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Email Worship from Nativity Lutheran
on The Holy Trinity
June 4, 2023
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Introduction
Though the word trinity is not found in the scriptures, today’s second reading includes the apostolic greeting that begins the liturgy: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In the gospel Jesus sends his disciples forth to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. More than a doctrine, the Trinity expresses the heart of our faith: we have experienced the God of creation made known in Jesus Christ and with us always through the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity in word and sacrament, as we profess the creed, and as we are sent into the world to bear witness to our faith.
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A Personal "Thank You."
People of God and Friends at Nativity,
I feel honored to have been able to serve the work of God among you. Really, I see how God has been faithful and how many of you have been responsive to that life and hope.
Although I have perennial work God has given me to attend, I want you to know you are in my heart, alive in my prayers and bright in my fond memories.
However the days ahead unfold, be always attentive to this gift: "God is good, all the time - All the time, God is Good." With Love and Joy,
Pastor Mitch
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Gathering Song
"Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty" ELW #413
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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.
First Reading: Genesis 1:1--2:4a
At the beginning of time, God the Creator, God the powerful Word, and God the life-giving Spirit form the earth and all its inhabitants. God sees that all this created work is good and then rests on the seventh day.1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. 28God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2:1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4aThese are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Psalm 8
How majestic is your name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:1)
1O | Lord our Lord,
how majestic is your name in | all the earth!—
2you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of in- | fants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe | and avenger.
3When I consider your heavens, the work | of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set | in their courses,
4what are mere mortals that you should be mind- | ful of them,
human beings that you should | care for them? R
5Yet you have made them little less | than divine;
with glory and hon- | or you crown them.
6You have made them rule over the works | of your hands;
you have put all things un- | der their feet:
7all | flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts | of the field,
8the birds of the air, the fish | of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths | of the sea.
9O | Lord our Lord,
how majestic is your name in | all the earth! R
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Paul closes a challenging letter to the Corinthians with an appeal to Christian fellowship grounded in the triune harmony of Christ’s grace, God’s love, and the Spirit’s partnership.
[Paul writes:]
11Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Word of God, Word of life
Thanks be to God.
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Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20
After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
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SERMON by Rev. Paul Sutter
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 1:2)
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“See How Much I Love You!”
A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted through the backyard wearing his baseball cap and toting a ball and bat. "I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” he announced. Then, he tossed the ball into the air, swung at it, and missed. “Strike One!” he yelled. Undaunted, he picked up the ball and said again, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” He tossed the ball into the air. When it came down, he swung again and missed. “Strike Two!” he cried. The boy then paused a moment to examine his bat and ball carefully. He spit on his hands and rubbed them together. He straightened his cap and said once more, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world!” Again, he tossed the ball up in the air and swung at it. He missed. “Strike Three!” “Wow!” he exclaimed. “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”(1) The little boy’s self-proclaimed identity changed based on his perception of how he was most successful. In the life and liturgical cycle of the church, today is Holy Trinity Sunday. It is the day Christians celebrate the reality of God in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In essence, the doctrine of the Trinity is all about understanding God’s identity. I think we would agree that the Trinity is a confusing doctrine. Occasionally, my wife asks me to explain, “this three in one business”. I tell her she must wait until Holy Trinity Sunday when I will completely clear up any confusion on the doctrine once and for all. That was before I saw a meme on Facebook a few weeks ago about “How not to commit Heresy preaching on the Trinity.” The meme instructed preachers to “Say nothing & show pictures of kittens instead.”
Even the finest theologians find themselves at a loss explaining the nuances of the Trinity satisfactorily. Some use the analogy of the masks worn by actors in the old Greek tragedies. One actor wearing many masks can play many parts. But it is still just one actor. Others have used the analogy of water. Under normal conditions, water, H2O, is a liquid, but when frozen, it becomes a solid. Heat it and it becomes steam, gas or vapor. It is still H2O, whatever form it takes, but it can have three radically different forms. Still others have used the analogy of relationships. A man can be at the same time a father, a son, a husband, a nephew, an uncle, a teacher a counselor, a coach etc. One person performs many roles. These are not perfect analogies, but they are the best we can do with the minds God has given us. One of the most prominent Christians who ever lived was a man we know as St. Augustine. Augustine was converted to Christianity in A.D. 386 by the writings and sermons of Ambrose, the bishop of Milan. Ten years later Augustine became a bishop himself and served at Hippo on the coast of northern Africa, in the area now called Algeria. It is said that one day Augustine was walking along the seashore pondering how God could be One and yet Three. Suddenly he stopped and watched a child who was carrying a cup of ocean water to a small hole he had dug in the sand. “What are you doing?” asked Augustine. The child replied, “I’m trying to pour the ocean into this hole.” The bishop laughed and said, “That’s impossible.” The child stared into his eyes and said, “It is no more impossible than for you to put Almighty God into your small mind.”(2) And it’s true. The Trinity is one of those many things about life and faith that you and I will never fully understand.
