Sermons

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Proper 8A - RCL – June 29, 2008

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Jeremiah 28:5-9 - It is easy to prophesy the negatives, but you will recognize as the true prophet, the one who brings peace…”As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

Romans 6:12-23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:40-42 - Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Text: “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

How many friends do you have? I mean people who will always have your back, who will always forgive you for your failings, who will understand your struggle, but maybe not approve of your sins, who will stand with you when maybe even your family will not? I have several friends like that, but I would bet that I can still count those friends on two hands – maybe even one if I have been really bad.

What about being God’s friend? How do we work that one out? The Apostle James in his letter to the church calls Abraham the friend of God. How did Abraham live out that friendship? How did God illustrate His Friendship with Abraham?

But the point I want to make is the one which I believe our readings make for us today: First – Friendship is something we can’t take lightly or dismiss. And living out the Christ-life will make you a friend even of strangers, let alone those whom you value as close to you in this life.

We are called to Friendship with God, and this is our calling in Christ and is reiterated over and over, in the Word. In asking his disciples and us to value our friendship, our brotherhood and sisterhood in His Name and in the Name of the Church, Jesus is asking us to move out of the old life of self-centeredness, of me first-orientation to a place of self-sacrifice. Jesus took our fallen humanity to the cross, and while we were still enemies of God, he sacrificed himself on our behalf. And while Jesus was at it, he called us and even our enemies to faith in him.

No matter how heated and unhappy we become with our fellow Episcopalians over the current important matters facing the Anglican Communion, we must always remember that our brother is never our enemy. He may be fallen, he may be in sin, he may be mistaken in his understanding, he may even be persecuting us, but we must take it as Jesus took it. We still are called to heaven together and we can seek spiritual friendship with that brother or sister.

In putting our friendship with God first, we do strike a balance in our relationship with others, and with our brethren in Christ. This is not to say that we do not stand for truth and righteousness, but we must stand with the prophetic and loving position of calling others to repent and believe more fully in the Gospel. If we are hateful and nasty, disagreeable and unkind, condemning and accusatory, we fall into Satan's trap, and then the world looks at us and throws it up in our faces, “see how those Christians love each other.”

There has been much said over the last few years about the current issues we wrestle with in the church, many of them directed at those of us who are trying to reform the church back to a time of deeper obedience to the Word of God. We have been accused of being focused on single-issues and of ignoring our call to serve those less fortunate than ourselves. I don’t think that we here at St. Paul’s have failed in our friendship as Christians, but to the extent that we aren’t faithful, aren’t obedient, then the accusations might hold true.

Excerpt from THE LIVING CHURCH:

In one of the short TV spots that are part of the nonprofit Ad Council’s current Generous Nation campaign, three young children are in a car. Two are sleeping, and the third is sitting in the front seat and staring forlornly. Their parents stand outside in the pouring rain. “This is a family,” says the announcer, “that was almost fed by neighbors who almost volunteered.”

Another shows a back view of a man on crutches, partway up a long staircase. “This is a man who almost learned to walk, at a rehab center that almost got built, by people who almost gave money,” recites the narrator.

Most of us don’t have to look very far into our pasts to find all kinds of opportunities we’ve missed for reaching out to people in need. Perhaps a financially overextended neighbor lost his or her job. We thought about inviting that person for a meal, but we never got around to doing it. Maybe we’ve considered helping out in a soup kitchen or at a homeless shelter. But after we’d worked all day and prepared our own dinner and cleaned up, we were simply too tired to do anything but watch TV. Perhaps another time.

Sin results when we allow our fallen selfishness to rule what we do (or don’t do). As such, our many instances of “almost” helping those around us in need represent sins of omission. Paul urges us, “do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies.” As members of the body of Christ, he enjoins us, “present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.” “Now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God,” he concludes, “the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life” (Rom. 6:12-13, 22).

Being of help to God’s people in need doesn’t need to be expensive or even time consuming. Sometimes a kind word or a hug does the trick. Or it might be simply listening or providing companionship. As our Savior tells us in this Sunday’s gospel, “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward” (Matt. 10:42).

