faith that gave you a strong foundation you were able to face life with confidence. Within the faith you had peace with God because you knew that nothing was blocking your relationship with him. Peace with God was possible only because Jesus had paid the price for sin through his death on the cross. God was supreme.
It was God not the local deities who held sway so even though there were times when you had to suffer, this only reminded you that in the end God would see you through because it was he who had authority over everything. Their faith was not an academic exercise, it helped them face the stark realities of life. Life in relationship with Jesus brought you into relationship with fellow believers and so you were part of a loving caring community. A true relationship with God will also give you true relationships with one another.
Several centuries of “Enlightenment” in the west has changed the way we think and experience religion. Superstition has been replaced by science. Yet for us as Christians everything that the passage meant to the ancients it also means to us. Our mind set and our world view may have altered, but God is still supreme and we, like those from the past, can know that in every event nothing can change our peace with God. Having that peace we know that all will be well! Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:5
Prayer. With humble hearts we give you all thanks and praise Lord, for through Jesus Christ you have won the victory over sin and death and set us free to live a life of peace in full relationship with you. Only in Jesus Christ is this relationship possible for we know that without him there is no merit in us at all. So from first to last we glorify your name, ever trusting in Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world. Amen
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. John 15:26.
Reading. John 16:12-15. Chosen for Trinity Sunday this passage reminds us of how interconnected is the work of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The passage also reminds us how important the work of the Spirit is in the ongoing life of the disciples, both collectively and as individuals.
In these chapters leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death and resurrection. This would be such a far reaching event, an event of life that has never happened before or since. It is so unprecedented that they would not be able to even begin to comprehend it. So, graciously, Jesus allows the wisdom and understanding to unfold piece by piece under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. With only human understanding the death of Jesus would have been viewed as nothing less than a catastrophe. John’s words are reminding us of both the wisdom and the compassion of Jesus to prepare the disciples for what lies ahead. The disciples’ whole world had been centred always on Jesus. He was both the catalyst and the energy that gave the group meaning and momentum. The disciples had left family, friends and work to follow Jesus as their teacher, so it was important to give the disciples a new and lasting focus.
Jesus had already promised that the Spirit would come to them and now he reminds the disciples that it is the Spirit who will be their teacher into the future. The Spirit will be the one who through that teaching will continue to link the disciples with the work of both the Father and the Son. Again we see how closely interrelated is the work of the Trinity. The teaching that the Spirit brings will not be a “new” teaching but will continue to bring the truth that comes from the work that Jesus has done and is now doing.
The teaching and leadership of the Spirit is of vital importance because the “truth’ is not simply a static body of facts but is an ongoing unveiling of the work of God bringing about the fulfilment of his Kingdom. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15. It was important for the disciples who would be in the vanguard of the Christian faith to understand that they were to be a part of a much bigger picture, namely the whole plan of God to redeem not just a few individuals but the whole of creation. They were to continue the work begun by the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus the promised messiah. Peter in his first sermon after the coming of the Spirit announced that, “this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law”. Acts 2:23.
It is the mystery of the Trinity which reminds us how complete and yet how complex our God is. It is God who leads us into the future that he has prepared and it is the Spirit who guides us step by step into all that God has purposed to accomplish through Jesus Christ the Lord.
Prayer. God of unexampled grace, redeemer of mankind, matter of eternal praise we in thy passion find: still our choicest strains we bring, still the joyful theme pursue, thee the Friend of Sinners sing, whose love is ever new… Publish we the death divine, stop and gaze and fall and own, was never love like thine! {From a hymn of Charles Wesley} How wonderful Lord, is your plan to win back the whole of creation. And in your plan you have chosen to redeem the whole of humanity through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Only you Lord God could love with such wild abandon, only you could embrace such wayward creatures, only you could touch our lives and make us righteous and perfect in purity. And so Lord God, only to you belongs all the praise that humanity can bring for you are our one Saviour and Lord. In humility we offer this prayer to you: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; one God, now and for ever. Amen
Collect. God of truth, eternal Joy, your grace overflows in Jesus Christ, and your love through the Spirit; help us to rejoice in your kindness, receive your mercy and live in your peace, for the sake of Jesus your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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