In our Gospel lesson, Jesus shares the secret of the meaning of life. He wanted to tell this secret to his disciples, but he knew that they would not understand. So, he said to them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In essence, through the Holy Spirit we have a foretaste of the feast to come as God is present with us now and always will be. It is obvious that no one--regardless of how full they may be of the Holy Spirit--can answer every question. But every believer, regardless of how brilliant or how humble knows what he or she needs to know--that Jesus Christ came into the world, that he died at the hands of sinful humanity. On the third day God raised him from the dead, and that he lives forever at the right hand of the Father. And we know that when Christ left this world, the Father bestowed upon those who believed in him the gift of his Holy Spirit, so that wherever we might be--whatever we might endure--we would know in our heart of hearts that God is with us. This is the very heart of the Gospel. We are not saved by how much we know or even understand. We are saved by what God has done through Christ on our behalf. We don’t know everything, but we know everything that is essential. So, what is our response to all of this? IT IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE LIVE AS YET BY FAITH.
Living by faith is not living without question; living by faith means living without reservation. Living by faith is staking our lives on the belief that what we know about God through Christ and the Holy Spirit is enough to sustain us in this world and the world to come. There are many secrets in life I do not understand. Not only lofty doctrines like the Trinity, but more mundane matters like: “Why do good people suffer?”, “Why does life sometimes seem so unfair?” “What is the purpose of aging?” “Why doesn’t God make faith a little easier, and so on?” There is much that none of us will ever understand. We can either spend our lives making ourselves miserable about what does not make sense to us or we can live joyful lives based on trust in God. An ancient Chinese proverb says, “The bird does not sing because he has an answer; he sings because he has a song.” The church continues to sing new songs about the old, old truths of God. I may not be able to understand the mystery of God in three persons, but I can enjoy the incredible beauty of God the creator. I may not understand how the Bethlehem’s babe “can in the Godhead be,” as the song says, but I can read with awe the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. If anyone has ever lived closer to God then he, I’m certainly not aware of it. And I may not understand all there is to understand about the Comforter that Jesus said he would send us, but there have been times when that Comforter, the Holy Spirit, has enveloped me with love. I don’t have to understand God in three persons in order to experience the grandeur of what those three persons can mean in my life. The secret of a successful life is not understanding but trust. I had a professor in seminary who always responded to the difficult questions by saying, “write that one down and put it in your hip pocket. When you get to the pearly gates you can ask St. Peter.” C.S. Lewis once said that the most frequently spoken word in heaven would be, “Oh.” As in, “Oh, now I understand.” Or, “Oh, now I see what God’s plan was.” Or, “Oh, now I see the reason for the trial I went through.” We do not have that luxury in this world. We walk by faith, not by knowledge. But one day it will be revealed to us. We will be in the presence of the Father and the Son and the Spirit. How can we be in the presence of all three at the same time? It beats me, but as St. Paul says, “I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.” (II Timothy 1:12) Can you accept that and live by it? There are some answers that are too large for our little brains to contain. But our greatest need is not understanding, but trust that God is with us--whether we experience God as Father, Son or Holy Spirit. God is with us and will be with us until that day comes when all will be revealed. When my sons were younger, I would lie on the floor at night with them to say our prayers, I often remembered in those moments kneeling beside the bed and praying the Lord’s Prayer with my own parents and also with my grandfather when he was 92 years old. The shape and form of our prayer has crossed the four generations of my living memory. We know it goes back over 2,000 years but who knows how far it will extend into the future. This strikes me, however, as the way in which the Holy Spirit works in maintaining the relationship of the Father in the Son in our lives today. The Holy Spirit works through us as we transmit the ancient faith in the One God to our children as we have come to understand and appreciate our own relationship with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you about a little girl who discovered a great secret in life from her grandparents. Ever since she could remember, her grandparents had played this secret little game. They would leave the word “Shmily”—”S-H-M-I-L-Y” around the house for one another. Grandfather would stuff little notes with the word “Shmily” in Grandmother’s sock drawer. Grandmother would trace the word “Shmily” in the steam on the bathroom mirror so Grandfather would see it when he took his morning shower. Over the years, they competed to see who could find the most creative way to leave a “Shmily” note for the other. And when