May 18, 2008
Trinity Sunday/First Sunday after Pentecost
Please read
Matthew 28:16-20
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Read also
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Psalm 8 (UMH 743)
Now the eleven
disciples went to
And Jesus came and said to them, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I
have commanded you.
“And remember, I am with you always, to the
end of the age."
--- Matthew 28:16-20
Finally,
brothers and sisters, farewell.
Put things in
order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the
God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one
another with a holy kiss.
The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.
--- 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
.
Famous
Last Words
.
Pondering life’s meaning,
its purpose, its brevity,
and related themes,
I considered the last
words of famous men,
and turned by chance to
these two:
Last words from the risen
Christ,
and a farewell note
to friends in a Greek
city
from the Apostle.
What’s curious and
compelling here
is how both chose quite
similar phrases,
to address dissimilar
audiences
in totally different
contexts.
one with a word of
comfort,
the other a word of
challenge,
a commissioning.
“Father, Son, Spirit”
seemingly separate
entities
eternally formed and
fused
into an idea,
Trinity,
to help us understand
the nature of Deity.
Why is it then,
that we let ourselves
be twisted and turned
and frustrated by the
thought?
The Trinity is no exotic
game,
no Rubik’s Cube
to be turned this way and
that
to solve a puzzle.
It is itself the
solution:
God’s gift of a glimpse
into the nature of the
universe,
and with it, the nature
of God.
No unitary theory
does justice to the
Mystery.
But when we speak of
Father, Son and Spirit
-- or better yet, sing it
--
we begin to get a glimpse of God,
as we view the eternal
with
a kaleidoscopic sweep:
Three Persons,
each
separate yet altogether One.
And what if it doesn’t
make sense
to finite minds?
It doesn’t need to.
All that we really need
to know
is that the Love of God,
and the Grace or our Lord
Jesus Christ
and the ever-hovering
Presence of the Spirit
is with us,
enabling us, empowering us
to show God’s love
and make disciples in God’s name.
--- rvc
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The Weekly Lessons are based on the lectionary texts for the week – usually the Gospel lesson. They are not designed as a formal commentary. Rather, they are the personal reflections and original compositions of The Relay Online editor, Rev. Robin Van Cleef, and offer a jumping off point, using the scriptures as triggers to thought, imagination, and (we hope) empowerment. As you read them, let your own imagination play, and let the Spirit speak to you, leading you where it will. The Gospel Lessons reflected on this site may not be copied, reproduced or otherwise manipulated elsewhere on the internet without the expressed consent of the author. Please also note that while we're unable to quote Bible scripture on these pages, it is permissible to redirect our viewers to Bible passages using hyperlinks to web sites having that authority. The Verse Of The Day and BibleGateway Search engine are the property on BibleGateway.com and are used here with their specific permission.
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