Showing posts with label Trinity Sunday B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trinity Sunday B. Show all posts

Sunday, May 30, 2021

The Trinity: Why? Because of the Words of Jesus

Trinity Sunday b  May 30, 2021 
Isaiah 6:1-8  Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17   John 3:1-17
Lectionary Link




As Christians, we are so used to the Trinity, that we don't often stop to think about how it came about in the human history of God.

The Three-in-One notion mathematics of one plus one plus one equals one, does not work for persons of more radical monotheistic belief, Jews and Muslims, in particular.

However, since Jesus was a Jew, and he himself did not think that he was proposing a relationship with God which was outside the Hebrew Scripture tradition, how is it that the Trinity came to be regarded by some as a polytheism or belief in more than one God?

We probably can blame it on the evangelical success of the Jesus Movement and on the Greeks.  The early great paradigm shift in the Jesus Movement was the inclusion of Gentile followers of Jesus without making them adhere to all of the ritual customs of Judaism.

Gentiles were steeped in the cultural and philosophical traditions which derived from the Greeks of Athens.  Since Alexander the Great, a form of the Greek language had been a prominent lingua franca throughout the world.  Many of the great scholar saints in the first three centuries of Christianity were educated in the Greek philosophical traditions so what happened?  When the more Hebraic, story and wisdom traditions were translated into the more systematic Greek thinkers, things were lost in the translation.  Also new insights and presentation of the Gospel message occurred.  What does a movement do with evangelical success?  Like the individual MacDonald's restaurant of Downey California which went nationwide and had to "standardized" the preparation those 15 cent gut bombs, and fries and shakes, the successful Jesus Movement had to begin to standardize the presentation of God, of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  How one believed and articulated the reality of God became an administrative issue of church unity, and for the Emperor Constantine who called the Council of Nicaea, it became an issue of Empire unity.  Nicaea was a triumph for the articulation of the relationship of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit within the Greek philosophical categories.

Theologians, Bishops, priests, pastors and scholars can and have gotten very worked up about the presentations of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  They have fought and divided and declared each others as heretics.  They have even persecuted and killed in the name of the Trinity.

Rather than centering on the division that has occurred because of the Hellenization of the presentation of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I think it best to return to Scripture words wherein the three Persons of the Trinity are implicit.

Why are we Trinitarians?  Simply put:  Because of the words of Jesus about his relationship with the ones that he called Father and Holy Spirit.  Forget about the fighting church over the Trinity; just return to the words of Jesus.

He said that he and the Father were one.  He said that he would send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit who would share with his followers his very mind and words.

Why is this presentation of God important?  Why did it become a part of our baptismal formula in being baptized by water and the Spirit, and of the Father and of the Son?

What does this world so full of diverse majesty need the most?  We need strategies of how to live together in harmony?  We need the high standard of Unity in diversity within a Perfect Fellowship.

Unity in diversity in a Perfect Fellowship; this the long and short of the Holy Trinity.  It is a dynamic Unity of profound relational fellowship.

As the Holy Trinity is the Perfect Model of Profound relational fellowship, this love in the relationship fellowship was also directed toward us in our world.  God so love the world that God wanted the love of perfect relational fellowship to come to us.

And Jesus is God's perfect evangelist for this relational fellowship to be promoted and modeled within our world.  And this is glorious meaning of the life of Jesus: Announcing that God loves this world.

But there is a great responsibility which Jesus left for all who embrace his mission:  We are called to model together the profound relational fellowship of the Holy Trinity.
And you know, we've had some colossal failures at successful relational fellowship.  But the good news is that we've had enough success at the fellowship of love, that we know what we are supposed to be aiming at in our lives together.

Let us be thankful today for the Profound Relational Fellowship of the Holy Trinity.  Perfect Unity among diverse persons.  And today we prayer, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, keep spilling this perfect love into our lives today.  Amen.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Sunday School, May 30, 2021 Trinity Sunday B

 Sunday School, May 30, 2021 Trinity Sunday B


Theme of the Day: The Holy Trinity

Use the metaphor of translation for understanding God’s Greatness

When we go to another country or when we hear other people speaking languages other than our own, how can we understand what they are saying?

