2 Corinthians 13:11-14: MEMORIAL DAY – REMEMBERING THE TRINITY
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Why do we have Memorial Day? What is the point? As Americans, it is good for us to have a holiday that reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are freedoms that were earned. On Memorial Day, we remember all those people in the past, who wore uniforms representing our country, people who fought against those who were trying to steal our freedom away. On Memorial Day, we remember the people in the present, who still fight for our freedoms today. As an American, you enjoy a certain amount of freedom, and a certain quality of life that many people in the world just don’t have. And that freedom, that quality of life, didn’t just happen out of the blue. It’s something that was earned for you by other people. That’s why we have Memorial Day, to remember and honor those people.
There’s another day that we are celebrating this weekend, and that day is Trinity Sunday, which is today. I guess you could say that Trinity Sunday is similar to Memorial Day. On Trinity Sunday, we remember that God reveals himself to us in three separate ways, as three separate persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now remember, the doctrine of the Trinity does not attempt to completely explain God. It only explains to us in a very simple way what God has revealed to us about himself so far. To describe the tip of the iceberg above the water is not to describe the entire iceberg. So we Christians affirm the Trinity, not as a complete explanation of God, but simply as a way of describing the tip of the iceberg - what we know about Him.
The idea of the Trinity is not emphatically stated as a doctrine in the scriptures. Yet, you can see it many times, in many places. The early Christians soon discovered that they simply could not speak of God without speaking of the three ways in which he had revealed himself to them. This does not mean that there are three Gods. It means that there is one God who has shown himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today, we remember the Trinity – a kind of Memorial Day for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The United States didn’t just happen, did it. All the things you see that are American – all the different buildings, all the different freedoms – the American lifestyle – it didn’t just happen. Our country was set up by other people. Wars had to be fought. Blood had to be shed. And just in case you forget that, there are war memorials that remind you of the price that had to be paid so that you can enjoy everything you see. I used to live in Washington DC, and I remember visiting all the different memorials. The one that sticks out in my mind the most is the Vietnam Memorial – the big wall of names. Those memorials are there to keep us from forgetting that our country is here because of what other people did.
The world didn’t just happen either. The sky, the sea, the trees, the animals, the complicated human body – those things didn’t just happen. Wouldn’t it be dumb to say that our country developed accidentally? And yet, that’s what people say when they describe the world. The world happened accidentally – a big explosion – bang- and then there was a puddle of slime, and wouldn’t you know it, millions of years later, there were people.
Not so, God says in the Bible. God the Father, the creator of our world, tells us in our first reading for today that the world did not happen accidentally. There was no pile of slime, and from that slime came creatures and eventually people. No, God says. God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, created our world in only six days. But how could that be, you ask. And the answer, really, is very simple – God is powerful. God is wise. God can do whatever he wants. If God wants to create the world, complete with adult animals, and trees that look hundreds of years old, and rock formations that look millions of years old – if God wants to do that in only six days, then he will, because he is powerful, and he is wise.
Wouldn’t it be nice if God the Father left behind a few memorials, so that we wouldn’t forget just how powerful and wise he was? God has left behind a memorial for you, and that memorial is called nature. Look at the beauty of nature – look at all the beautiful variety of birds that gather around a bird feeder. Go snorkeling, and look at the brilliantly colored fish – all of them beautiful in their own way. Listen to a doctor describe how complicated and how ingeniously the human body is designed. These are God’s memorials, and they remind you of just how wise and powerful your creator is.
But after God made the world, the world fell into sin. The Devil took over. The people who lived here didn’t realize it, but they were slaves to the Devil, and slaves to sin. No one was free to go to heaven. No one was free from being afraid of God. No one was free from the punishments of hell.
And so God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, and Jesus, by his perfect life and innocent death, brought us freedom.
On Memorial Day, we remember the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf. Because of those sacrifices, we have freedom. We don’t have to worry about someone barging into our house and robbing us or killing us. We don’t have to worry about someone telling us that we can’t worship God anymore. We don’t have to worry about being thrown in jail for no reason. We are free from those sorts of things. But it came at a cost – people had to go to war, and shed their blood, for us. When you go to the theater, and watch a war movie these days, the movies are becoming more and more graphic. Saving Private Ryan, the Patriot – those movies show in very graphic detail just how gory it was, how bloody it was, when those soldiers shed their blood so that we could enjoy our American freedoms.