Our intentions, however good and sincere, gain us nothing if we don’t follow through. The Ad Council indeed gets it right: “When it comes to giving, ‘almost’ doesn’t count.”

In serving the Gospel, in serving our friendship with God, then we stand in right relationship with God. Continue to pray for those you love in Christ, but with whom you disagree, and continue to show them how you are able to model Jesus' sacrificial love for the salvation and well-being of the whole world.

Proper 7 - June 22, 2008

Jeremiah 20:7-13 Romans 5:15b-19 Matthew 10:24-39

TEXT: ~ Jeremiah 20:7-13 - "Sing to the LORD;

praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers. ~Jeremiah 20:13

~ Romans 6:1b-11 -

~ Matthew 10:24-39 -

Jeremiah's lament - that he ever got involved with this Yahweh, this God who talked him into being his mouthpiece, his prophet. And now Jeremiah is afraid. He is concerned that even his closest friends are mocking him and hoping he will fail and fall. He suffers public ridicule and is in great emotional pain and fear. Fear of Men.

An aside: Fear! Fear of God. The Fear of the Lord. This is not the same kind of fear (respect - awe) that we talk about usually in this day and age. In some ways, we have become so buddy buddy with God that there is little fear of God anymore. Even those who are agnostic - who used to be afraid of God, just in case … no longer respect or are in awe of him. Even the wicked no longer fear God because we have made of him a weak, sniveling, party pooper, not honored him as the all-powerful creator of the universe and judge of the righteous and the unrighteous.

In the continuation of Jesus' teaching and training his disciples, we get a very clear statement that the Disciples are to rely on God, and not have any concern whatsoever about pleasing men. They are to simply serve, love, heal and offer the Father's Kingdom to any and all who would be willing to receive it. So the apostles were to honor God, and not worry about honoring men.

In the Jewish society of those days, with so many social interactions and so much emphasis on honor, secrecy was very important to protect personal and family honor. Honor means how people judge you. Jesus changed this around in verses 32-34: Honor means how God judges you. With that new meaning, secrecy is no longer so important.

The other reality that Jesus pointed out in last weeks' reading: Do not take a bunch of belongings with you. What he is reiterating to them now is, God takes care of the smallest and most miniscule things, so we need not worry about anything. God's got it handled.

I have always been surprised then, when fellow Christians are fretting about something. I ask, have you prayed about it? Have you asked God what he thinks about it? Have you put it in his hands? And I get the response back, Oh, no, God is so busy with big problems, he doesn't have time for my piddely little stuff.

God doesn't have time? No, God doesn't have time - he doesn't function in time; all things are simultaneous to God, so he can do whatever, whenever he wants, and it will be in the right time for us.

And we really have no reason to be afraid of anything or anyone, if we are in Christ. Jesus repeated it three times in today's reading - we need not fear human beings; we should only fear hurting and disobeying God.

What are you afraid of? Who? What do you have to hide? Who do you have to hide it from?

And what does fear do to us anyway. In most instances, we are paralyzed from action. If I asked one of you to prepare an Adult Christian Ed class, how many could do it, and how many would have to say no because you are uncomfortable speaking in front of groups. Let's actually name it - you are afraid of speaking publicly. But Jesus says, that's the fear he came to set us free of. To give us his grace that we might not be paralyzed from action. Besides, most of us are comfortable speaking in the presence of our family. Well, the people of St. Paul's ARE your family. Don't be afraid - the Holy Spirit will be speaking anyway.

We should all ask Jesus to explain to us what he means when he repeatedly says to me, "do not be afraid!"

And Honor. … Who do we need to honor? We should be about honoring and pleasing God, not men. We should not be concerning ourselves about what people think about us, but about what Our Heavenly Father thinks. How can we live our lives in this Awe of God so that we may serve his people without fear? This is one of the serious questions I believe it would help us all to reflect on.