We need a translator or someone who knows both language who can change what is said in another language into our own language.

Imagine God as being foreign because of God’s Greatness.  God is so great that God is in some way foreign unless God can be translated into human language and experience.

Faith in a Great God means that we believe that God is approachable enough to allow God to be translated into human language and experience.

So how is God translated into human language and experience?

We take the greatest things of human experience and since we believe that God is greater than everyone, then God must be the best example of everything great in human experience.


Make signs of the Names and Attributes of God to show how we translate and understand God in human language and experience.  The last three Sign would be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We understand that being a person is what is greatest about being human.  And  if we are persons, then God must be the greatest Person and so he is known to us in how his Personality is shown to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Holy or Special or Uniquely Greatest, I AM or Highest Being, Infinite: Too big for anyone to measure,
All Powerful, Creator, Good, Merciful, Lovingly Kind, Love, Compassionate, Caring, Cares for the Poor,  Sustainer: Keeps all things,  Perfect in Greatness, All Containing, Every in Inside of the Boundaries of God’, Salvation and Health, All Knowing,  Omnipresent: Everywhere, Wise, With Us,
Gracious,  Comforter, Advocate: One who prays for us,  Strength, Courage,  Power, Hope, Father, Son,
Holy Spirit


Why do Christians believe in the Trinity?  God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

It was the ancient baptismal formula.  The command of Jesus to his disciples was to teach and make disciples and to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles' Creed is the creed of Holy Baptism.  Each person is asked to believe in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Later, the church decided to teach about the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The result of this teaching is called the Nicene Creed.  In it the Church confesses that Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are three persons but one in substance.  We confess God in One God, in three Persons.  Why do we do this?  Mainly because we rely upon the words of Jesus in the Gospels that tell about the relationship between Jesus, his Father and the Holy Spirit.

Sermon:
Can you be a brother or sister, and a son or daughter, and student all at one time?  Can your father be a father, brother and husband all at one time?  Can your mother be a mother, sister and wife all at one time?
  So, one person can be many different personal roles at one time.  I am a father, a brother, a son, a cousin, a priest, and yet I am still just one human being.  I am a father person, a brother person and a son person, but still just one human being.
  Today is called Trinity Sunday.  Does anyone know what Trinity means.  Whenever you see the three letters TRI at the start of a word, what number are we talking about?  The number three.  Trinity refers to three persons.
  As Christians we say that God is One God but in trinity of persons.  And what are the three persons?  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  If you are talking to your Dad, then you know him as your father.  But if your uncle is talking to your dad, he will know your dad as a brother.  And if your mother is talking her your dad, she will know your dad as her husband.
  So, whether we know God as Father, Son or Holy Spirit, it all depends on how we are knowing God.
  If we are talking about God as the great creator, we will be speaking about God as our Father. 
  But if we are talking about God as God became known to us as a human being, then we will talk about Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
  And if we’re talking about how God can be present everywhere at one time, then we will talk about God as the Holy Spirit.
  So God can be one God and be also known as three different persons, depending upon what we need to know about God.
  And that is the wonderful thing about the Trinity.  God can be known to us in different ways.  Because sometimes we need to know God in different ways.
  Today let us be thankful that God can be known to us in different ways, as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  This is the Trinity that we celebrate today.  Amen.


Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist
May 30, 2021: Trinity Sunday

Gathering Songs:
Bless the Lord; Holy, Holy, Holy; Father, I Adore You; Our God is an Awesome God

Song: Bless the Lord (Renew! # 114)

Bless the Lord my soul and bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord my soul, he rescues me from death.

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.


Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us 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; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter to the Romans
When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God


Liturgist: Let us read together Canticle 13
Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *  we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *  on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People:            Glory to you, Lord 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 second 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."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.


