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TRINITY. In my neighborhood when I was in grade school, a new church congregation purchased a small church building from a church that outgrew the building and moved to a new part of town. It was a Pentecostal Church and three other kids and I in the neighborhood would sometimes watch the activities at that church. Fascinating to us was learning of people “being filled with the Holy Spirit” and “speaking in tongues.” We would watch as members would dance around the sanctuary waving their arms, shouting words in what seemed like a foreign language, and this was done three times on Sunday at each two-hour service. We never made fun of them, just curious, knowing that our worship experiences were different.
This Sunday is TRINITY Sunday in recognition of what I remember a seminary professor called the TRINITY “the tri-personal nature of God.” God saving humanity is proclaimed as an integral part of our faith witness, including the saving acts of Jesus Christ in major events of Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas. It is TRINITY Sunday that recognizes the outpouring of God’s Spirit that affirms the Mighty Acts of God in our words and deeds: Father, Son, Holy Spirit—Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer—God’s the Source, Jesus’ redeeming work, and the Holy Spirit’s active presence. Separate but equal, divided yet united. As I look back at watching the people at the Pentecostal Church, the Spirit was alive and active in them, touching their entire being and it overflowed with a joy that shouted praises to God.
Matthew 28:19 declares, “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.” Holy Baptism touches us and we are baptized in the name of the TRINITY. We are given a new identity (Christian) into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s transformative power makes all things new over and over again and again. The understanding of TRINITY reminds us of God’s love, God becoming one of us, and God’s presence with us always. We are called into a deeper worship and called to do ministry to be God’s transformative power with, to, and for one another. Be filled with the Spirit. BLESSINGS ALWAYS.
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