I spent the better part of my life and ministry worrying about what people would think. What would they think about the sermon, about the length of the service, about my beard, about my lack of a beard, about my singing, about my wife and child, about how I was administering the parish, about the length of the vestry meetings, about how much more or how much less my salary was than the average parishioner. I had a lot to worry about, or so I thought.

But when I discovered that Jesus really did love me… ME, Larry Day of the Vine Street Days of Denver, CO, and that Jesus would cover me with his wings and shield me from the darts and arrows of misguided people's comments, then I was free to be me - the Me God intended me to become. And I have been enjoying life ever since, and loving my service of God.

You will too if you begin to fear God and not man.

Let us Pray:

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for

ever. Amen.

Proper 6 – June 15, 2008

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

TEXT: ~ Exodus 19:2-8a- “Everything the Lord says, we will do.”

~ Psalm 100 – Know that the Lord is God, Our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are, God’s well-tended flock.

~ Romans 5:1-8 - “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

~ Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23) - “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ... As you go, proclaim the good news, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

In the Exodus lesson this morning the kernel of the command of God to his chosen people, is to Obey and Keep. Obey my voice and Keep my Covenant. Both of these imply and require a close and, in fact, intimate relationship with the one who’s voice is being obeyed and with whom one has a covenant established. God speaks to the people about their future relationship, and it is implied that he will continue to be their God and they his people as long as the people are faithful to his commandments and maintain their faithfulness.

Thus, the directive would be for God’s people: maintain closeness with God. When Yahweh called the people to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, he wasn’t just dressing up words. He had his heart into these people, and expected an equal response. No, we will never be able to invest ourselves in loving God as he has invested himself in us, but we need to be continually making the effort.

As I have preached many times, we cannot be intimate with God or anyone else, unless we spend time with them. I know I’m starting to sound like I’m repeating myself all of the time, but I find that unless I am reminded everyday, I don’t always remember to accomplish the things I need to keep track of in my life.

When I was first ordained, I kept a very nice, clean and well filled-in desk calendar. I did that for the first four years of my ministry. Sure I was busy, but I always seemed to be able to remember to look at the calendar, and keep the appointments. Until one day when I was supposed to celebrate a wedding on a Sunday afternoon. As many of you know, I usually take a nap on Sunday afternoons. Well, about half way through my nap, my phone rang. “Father Larry? Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?” I was a half hour late for the wedding. Ever since then, I have carried a calendar with me, but if I don’t take the time to check it every day, I am toast.

The same is true of my checking in with the Lord every day. If I don’t pray as well as listen, I am also toast, and maybe even some of you will become toast if you go to hell because I have failed to minister to your needs or teach you the Truth of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel reading today has a slightly different thrust but similar realities. Jesus’ followers, the twelve, have been maintaining closeness with the Master. They have heard him teach, they have tried to obey, they have kept covenant as much as they could in these early stages of their understanding. They had seen him do the stuff, and had heard the basic message of the Kingdom which Jesus had been preaching.

Now Jesus was ready to test their “on the job training”, and they were probably anxious to be tested. He gives them travelling instructions, and rather strange ones at that: The Message Bible puts it this way Ü [9] "Don't think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. [10] You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light. (An aside: In those days, people stayed put – they didn’t do a lot of travelling. But when they did, they would go during the warm and dry weather, so that the roads would be passable. But Jesus tells them to go barefoot. No sandals! And, there was never any free lunch – people were expected to pay for what they received, and that might have even included the Gospel were it not for Jesus’ instructions. By telling the boys that they were not to take any provisions for the road, he was implying something rather foreign to accepted practice. But he expected them to live off the Gospel, if you will. The laborer is worth his hire. The labor of spreading the News of the Kingdom was worth rewarding, and it was a real test of the apostles’ faith and trust in Jesus. He was getting across his covenant to them, and they were obeying his words (just as we find in Exodus.)

How about us? We are all entrusted with the Gospel of Christ’s Kingdom. We are called upon to freely give the message and the love that goes along with the message. People don’t have to earn it! In fact, we know that we can’t earn salvation. It is freely given to us, and Jesus calls upon us to freely give it away to all. And, in a trusting relationship with him, we are to obey and continue to covenant with him.

