For the week of May 26 – Trinity Sunday
Morning Prayer: Holy God, You have given us grace, by the confession of the faith of Your holy church, to acknowledge the mystery 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 Your eternal glory. One God, now and forever. Amen. (UMH #76)
Opening Hymn #64 Holy, Holy, Holy
- Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity! - Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
- Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, perfect in power, in love and purity. - Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity.
Psalm 29:1-4, 10-11
29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; worship the LORD in holy splendor.
29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters.
29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
29:11 May the LORD give strength to His people! May the LORD bless His people with peace!
Children’s Time Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of His robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above Him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
Children’s Message
By now you have probably figured out, Isaiah is my favorite prophet. He is like my best friend. When things get tough and I need encouragement I turn to Isaiah. When I need to be reminded about how God works in the world and how God calls us, I turn to Isaiah.
This morning, we are looking at chapter 6 verse 1-6. This entire chapter of Isaiah is the model of how we structure worship. We come into the presence of God, we marvel at the splendor and hear testimony of how great and vast God is, God speaks, we realize our sins and repent, God cleanses us and then sends us out into the world with God’s message. I love Isaiah’s response to God: Here I am, send me.
On this Trinity Sunday, we are reminded of the mystery of the wholeness of God in Three persons, God-the-Father, God-the-Son (Jesus) and God-The-Holy-Spirit. They are united as one God and yet, we can also see God as God works in our lives and our world in three distinct ways all toward the same unity. The seraphs that fly around God in the throne room capture this in their cries of Holy, Holy, Holy.
What a praise that we have a God that will reveal Godself to us in the ways we can identify and find the most strength and comfort. The One who created us, redeems us, and never abandons us. There are so many ways for us to identify God in the Three persons, and to think, God does this to be in relationship with us. Praise be to God!
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Last week you were mailed a special envelope for the Peace With Justice offering. While harm abounds in this world, Christians are called to act to build a faithful, just and peaceful world. This offering contributes to the work of the United Methodist Church in creating peace while advocating for justice. This offering is taken on Trinity Sunday to recognize our call to peace by our Triune God (The Father, the Son, The Holy Spirit).
Offering prayer: Loving God, as we gather, we recall Isaiah's humbling encounter with Your overwhelming presence. Like him, we're unworthy yet grateful for glimpsing Your glory. In stewardship, may our generosity reflect gratitude for Your blessings. Guide us in discipleship, knowing and serving You. With every gift, we express our commitment to follow Your call. May we humbly say, "Here am I, send me!" Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of Preparation: #61 Come, Thou Almighty King
- Come, Thou almighty King, help us Thy name to sing, help us to praise!
Father all glorious, o'er all victorious, come and reign over us, Ancient of Days! - Come, Thou incarnate Word, gird on Thy mighty sword, our prayer attend!
Come, and Thy people bless, and give Thy word success,
Spirit of holiness, on us descend!
- Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art, now rule in every heart, and ne'er from us depart,
Spirit of power!
- To Thee, great One in Three, eternal praises be, hence, evermore.
Thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore!
Message Scripture: John 3:1-17
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
Message: Pastor Becky
We greet this Trinity Sunday morning with scripture that speaks to the reality of the Triune God.
God
Jesus, the Son
The Holy Spirit
Nicodemus doesn’t realize he is about to engage this reality. He comes to Jesus, as we come to Jesus – thinking we know, but all that we know isn’t going to get us a view of the Kingdom. All that Nicodemus knows isn’t going to get him a view either. This is where theory has to become practice and practice becomes faith and faith becomes practice. Did I lose you? Don’t worry, I’ll explain.
Nicodemus is a teacher and a leader. Scripture refers to him as a Pharisee, which means he has devoted his life to learning the Torah. Torah is the Law contained in the Books of Moses, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He knew the Law. He would have debated the length, the width, and the depth of the Law. He would have held tightly to what he could explain, describing and teaching only what was observable. We see this in his acknowledgement of who Jesus is – a teacher sent from God.
Jesus is using the Law, the same Law as Nicodemus, yet using it through a different lens. Nicodemus is using the Law to be obedient and pure before God. His obedience isn’t for the welfare of others, but for his own. If Nicodemus upholds Laws A, B, C, and D – it is to his credit, without regard to the outcome or impact on another.
Let me explain. Let’s say Nicodemus encounters an orphan. Orphans hold a special place in God’s heart. Exodus 22:21-21 “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan, If you do abuse them when cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry:” Nicodemus is to feed, clothe, house, and care for the orphan. Which I am certain he would have, because it would be following the law. Yet, it is duty, not compassion. He is performing a duty, which isn’t a bad thing. Yet, it is his concern what would happen to him if he didn’t provide for the orphan. His actions have nothing to do with the orphan himself, it wasn’t out of concern of what would happen to the orphan if Nicodemus didn’t act.
Jesus offers something different. He changes our motivation, from one of self-preservation to the preservation of the other. The spirit, being born of the spirit, gives us eyes to see as God sees. We are reborn to an orientation to care of the other. And if we are honest, we might be reborn minute after minute, encounter after encounter – practicing duty, until it becomes faith, so that our faith becomes practice of viewing each other, our neighbor, the stranger, and our enemy through the lens of God’s love. Jesus gives us relationship and a model for being in the world equipped with God’s eyes. The Spirit instructs, reminds, and sustains us as we live in the world, so that all might be given abundant life.
We have all been Nicodemus – plenty of knowledge of God or about God. Jesus is asking, inviting us to apply the head knowledge and allow the Holy Spirit to turn that into heart knowledge so we can see the Kingdom of God, to enter the Kingdom of God.
Do you want the Kingdom of God, here and eternally? Then let the Spirit have its way with you and be born again, and again, and again. Amen.
Closing Hymn #389 Freely, Freely
- God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name, I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you, to share His love as He told me to.
Refrain: He said, “Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.
Go in My name and because you believe, others will know that I live.
- All power is given in Jesus’ name, in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name,
and in Jesus’ name I come to you, to share His power as He told me to.
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.
