The Trinity
Acts 2:14a,22-36
Feast of the Trinity – June 3rd, 2007
† In Jesus Name †
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT) And may you realize the extent to which that grace, love, and fellowship of our God is with you daily.
Complicated? You bet!
Last week, I saw a truly amazing concert on television. The concert included the 110 junior high school and high school musicians known as the Cleveland Youth Orchestra, a youth choir of another 60 teenagers, and the 1980’s rock and roll group Styx. Like a few of the rock groups from the 70’s and 80’s, Styx was a group their background as classical pianists and guitarists, along with rich 4 part harmony singing in their music. The band, often in the concert, explained where there inspiration came for the various pieces.
It was amazing to see their music played and sung with a full symphony, with strings and woodwinds and brass, and even glockenspiels and timpani’s! Instead of loud guitars only doing familiar solo instrumental runs, it was two young men, playing cellos. Their fingers flew over their strings, as they played incredibly the incredibly fast music with instruments more suitable to playing slow meditative pieces. A few times, I have seen “full scored” music – that is – the sheet music for an entire orchestra – every note that every instrument is to play. For a short piece, three to four minutes, a score takes up a huge notebook. For a concert such as I saw….the complicated score would take up file cabinets. But when you heard the concert, with everything so precisely tuned and accomplished, the beauty is astonishing.
Today is the day in the church year, where we celebrate something that is even more complicated, that is so complex, it makes a symphony seem simple. We celebrate that our God is three, and yet one. Our Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit.
We said a creed today, that seems complicated, and a bit confusing. Perhaps we need to say it slowly, with a long pause between each clause. For the majestic glory described there, is worth considering, it is worth pondering. As is the second part of the Creed, which proclaims the incredible mystery of how Jesus is both fully God, and fully man.
What we can know….
I think, that like the great concert, there is a time to be in awe at the incredible details that comprise the concert, and a time to be amazed at how the parts work in incredibly unified perfection. There is also time, to relax and focus not on the details, and the complicated nature of the performance, but simply to revel, and rejoice at the finished product.
As we look at another section of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, we see, we hear the symphony of Father, Son, and Spirit at work, preparing a masterpiece. As we see the three major components working together, may we realize the grace that is poured out on us, as our God, works a concert of incredible grace!
The Father
Attests to Jesus
Laid out the Plan
Prognosis = Good!
Raised Christ
In our reading from Acts, God, our Father, first moves to do what Peter describes as “attesting” to Jesus. A word not used often these days, it describes a more proactive role than just being a witness. It means to demonstrate and prove that to which you are attesting. If someone were to attest that I was once skinny, they would pull out pictures of me in college and high school – proving their claim.
God, our Father, attests to the fact that Jesus is His only begotten son, the Messiah, the hope long since promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Issac and Jacob, to Moses and Joshua, to Samuel and David and the rest of the prophets, by what Peter says were, mighty works, wonders, and signs. Things that no one, but one approved by God, could even comprehend, never mind accomplish. Works of healing, wonders of raising the dead, and walking through crowds attempting to kill him, and signs such as His teaching, 330 some such events, prophesied 400 to 3000 years prior to His birth.
That points out to next point – that everything Jesus did, was laid out to do, by the Father. The plan was set, even to the fact, that the people that Peter was speaking to, would hand over Jesus to be killed…hanged on a cross. God knew about this, beforehand, He understood the cost, and sent Jesus, anyway…and then, would raise Him from the dead!
The Son
Was crucified and died
Death did not restrain Him
No Tomb
Is the Lord and Christ
We now see Jesus’ role in this symphony, for he too, knew what the crowd would do. Yet, scripture tells us, he approached the cross, knowing the joy that it signified, as well as the shame. He went, in total agreement with the Father will, and divine plan.
If I were to write the symphony that would accompany this part of the text, this part would have this incredibly dark and solid bass line…. as it symbolized the darkness and weight of our sin… and the sin of the world…all of that sin, oppressing us, and separating us from God.
And then, as Christ dies, the roll of dark bass drums reach a crescendo, and all the low bass instruments, for a moment, a dark and minor key…and then halt..
But then, a piccolo begins to trill a bright high note, soon joined by every bright and joyous instrument in the orchestra joins in, as the music goes from dirge to dance, from hopeless depression, to a life abundant in hope, and in joy. From a life of emptiness, to a life of celebration.
That is the only way I can picture death, supposedly victorious, finding that no matter how hard it tries to hold to Jesus, it cannot. Our passage pictures death there, with is chains ripped apart, as Jesus walks away, risen, reigning, triumphant
Peter points out a tomb, that holds the greatest hero in the Jewish history, the King and prophet and psalm writer David. The man God claims was after God’s own heart. His bones have rested in the grave for a thousand years, but Jesus, who was killed by crucifixion, his bones, his body lies in no grave. It is risen, as we have said repeatedly since eater, and for the last two weeks, we have celebrated that He has ascended!
He will indicate – how much greater Jesus must be, compared to King David.
The Spirit
Poured out – resulting in Pentecost
Testifies through prophets and scripture
Convinces/convicts us.
It is amazing to me, that even after 2000 years, that it is difficult to discuss one person of the trinity, despite the amazing descriptions of how He has worked, and how the Father and Jesus promise He will work, as He is sent to us. Even more surprising, is that in preparing for the Sunday School series we are about to start – this morning – on the Holy Spirit , I search 5 Christian bookstores. Anyone want to guess how many books I found? Anyone think 50? 30? 15? How about 4! And two more on the Concordia web site!
Here, in Acts 2, we have mention, the Spirit being poured out on the apostles. Jesus had asked them to stay in Jerusalem, until this day, and on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. The result of that is that three thousand people gathered, and heart Peter proclaim this message.
That testimony of Jesus’ life, and death, burial and resurrection, is the primary method the Holy Spirit works on us, and within us. Revealing Christ, from scripture, testifying to our hearts as well! That testimony brings us faith, and life, doing what the old translation of the Apostles Creed says – quickening us. Though sometimes I think I was quackened! Quickened means to be brought to life.
That is part of the Sunday school lesson today, by the way!
If our lesson in acts were to be continued, we would see the conclusion of the first movement of the symphony of God. The Holy Spirit, working through the words of Peter, shows the people that they killed Gods promised one, Jesus the Christ. The people are convicted, they are cut to the heart.they realize that they have done something horrid…
Yet God the Father foreknew it, and allowed it to happen. He planned out how it would happen, and Jesus accomplished the task. And through the Holy Spirit’s action, 3000 people believed, and repented…
Each time, the word is proclaimed, the symphony begins another movement, another piece of work.
It brings us to life, and to faith, and we rejoice as we see this life begin, as others realize that the harsh nature of sin has been wiped away, and they rejoice with us at the love and joy and peace given to us by our God, Father, Son and Spirit.
Someday, the final movement shall occur, and all wil be gathered before Him, as we with millions of voices declare the holiness of the Lord.
Until then, we live in Christ, with the promised Spirit, who was poured out on us, in our baptism. The Holy Spirit, whose names include the comforter, and counselor, the one who walks beside us, reminding us we walk in peace with God.
The very peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding. Which guards our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.
AMEN?
AMEN.