According to the principles of sociology, a small group is not necessarily the best way to change the world or affect change within society. The Larger the group, the more change it can influence. However, look at how the Twelve Apostles changed the world. The difference is small groups of believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Are our small groups helping to revive the Church? Do we know that God's ways are not our ways, and that such a small group could potentially change the world of Montrose? Can you maintain your intimate relationship with God if you're not in some kind of study, support, fellowship or prayer group? Does it make a difference?

Let us Pray ~ “Ever-loving God, whose will it is that all humanity shall come to the knowledge of your Son Jesus Christ, and the power of his forgiveness, and the hope of his resurrection: Grant that in our witness to him we may make worthy use of the means you have given us; and prosper our efforts to share this glad news throughout the world; to the honor of the Name of Jesus, and in the Power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.” [PTL, 33]

Proper 4A - RCL - June 1, 2008

O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

TEXT: ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28- See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God,

~ Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28 (29-31) - For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.

~ Matthew 7:21-27- “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [27] The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"

Today I want to preach on the Trinity. I know … we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Trinity two weeks ago. But Today I want to look at another type of Trinity. We might even call it the Episcopal or Anglican Trinity: Scripture, Tradition & Reason. These are pivotal or foundational tenants of Our stream of Christianity. We hearken to these three elements as the basis of knowledge upon which our whole understanding of God and the Church is predicated.

As we look at Tradition, it is not just the reality that a lot of the things we believe, teach and celebrate come out of the Apostolic or early church experience. We look to the sum total of the experience that the Church has had of God, down through the centuries, and which found it's roots in the lives and experience of the early Christians - the Saints, as we might call them.

Reason is a very important key to our understanding of God. We believe that while we may never fully comprehend or understand many of the mysteries of God, we never the less contend that God is knowable by our reason, that God is logical, that it makes sense to have a relationship with a super-natural or non-human power that is both personal and relational.

And lastly, we Anglicans believe that this knowable God, who has been known by many millions of other believers over the millennia, is particularly revealed in what we call Holy Scripture - the Word of God.

It is this third element which is so clearly our theme of today's readings. God speaks to us today of His Word - his words.

God the Father speaks to placecountry-regionIsrael of the importance of his words - words of life and health, of promise and assurance. These are Words that are so important that a person absolutely must teach these words of God to one's children. And not just on the Sabbath or when the kids are out of school, but one must teach day in and day out - so important to the well being of future generations at these words. They are Foundational - words upon which one might stand or take a stand.

As we know, Words leverage relationships. Much of our lives revolve around the exercise, or not, of power in those relationships. When we speak, the tone of our voice, the expression on our faces, the volume we use all provide a vehicle for the communication we wish to convey. I can say to someone in a teasing way, “You rascal”, and it is unlikely they will be offended. But if I say “You Reprobate!” then they are more likely to be hurt or angered. If I comment about someone, “What a Christian!” it is a compliment, but if I say, “He's nothing but a hypocrite”, then again, it is likely that there might be trouble between us, and my chosen word stings, angers or condemns. God's words carry power as well, especially as we view them through the lenses of Tradition and Reason.

In the Gospel, Jesus likewise states the case for hearing him, and his words. “I do not judge you, the Words which I speak to you are your judge.”

Jesus says in today's reading, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. [25] The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [27] The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"

Our call by Jesus is to build our house upon the rock - the sure and stable foundation of His Word. The Word of God, spoken as it has been, through the experiences of Christians through the ages, is foundational and powerful in our daily lives. It is spoken by God and explained to us by the Holy Spirit, to show love, to guide, to issue calls to vocation or repentance, it is hope and good cheer and the issuance of salvation to all who will hear it.

In the Deuteronomy lesson today, God issues a challenge to the people of placecountry-regionIsrael: [26] I've brought you today to the crossroads of Blessing and Curse.

[27] The Blessing: if you listen obediently to the commandments of God, your God, which I command you today.