Song: Holy, Holy, Holy (blue hymnal, # 362) vs. 1 and 3

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 the sinful human eye they glory may not see, only thou art holy: there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All  may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.


And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us with your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,


Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.


Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Father, I Adore You (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)

Father, I adore you, lay my life before you, how I love you.
Jesus….
Spirit…

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Awesome God (Renew! # 245) Sing Three times

Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God.

Dismissal:   
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ. 
People: Thanks be to God! 

Sunday, May 27, 2018

Why Are We Trinitarian?


Trinity Sunday b  May 27, 2018  

Isaiah 6:1-8  Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17   John 3:1-17


Today is Trinity Sunday and therefore the topic of the sermon is obvious: Baseball.  Why? because the Trinity is too mysterious and controversial.  Just kidding. And so you won't think that my sermon is pointless, here are the points.  The words of Jesus.  The words of Paul and other New Testament writers. The baptismal formula.  The Apostles Creed.  The retroactive Trinity.  The Nicene Creed.  The Trinity for you and me.

Why are we Christians Trinitarian in our beliefs?  Mainly because of the words of Jesus both from the oral tradition and from the oracle tradition of the words of Jesus.  The oracle tradition are the words that Jesus channeled through the Holy Spirit because he gave the disciple authority to speak in his name and they like Paul could say, "We have the mind of Christ."  The words of Jesus promote the relationship between Jesus as his Father.  He taught his disciples to regard God as their intimate parent, even to be on a mommy/daddy intimate relationship with God.  To teach such intimacy of God, Jesus was the uniquely intimate Son of God who invited us to be brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of God.  The intimate relationship with God involved a conduit Person, the Holy Spirit.  And Jesus promised that this Holy Spirit would continue to be his Conduit relationship with his followers after he was gone.

The words of St. Paul, many of which came to textual form before the words of Gospel, include the relationship of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, sometimes included in a formulaic benediction in his writings, invoking the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit equally upon the lives of those in his churches.

The Trinity was crucial to the Christian Rite of Initiation, Holy Baptism.  The last words of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew was the evangelical command:  Go into all the world and preach the Gospel, making disciples and baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  If you have been baptized, you were baptized in the Name of the Trinity.  These are the essential words of the Christian Rite of Holy Baptism.

Part of the early baptismal rites included questions regarding one's belief.  Do you believe in God the Father?  Do you believe in God the Son?  Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?  Each baptismal candidate responded, "I believe in the God the Father.....I believe in God the Son....I believe in God the Holy Spirit."  This question and answer format for the baptismal rite became what we know to be the Apostles Creed which is still used in question and answer form at baptism, but also at Morning and Evening Prayer as well as in the Rite of Christian Burial.  At one's baptism one confesses a belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  One does not make a confession about how God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit are understood in their relationship.  The relationship confession about the Trinity would come later in the history of the early churches when the Nicene Creed was generated.

Next, I would like to mention what I call the "Retroactive Trinity."  By this I mean, that if the Trinity is how God always was, how can one find the Trinity in Hebrew Scriptures?  The Jews do not confess a belief in the Holy Trinity; they confess a strict monotheism.  How can Christians claim the Hebrew Scriptures of the Jews as being Trinitarian.  Christian apologists found the Trinity, "retroactively" in the Hebrew Scriptures.  I'll give one example: The Creation Story includes the Holy Trinity.  God the Father Spoke the Words of Creation.  Jesus Christ was the Word of Creation that God the Father spoke.  And the Holy Spirit was the Breath and Wind of God which moved over the face of the abyss to cause creation to happen.  There you have it: Retroactive Trinity.  All three were involved in Creation.

