This week we celebrate Trinity Sunday. What, some of you may be wondering, is Trinity Sunday?
Sundays are a holy day in Christianity, and in creation, and Trinity Sunday is particularly holy.
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity.
Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons of God: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The readings for this Sunday begin with Genesis 1:1—2:4a (our first introduction to the God we worship), the very beginning of Genesis, continues with Psalm 8 and culminates in the Gospel of Matthew 28: 16-20 where Jesus gives his final commission to his disciples at the end of his life.
The reading from Matthew this week is a story about the lives of those men and women who followed Jesus; people who were so very ordinary and, yet, so very extraordinary.
Our reading from Matthew 28: 16-20 is:
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus had one last important instruction for these disciples:” Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
Jesus spoke these words to the men and women who understood his message and had themselves seen his works.
They were first-hand witnesses to Jesus in the Spirit. They understood the call to spread the word in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But what a task Jesus had set before them; they were the only surviving members of a face-to-face experience with him and now he was depending on them to carry out his work!
So, I have to ask what about us? We too are ordinary men and women, each with our own burdens and baggage. Most of us do not have the means or the know-how to change the big things in our world. But there are three basic things which we can do to ensure this great commission of Jesus does not go unheeded.
If we can seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, I believe the rest will follow. If we can learn to both receive and extend God’s welcome to all God’s people, especially those who are marginalized, then we are doing the work of Christ and walking in the presence of Jesus the son, God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for this week is:
Faithful Creator, we give thanks for your forming, saving, and empowering work in our lives. Shape us for a closer relationship with you and a meaningful life among our neighbours.
We are thankful for your constant presence in our lives as we learn and grow in our faith.
In our daily living and relationship with others, help us to be a sign of your presence and your unending love. Amen.
In peace
Pastor Beryl, DLM