[28] The Curse: if you don't pay attention to the commandments of God, your God, but leave the road that I command you today, following other gods of which you know nothing. Deut. 11:26-28 (MsgB)

The choice really is very clear if we are to honor the Father and follow his Son. We are called to stay on the road, and it is on the road we will find all we need.

Last Sunday, in the Roman Catholic calendar was the Feast of Corpus Christi - the day of honoring the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood. I read an interesting question in regard to Communion - “I eat and drink everyday to live. What do I consume to lead me to eternal life?” The Answer to the question would be, I receive the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. But, I believe we can broaden out the question - what Words do we consume in our daily lives that will continue us on the road to everlasting life? And that brings us back to our major point today. It is God's Word to us that gives us what we need.

In spite of inside and outside criticism over the years, Episcopalians read more scripture in a year in our liturgical services, Eucharist, Daily Offices, Compline etc. than most other Christians. Reading the Word is one thing but studying it, understanding it, standing on it, staking our lives and ministries on it is quite another. I believe that today Jesus is calling us to a continued devotion and attention to his Word or a renewal of our willingness to “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest it”. Then, when the ebbs and flows of life begin to seek to wash away our dwellings, we will know that our foundations are sure and will enable our stand on behalf of God's Righteousness. And as there are those in high places in society and the church which have allowed the philosophies of the age to erode their Biblical foundations, we will remain clear about who's Word we are following, that of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Year A - RCL - May 25, 2008

Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; and that your Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

TEXTS: Isaiah 49:8-16a - I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; saying to the prisoners, "Come out," to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."

Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

Psalm 131 - But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast; * my soul is quieted within me.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 - Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Matthew 6:24-34 - Therefore do not worry, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the placePlaceTypekingdom of PlaceNameGod and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Worry - Envy - Coveting - These are all traits of the fallen society, of those who do not have Jesus Christ to help them see beyond their current state in life. They do not have Jesus to help them see that it won't be an issue in the larger scheme of life about how much groceries have gone up in price, the cost of gasoline or diesel, the loss of one's investments in the stock market, the issue of whether I will have to tighten my belt beyond the number of holes in it, as I enter retirement. But aren't these concerns also those of average Christian people like you and me?

In all four of the readings this morning, the Holy Spirit is pointing us toward the issue of God's trustworthiness and provision for us. In Isaiah, God reminds us that he has made an everlasting covenant with us - to take care of us. In fact, we have been inscribed on the palms of his hands. (Now, we don't really believe that God our Father has literal physical hands, but there was certainly an “inscription” into the palms of Jesus' hands, right?)

I have been one who has struggled much of my life with Worry about what I perceived I didn't have - and wanted - versus - what God has provided for Peggy and I and then rejoicing in that. After taking the Crown Ministries course awhile back, I have the wonderfully reassuring verse from Hebrews 13:5 printed out and hanging over my desk at home: “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, I will never leave you for forsake you.”

Having come from a family of worriers, it has been a struggle to trust the Lord for our needs, and often, I see a new scooter or a new electronic gadget, and Peggy will notice me start drooling. She has to remind me about the bills we need to allow the Lord to help us pay off, before we can jump into another toy for the boy.

Jesus says, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Certainly, those who are struggling today to clothe the body, and put food on the table, need to trust in the Lord, and we need to help them often, to fulfill that trust by being the hands of Jesus to assist them. It doesn't rain manna and quails from the sky often anymore. Jesus allows his church to lift up the banner of care for others in the society.

This is one reason whySt. Paul's gives away as much money as we send off to the Region, The Diocese or National Church. We believe that God is using our hands and our financial stewardship to pour out his provision for those with greater needs than we. He has blessed us for this reason.

St. Paul tells us today that “it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” One way that we can be trustworthy servants of God and of our neighbor is for us to count our blessings, reflect on the fact that in spite of it all, while the economic times may be stretching us, we still have enough to provide for missionaries, assist tornado victims and reach out our hands to feed the hungry. Let's yearn for ways to praise God for what we DO have, rather than fall into sin over what we don't have!

