Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Sunday

Matthew 28:16-20

"The Trinity"

16* ¶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

17* And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.

18* And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19* Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20* teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."RSV

As many of you know, I had my internship in Wisconsin at Chippewa Falls, near Eau Claire, we have returned there many times to visit with friends. As we travel through Minnesota, one of the towns we pass through has a court house in the middle of their square and on top of that building there is clock tower. On the tower is clock, the clock which has four faces, so no matter in which direction you are coming into that town and around that square, you can see the hands and the face of a clock, telling you what time it is. During one trip, I stopped to think whether there are four different clocks running each set of faces and hands, or whether there is one clock somehow running those four faces and hands. It is a mystery, how those faces and hands on that clock tower really work .

At the same time, a thought also popped into my mind, isn’t that the same mystery we have concerning God as three persons, the Trinity. We have God, the father, creator, God, the son, the redeemer, God, the Spirit the comforter, the counselor, the one who makes us holy. We see the three faces of God, but we have only one God. Like that clock on the tower, God has three faces, but only one God. Each face of God tells us something about God. God, the father, creator tells us about the God of the universe, God who creates, God who is powerful. God, the son, Jesus, shows us the love of God, the saving, redeeming quality of God. Then we have God, the Spirit who shows us the God who is with us through all the circumstances of our lives. God the spirit ,who brings the Father and the Son into our very souls, hearts and minds.

Our gospel lesson this morning is the Great Commission. And I would like to look at just one part of those verses, actually the last part of the last verse which says: "and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age".

For it is that part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit which I would like to look at this morning. Because it is the Holy Spirit which brings Christ to us through out the ages.

The Holy Spirit is very much misunderstood in our time. Some like to claim it as their spirit which brings them special gifts, others like to ignore it, and others can take it or leave it.

But I would like to emphasis that it is that Spirit which brings Christ, the saviour into our lives. How, I don’t know! But I do know that Christ’s Spirit of love, mercy and redemption is in our lives.

But sometimes we take that power of the Spirit in our lives for granted. We think of it as some sort of magic. Well, I came to church today, so everything is ok, I took communion, so I am ok for now..and on and on we could go.

The following says it well.

A pastor tells about an event that occurred in his church in Brooklyn, N.Y. "I was doing duty in the narthex, keeping the sanctuary open for visitors and meditation when a man came in and asked if he could light a candle. Before I could respond aye or nay he quickly added, "By the way, what kind of church is this?"

":Lutheran," I replied, prepared to define it and candles a bit more precisely, when he smiled and said, ’’Not that it makes any difference. I don’t favor any particular kind of religion. Whenever I pass a church I like to light a candle and plug into the divine. Any God will do !!"

Plug into the Divine, like it is magic, a kind of pill that will keep us save and sound.

But being in the Spirit is more than magic, it takes commitment. Since Jesus was willing to give His life for us, doesn’t He deserve more than our passing fancy with Him and the Spirit? Doesn’t he deserve more than our being plugged in when it suits us or reassures us?