It was very gory, very bloody, when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shed his blood so that we could enjoy our Christian freedom. Jesus went into battle against Satan and death, and the battlefield was the cross. And there he shed his blood, finally, even dying, making the ultimate sacrifice. But he did this so that you could have freedom.
You see, that sacrifice served as a ransom, and once that ransom was paid, you were freed from all kinds of things. No longer do you have to be afraid of God, because you know that Jesus has paid for your sins. No longer do you have to be afraid to die, because you know that you’ll be going to heaven when you die. No longer do you have to be tortured by guilt because of those sins of the past. No longer do you have to live in confusion about how to get to heaven. You are free from all those things. Free to live at peace with God, and at peace with yourself. But that freedom came at a price – the Son of God had to sacrifice himself for you, to shed his blood for you. And so, on this Trinity Sunday, we remember what the second person of the Trinity did – Jesus Christ, his death on the cross.
When the Allied forces defeated the Germans in WWII, thousands of prisoners were released. Thousands of people were given their freedom. Not one prisoner said, “No, I don’t believe the war is over. I will stay here in this prison until you prove to me that the war is over.”
When Jesus died on the cross, and then rose from the dead, billions of prisoners were freed. According to the Bible, every person in the world, for all time was freed from their guilt, from their fear, from the condemnation of hell. But not everyone believes it. A lot of people say, “That’s too good to be true. I will stay here in my prison of guilt until you prove to me that God really did win the war.” But for you, you do believe. You are like those prisoners of war, who see the allied troops opening the gates. Jesus has opened the gates of heaven to you. The war is over – Satan has lost – you are free from your sins, free to be a Christian who is loved and taken care of by God.
Memorial Day also helps us to appreciate our citizenship as Americans. How did you become an American citizen? For most of us, if not all of us, we were born into it. For some, though, who are not born in this country, it takes a lot of work. There are some facts to study, some tests to take, some fees to pay.
How did you become a citizen of God’s country, of heaven? How did you become a Christian? Did you know that no one is born that way – no one is born a Christian. So how does it happen?
That’s where the Holy Spirit comes into the picture, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit brings people into the kingdom of God, he turns people into Christians. And he uses the Gospel. For some, the Holy Spirit turns you into a Christian when you hear the Gospel spoken to you. For others, the Holy Spirit turns you into a Christian when the Gospel and water are applied to you – through baptism.
Do you realize the significance of what happened this morning, when that baby was baptized? The Word of God tells us that at that moment, when that baby was baptized, the Holy Spirit entered that baby’s heart, and changed that baby into a Christian. As a result of that baptism, that child is now a citizen in the kingdom of God. That’s what the third person of the Trinity does, the Holy Spirit – he brings you to faith, he changes you into a citizen of God’s kingdom.
Throughout the year, we have different days that remind us of our citizenship, days that help us to be patriotic – we have Memorial Day. We have the 4th of July, we have Flag Day. Patriotism is a good thing. It’s good to be proud of your country, to appreciate your citizenship and the sacrifices that were made to win your freedom.
Is there such a day as a Christian memorial day? A day when you remember God the Father who made you, God the Son who died for you, and God the Holy Spirit who converted you. Is there a Memorial Day for the Triune God?
I believe that we need a day like that. We are human beings, and we are forgetful. How quickly we forget about our Creator, our Savior, our Sanctifier – we forget what God has done for us.
And so, I propose that we have such a day – a Memorial Day for God. Every Sunday, we’ll meet here at the Holiday Inn until we get a building – 9:30. We’ll remember what God has done for us. We’ll find joy and strength as we hear the Word of God. That will be our purpose as a church – to be a memorial to God, a place that doesn’t let you forget about what God has done for you.
May God bless you this weekend as you celebrate Memorial Day. May God also bless you every Sunday, as you come here to be reminded of your God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
