Holy Trinity Sunday

 

Matthew 28:16-20

So Today is Trinity Sunday and it is a big day of transition.  This is in fact the turning of the church year.  For the first half of the church year, we focus on the life of Jesus, the events of Jesus’s time on earth.  We walk alongside Jesus through the preparation for his birth, birth at Christmas, his baptism, the calling of his disciples and start of his ministry.  Then though the Lenten season of preparation for his passion, the hard walk of Holy Week, his death and then resurrection on Easter, which is then followed by his post resurrection appearances and preparation for the post-east world, at Ascension and Pentecost.  Through this time, we get to experience the whole of Jesus’s earthy life in one 6 month cycle every year.

Then today, the year turns.  And the other half the year, 26 weeks from now until the end of November, we focus on the teachings of Jesus, on his time of ministry, on his parables, works and teachings to his disciples.  We are now entering the season of discipleship, where we learn how to be followers of Jesus by listening to his words and deeds.

And today, Trinity Sunday stands in the middle, in the gap between these two very different seasons.  It has the task of holding them together of building a bridge between where we have been and where we are going.  And so our lessons today speak deeply of beginnings and ending and hefty transitions.

We begin with ‘in the beginning’, with the literal beginning of it all, the creation story.  Where we see God doing a new thing.  Where God creates order out of chaos, life where there was once only nothingness and death.  It is God’s first great act of love.  And we see that even in its imperfections, God declares it very good.  And worthy of love and rest and worship and care.  And God who hovers over the waters abides with their new creation.

And then, next, we hear of endings, of Paul saying goodbye to the people of Corinth.  He has taught and exhorted them all he can, and now he ends his letter with a powerful reminder.  They are not alone.  He reminds them that ‘the God of peace and love will be with you’.  And then he blesses them, blesses them we the same apostolic blessing we still use in almost every service to this day.  “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  Because when it comes to the triune God, endings are a rarely what we think.  Transitions are very rarely final destinations.

And nowhere do we see that more clearly than in Matthew today.  We are going to be living in Gospel of Matthew exclusively now for the rest of the year.  We are going to live and learn alongside him for the next 6 months.  And we are going to get really acquainted with this book.  And so in order to really understand, in order to walk this path of discipleship, it is helpful to know where we are going and how we as post-Easter disciples got on this road to begin with.

And this little snippet we heard today is the whole of the post-Easter story for Matthew.  This is it.  We go straight from the tomb on Easter Sunday to these 5 verses that mark the end of the Gospel.  This is all the risen Jesus has to say.  And it is enough.  Because the whole of the story begins and ends with baptism and Jesus’ enduring presence.

“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.”

And in a certain sense, this all we really need, this all the church really needs to know.  We are baptized and then we go and baptize and that is how the community sustains itself, for thousands of years.  New Christians young or old are gathered, transformed and sent out into the world, who then gather, transform and send the next generation.

And in this way, Jesus remains present within the church throughout the ages.  Because Jesus is present with us, not just in the Holy Spirit, in the worship and sacraments of the church, but also and perhaps primarily in the faithful witness of other believers.  Of those who make Christ know to us through their love, care, teaching and discipleship, who become the body of Christ in the world.

In just a few moments we will renew our baptismal vows together.  We will Remember our own baptism the promises that God made to us on that day however many years ago.  And we will remember and recommit to continue our work as disciples of Christ.  As those who serve in the great chain of witnesses, who make Christ known in the world in word and deed.

And always we remember that God is with us.  For primarily, all our lessons speak of this truth.  Paul promises the people of Corinth that the God of peace and love will be with you. Jesus promises he will be with us always to the end of the age.  And we see in the creation story that God is present, that God’s love is intrinsically part of every bit of creation, there is no escaping it.

And that is important to remember in this transition of seasons.  As we move into summer.  As we face staff transitions.  As we face transitions and obstacles in our own lives.  As members have surgery or face health challenges.  As we move, travel, age, and grow.

Jesus tells us, tells all his disciples of every time and place, “Remember I am with you always, to the end of the age” Jesus can do nothing but be with us.  And if and when Jesus ever feels far away or hard to find, remember to look to your left and right to those who surround you this day.  Because the body of Christ is always present here in this church family, waiting to bring the Good News of Christ to the World. Amen.