Trinity Sunday
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
- First reading and Psalm
- Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
- Psalm 8
- Second reading
- Romans 5:1-5
- Gospel
- John 16:12-15
Photograph
from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville,TN.
https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu
The gospel from John:
Jesus said “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Sermon:
Today is Trinity Sunday. It is different, in that it is the only Sunday celebrating church doctrine. We prefer to hear stories. Pastor Stevensen’s purpose this morning is for us to read the text carefully and stay close to the Bible. It is a story that has three characters: Father. Son and Holy Spirit. To understand who characters are it helps to study their backgrounds. The Father is God. There is no dispute. The Son is Jesus, Emanuel, the Word made flesh, God among us. The third character is the Spirit of truth, the advocate. The Nicene Creed names three characters to be persons, not three gods, but rather one essence, one substance. There are not three gods. Christianity includes the Old Testament which declares the Lord as one. One God, who is trustworthy and works on our behalf.