Next, is the Trinity of the Council of Nicaea in 325.  One can say that it wasn't until then that the public consciousness of the Trinity was so evident.  The Trinity had moved from being hidden and implicit during the time of Jesus and the early church to becoming explicit doctrine and canon law in the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea in 325.  In the Nicene Creed we have the Trinity as an administrative, political and legal truth of the Church.  The Apostles Creed is about "that you believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."  The Nicene Creed is about "how you believe in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit."  Why did this become important?  Christianity was successful in the Roman Empire.  The Emperor Constantine, like typical politicians, embraced this success of Christianity, but he also was aware of the fighting between Christians.  Christians disagreed about God and about how they expressed the relationship between God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  Constantine called the Bishops of all the churches in the Empire to gather in Nicaea to standardize Christian teaching so that disagreements would not divide his empire.  The Council of Nicaea was a heated Church Convention.  It ended with a Creed and statements of Canon Law.  In the Creed, it is state that God is Three Persons who are equally God in their personal substance.  The bishops used Greek philosophical notions to speak of God as three Persons who were equally One God.  The majority vote of bishops won at Nicaea, but a majority of Christians were "excommunicated" because of the Council of Nicaea.  The Canon Law stated, "If anyone believes to the contrary of what we have stated, let them be anathema."  This is a polite way of saying, "let them go to hell." It took more than a century for the beliefs of Nicaea to become generally accepted, because many local rulers continued to protect bishops who did agree with the teachings of the Council.

Today, we in general accept the formula of the Nicene Creed, probably without thinking about what they mean.  We probably do not appreciate the Greek philosophical distinctions used by the Church Fathers to state the relationship between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  So, where do you and I stand with the Trinity today?  When you pray, who do you pray to?  Do you give Jesus more time than the Father or the Holy Spirit?  When you pray to God, do you just assume all three?  When you meditate how do you understand the involvement of the Trinity?

How can you and I appropriate a functional and relevant understanding of the Trinity for our lives today?

I begin with John's Gospel.  In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  All things came into being through Word.  You and I are human because we are worded beings; we are language users and because we use word, we name everything including ourselves as language users.  And we name human experience.  We name the experience of God in human experience.  We can easily name God as our Father or Creator, in the sense that we know we did not self create; we came from a Plenitude of Everything.  Secondly, we accept our worded-human experience as a valid way to come to know about God.  What gives us permission to regard our human experience as a valid way to know God?  This is where God the Son is known.  God became human and embraced and validated human experience as a way to know God.  How could humanity know God if God did not permit the Divine Person to be Bi-lingual.  Jesus as God's Son is proof to us that God is bi-lingual knowing both the divine and human experience completely.  If we speak about God, the perfect bi-lingual Son is unavoidable.  Next, in our human experience we are aware of not being alone.  Space between us is not a vacuum.  There is a conduit between everything that allows mutual experience to be conducted.  How can you know me if you are not me and how can I know you without being you?  The Holy Spirit is God's Omnipresence which means that mutual relationship is conducted between us and within us.  I regard this to be the unavoidable mystery of God in human experience and this Mystery is the Holy Spirit.

Finally, why is it relevant to refer to God as Persons?  As people we define God as the greatest.  To speak about God is to use the superlative case of human attributes.  One of the highest things we think about ourselves is that we have personality.  A person is someone who is in relationship.  Being relational persons is what defines human psychology and sociology.  And if we want to speak about a great God, we believe that Ultimate relationship begins with God as a dynamic union of Personalities.  In confessing God as Trinity, we believe that love expresses perfect relationship between persons.  And we confess that Perfect Loving United Relationship begins in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

And so I confess the Trinity as being unavoidable in my relationship with God today.  I hope that the Trinity will be for you today, not just a confession or church doctrine, I hope it will be your intimate love relationship with God today.  Amen.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Sunday School, May 27, 2018 Trinity Sunday B



Sunday School, May 27, 2018 Trinity Sunday B

Theme of the Day: The Holy Trinity

Use the metaphor of translation for understanding God’s Greatness

When we go to another country or when we hear other people speaking languages other than our own, how can we understand what they are saying?

We need a translator or someone who knows both language who can change what is said in another language into our own language.

Imagine God as being foreign because of God’s Greatness.  God is so great that God is in some way foreign unless God can be translated into human language and experience.