Grandmother lost her ten-year fight against cancer, her casket was wreathed with a huge bouquet of flowers. And on the yellow ribbon around the bouquet was that one word, “Shmily.” The thing that held her grandparents’ marriage together, the thing that nourished them in life and sustained them in death: Shmily. What does Shmily mean? “S-H-M-I-L-Y”: See how much I love you. (3) And that is the message that sustains us. It is a caption that the believer sees attached to every cross: See how much I love you. As a pastor I desire to answer people’s questions about life and about God. As I stand beside a grave side with a grieving family. As I lead a group of people into a better understanding of our faith. As I lie awake in the night struggling with my own call to serve God. But there are questions that I cannot answer. All I can do is take you to the foot of the cross and say to you, everything you need to know is here. And it is there that Gods says to each of us: “See how much I love you!” and “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Amen.
“May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (Eph. 4:7)
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The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your heart and minds in + Christ Jesus our Lord.
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HYMN OF THE DAY
"Come, Join the Dance of Trinity" ELW#412
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Prayers of Intercession
The prayers are prepared locally for each occasion. The following examples may be adapted or used as appropriate.
Trusting in God’s abundant mercy, let us offer our prayers for a world in need.
A brief silence.
Holy three, holy one, you call the church to make disciples of all nations. Encourage bishops, pastors, and deacons in their proclamation of the gospel and direct all the baptized into lives of humble service. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Holy three, holy one, you spoke creation into being and called it good. Protect lands and waters threatened by human misuse and sustain living creatures of every kind: wild animals, birds, fish, and every creeping thing. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy three, holy one, you have given humankind authority over the earth. Raise up leaders who listen earnestly, speak honestly, and govern thoughtfully. Heal divisions between nations, that we might agree with one another and live in peace. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy three, holy one, you promise to be with us always, to the end of the age. Surround those most in need of your healing presence: any who are lonely, all who are grieving, and those who are sick (especially). God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Holy three, holy one, you set the earth on its axis, and we experience the seasons. Strengthen those enduring challenges this summer: those who suffer in the heat, parents overwhelmed by childcare responsibilities, and children experiencing food insecurity outside of school. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Holy three, holy one, you give rest when our work is done. We give thanks for (name/s and) all the saints who now rest in you, confident in the promise of resurrection life in the age to come. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Receive our prayers and answer us, O God, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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PEACE
Consider the Peace that God Gives you, then call or text someone who is on your heart this morning. Wish them the Peace of God on this day. Say something like, "The Peace of God be with you always."
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OFFERING
God is able and willing to use you in caring and bringing good news to others. During this moment, consider what gifts God would have you share with others and prepare yourself to give those gifts now and in the coming days.
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PRESENTATION OF GIFTS
"Filled With Hope And Gratitude" ACS#907
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Offering Prayer
God of field and forest, sea and sky,
you are the giver of all good things.
Sustain us with these gifts of your creation,
and multiply your graciousness in us,
that the world may be fed with your love,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
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BLESSING
The God who calls across the cosmos
and speaks in the smallest seed
☩ bless, keep, and sustain you
now and to the end of the age.
Amen.
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SENDING SONG
"Rise, Shine, You People" ELW#665
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DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Share the harvest.
Thanks be to God.
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Thank you for worshipping with us. What God is doing in your life, is our mission. Help us connect and support you in these days. God is always near and works in all things for Good, through the lives of those who love and trust God. Call or email me! I'd love to hear how you are. I would love to come to see you if you would like. Let's get connected.
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NATIVITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
1300 COLLINGWOOD RD
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22301
Office: 703-768-1112
Cell: 240-317-9345
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