Year A - RCL - May 18, 2008

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

TEXT: ~Genesis 1:1-2:4a - “And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

~2 Corinthians 13:11-13 - “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!”

~Matthew 28:16-20 “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] and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

As we approach the theme of the Trinity this Sunday - we are brought to the reality that our minds are too small and our scope of understanding is too limited to explain the Holy Trinity of God. Like the punch line of the old joke, it's a mystery. God never intended us to comprehend him - the Trinity IS a mystery. Men have been trying for centuries to understand women for centuries. We can love you, honor you, cherish you and value you, but we may never be able to come to an understanding of the complexity of the human female. And while we will never fully come to an intellectual grasp of God's divine nature, God does intend us to get to know him and have an intimate relationship with him.

How are we to have a relationship with an entity we can't see, or the human manifestation of that entity which lived over two millennia ago? I know that after my long sermon about the Holy Spirit and his gifts last week on Pentecost, you all understand more about the Holy Spirit now than you ever wanted to know, so I don't need to go into that.

The Place to begin is at the beginning: our first lesson today. “In the beginning, God…” “God created…” “and the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.” “And God said …” In the first four verses of the Old Testament, we have the concept and ministry of the Holy Trinity revealed. We know God as Creator and as such he is like a

Father to his chosen people, the nation of placecountry-regionIsrael, and is like a Father to us. We know God as Redeemer, as Logos - spoken Word - The Christ, the Son, come to live on earth in human flesh as Jesus bar Joseph, the child which Mary bore, and who lived as a carpenter in Nazareth. But we also know the Christ to be hand in hand creator with the Father as well. We encounter God as Holy Spirit - God's ongoing presence, power, authority and guide that lives within the depths of OUR spirits, to help us lead our lives in righteousness, sanctity and truth.

Christian Theologians assign God various attributes - qualities and characteristics, through which we try to get a handle on him, try to discover where we fit in to his plan. They say that God has incommunicable attributes - he is changeless, omnipotent (all-powerful), infinite (without limitations), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere at the same moment in time.) He also has communicable attributes - he is just, righteous, holy, loving and faithful. We cannot tap into or reflect God's incommunicable qualities - though sometimes we act as if we can. But we can learn, receive, and grow in God's qualities, which reflect his love and his holiness.

The more we seek to be just - fair handed in all things, righteous - living in right relationship with God and with others, holy - seeking for the goodness which God plants in each of us, loving - striving always to put the other person before yourself, and faithful - following God's path ever ready to serve him, the more we will be guided by the Spirit.

In looking at these attributes of God, in accepting the reality of God's loving personality, who has always been active in seeking relationship with us, then we begin to see what God is calling us to understand about him. In understanding all this, we then must decide! Decide to put the other person first, decide to withhold judgement and condemnation, decide to love, decide to offer help and encouragement, decide to forgive and overlook weaknesses, decide to reflect the light of Christ to another that they may find Jesus' Spirit there to lead them and come along side them in their struggles.

It is understanding God in this Trinitarian way that we get a glimpse of who we are in our most basic personhood. We are a trinity too. Body, Mind (Soul) and Spirit is our makeup, but it is only in Christ that the fullness of who we are to be before God, is realized. Without Jesus to make us new, our spirit's are dead before God due to our Sin.

Without the Holy Spirit's presence in us to teach us all things, then our minds can never be remade into the mind of Christ.

One of the commentators has said, “…since humans are made `in the image of God' who is love, we are created to live in a community of love, a constant exchange of praise. To fall away from God is to fall away from love.” Thus we are to become a community of love; not just warm and open, kind and a bunch of friendly Christians and Anglicans, but we are to love all; the loveable and the unlovable, the difficult, and the sinner.

In the Epistle today, is the wrap up for us: Paul says “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. When we are in Christ - when we belong to him, we are made new and therefore must recognize ourselves in a new way. We are to leave our old selves behind, and take on our new lives in Christ Jesus, day by day.