Faith in a Great God means that we believe that God is approachable enough to allow God to be translated into human language and experience.

So how is God translated into human language and experience?

We take the greatest things of human experience and since we believe that God is greater than everyone, then God must be the best example of everything great in human experience.


Make signs of the Names and Attributes of God to show how we translate and understand God in human language and experience.  The last three Sign would be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We understand that being a person is what is greatest about being human.  And  if we are persons, then God must be the greatest Person and so he is known to us in how his Personality is shown to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Holy or Special or Uniquely Greatest, I AM or Highest Being, Infinite: Too big for anyone to measure,
All Powerful, Creator, Good, Merciful, Lovingly Kind, Love, Compassionate, Caring, Cares for the Poor,  Sustainer: Keeps all things,  Perfect in Greatness, All Containing, Every in Inside of the Boundaries of God’, Salvation and Health, All Knowing,  Omnipresent: Everywhere, Wise, With Us,
Gracious,  Comforter, Advocate: One who prays for us,  Strength, Courage,  Power, Hope, Father, Son,
Holy Spirit


Why do Christians believe in the Trinity?  God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

It was the ancient baptismal formula.  The command of Jesus to his disciples was to teach and make disciples and to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Apostles' Creed is the creed of Holy Baptism.  Each person is asked to believe in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Later, the church decided to teach about the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The result of this teaching is called the Nicene Creed.  In it the Church confesses that Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are three persons but one in substance.  We confess God in One God, in three Persons.  Why do we do this?  Mainly because we rely upon the words of Jesus in the Gospels that tell about the relationship between Jesus, his Father and the Holy Spirit.

Sermon:
Can you be a brother or sister, and a son or daughter, and student all at one time?  Can your father be a father, brother and husband all at one time?  Can your mother be a mother, sister and wife all at one time?
  So, one person can be many different personal roles at one time.  I am a father, a brother, a son, a cousin, a priest, and yet I am still just one human being.  I am a father person, a brother person and a son person, but still just one human being.
  Today is called Trinity Sunday.  Does anyone know what Trinity means.  Whenever you see the three letters TRI at the start of a word, what number are we talking about?  The number three.  Trinity refers to three persons.
  As Christians we say that God is One God but in trinity of persons.  And what are the three persons?  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  If you are talking to your Dad, then you know him as your father.  But if your uncle is talking to your dad, he will know your dad as a brother.  And if your mother is talking her your dad, she will know your dad as her husband.
  So, whether we know God as Father, Son or Holy Spirit, it all depends on how we are knowing God.
  If we are talking about God as the great creator, we will be speaking about God as our Father. 
  But if we are talking about God as God became known to us as a human being, then we will talk about Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
  And if we’re talking about how God can be present everywhere at one time, then we will talk about God as the Holy Spirit.
  So God can be one God and be also known as three different persons, depending upon what we need to know about God.
  And that is the wonderful thing about the Trinity.  God can be known to us in different ways.  Because sometimes we need to know God in different ways.
  Today let us be thankful that God can be known to us in different ways, as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  This is the Trinity that we celebrate today.  Amen.


St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
May 27, 2018: Trinity Sunday

Gathering Songs:
Bless the Lord; Holy, Holy, Holy; Father, I Adore You; Our God is an Awesome God

Song: Bless the Lord (Renew! # 114)

Bless the Lord my soul and bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord my soul, he rescues me from death.

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.


Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us 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; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter to the Romans
When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God


Liturgist: Let us read together Canticle 13
Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.
Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *  we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *  on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People:            Glory to you, Lord 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 second 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."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.


Song: Holy, Holy, Holy (blue hymnal, # 362) vs. 1 and 3

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 the sinful human eye they glory may not see, only thou art holy: there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All  may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.


And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us with your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,


Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.


Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Father, I Adore You (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 56)

Father, I adore you, lay my life before you, how I love you.
Jesus….
Spirit…

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Awesome God (Renew! # 245) Sing Three times

Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God.

Dismissal:   
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ. 
People: Thanks be to God! 


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