Sermon for Trinity Sunday
Judy
Dear Friends,
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Trinity Sunday- It’s God’s Day- It’s Not about You!” and deals with all the lessons. Here it is:
Three weeks ago we celebrated Mothers’ Day; in three Sundays we’ll celebrate Fathers’ Day; but today is a really special day- Trinity Sunday- GOD’s Day! Today is the day we honor and focus- not on our earthly mother or father, but on our heavenly Father- God- actually God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As you know, some years ago Fr. Bill and I lived in the Poplars Apartment. One of the reasons we really liked that apartment complex was the nice mixture of tenants. There was this really nice young man who lived a few doors away who was always ready to help with groceries or hold the door open for us. There was one unusual thing about him- he had really strange-looking arms. What, you ask, was the matter with his arms? Well, they were covered with tattoos- I mean REALLY covered with tattoos! I remember how I finally got the nerve to ask him the meaning of his tattoos, and his answer was fascinating! His upper left arm had three distinct pictures spaced neatly from the top of his arm almost to his elbow. When I asked him what they meant, he said they were Korean symbols for God, power, and love. Now, I usually don’t appreciate tattoos, but these were really insightful. The top tattoo for God was an angel and a cross. Since they were on his arm, and obviously the Almighty created his arm, they made a nice symbol for the Trinity- his arm: Father/Creator, the cross: Son/Redeemer, and the angel: Holy Spirit/Sustainer-Friend. So- the top symbol: God is the next two symbols: Love-Power. In other words, God is All-Powerful Love! Amazing- all that from a simple tattoo! So today, it’s not about us- it’s about God; and, as usual, the Bible lessons provide wonderful insight about God and how we can honor Him on His day.
The Old Testament Lesson (Exodus 3: 1-6) reminds us of the appropriate way to approach Father- God. Too often we act as if God is our buddy, a “good guy.” Our American culture teaches us to be casual- too casual- about God. A common phrase about God is that He’s the “Man Upstairs.” WRONG! God is not a man- He is Spirit; and he is not upstairs- he is everywhere. You know how the Japanese culture expects people to remove their shoes when they enter a house? That’s what God expected Moses to do when he approached the holy burning bush. We could learn from them- not about houses necessarily, but about respect for God’s house and God’s planet. When we enter this holy space, we should bow or genuflect at the pew, then kneel and tell God “hello”- not just barge in, sit down, and start talking with our neighbor. Our minds should be focused on God from the time we walk in until the time we depart. When we leave, we should again kneel down and tell God “good-by,” then bow or genuflect to the reserved sacrament before we walk down the aisle. While we are blessed to live on God’s wonderful Earth, we should respect it, care for it, and not dirty-it-up.
The Epistle (Romans 8: 12-17) reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to say “No” to things that are negatives in our lives or the lives of others and live God’s way. It brings to mind the angel part of the God tattoo, because it is God, the Holy Spirit, who walks with us and talks with us and reminds us, day by day, how to live as God’s beloved children.
The Gospel (John 3: 1-17) brings to mind the cross part of the tattoo- that Jesus died to save the world, not condemn it. It also reminds us of the last symbol of the tattoo- the “love” symbol. That familiar set of verses reminds us (say it with me if you can) “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Scripture goes on to say in verse 17 that God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. If that’s not supreme love, I don’t know what is!
Finally, Psalm 29 really speaks to the middle tattoo- God’s power. What more can we say about our amazing God than:
1 “All of you angels in heaven,
honor the glory and power of the LORD!
2 Honor the wonderful name of the LORD,
and worship the LORD most holy and glorious.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes over the oceans.
The glorious LORD God thunders above the roar of the raging sea,
4 and his voice
is mighty and marvelous.
5 The voice of the LORD destroys the cedar trees;
the LORD shatters cedars on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon jump like a wild ox.
7-8 The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash
and the desert tremble.”
So all of today is not about us, but it’s about God. The little girl in the story I’m going to tell as our sermon comes to a close doesn’t quite get it. To her, it’s all about her. Who can blame a child, but we should know better. The story goes: “A mother noticed that it was about time for school to dismiss and since it looked like it would rain, she drove toward the school to pick up her eight year old daughter. She turned down the street to see her daughter running towards her down the sidewalk. A lightning bolt flashed and the little girl looked up towards the sky, smiled, and then began running toward her mother's van. Another lightning bolt flashed and again the little girl looked toward the sky, smiled, and resumed running. This happened several more times until the little girl finally arrived where her mother was parked. Her mom immediately inquired as to the strange behavior. ‘Why did you keep stopping and smiling at the sky?’ she asked her daughter. ‘I had to, Mommy’ replied the little girl. “God was taking my picture.’” (Religious Joke of the Day Web Site)
How many kids only call home when they need something? How many parents console themselves with the thought- “No news is good news” when they haven’t heard from their grown children for a long time? Don’t be that way with God. Say your prayers and read your Bible daily, don’t miss church one single Sunday, do what He says and love your neighbor as much as you love your self. And for God’s day- today- let’s give Him our best worship this morning. Then- how short is your memory? Will you remember to kneel and pray before you leave this holy place and then bow to the Sacrament as you walk out of the pew, or will you have forgotten by then? Will you remember to kneel and pray when you enter next Sunday morning, and will you also remember to bow to respect the Sacrament as you enter and exit the pew? May your worship enhance God’s special day this morning. Amen.
For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements are posted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .
Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan