+ Trinity Sunday – June 4th, 2023 +
Series A: Genesis 1:1-2:4; Acts 2:14, 22-36; Matthew 28:16-20
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Milton, WA
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.
In mercy the Holy Trinity is active in creation. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit creating, sustaining, hovering over the waters as we heard in Genesis 1. Hovering over the waters of your baptism. Creating faith out of nothing. Sustaining you. making you a new creation in Christ.
In mercy the Holy Trinity was active at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son to his disciples, to the Church, to you, in the water and the word of God.
In mercy the Holy Trinity is active and revealed throughout Jesus’ ministry. Remember Jesus’ baptism. The Father speaks. The Spirit descends. The Son is baptized. The same is true of your baptism into this Triune Name: “You are my beloved son.”
In mercy the Holy Trinity is active in the life of the Church, just as Jesus promised. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And going, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In mercy the Holy Trinity is at work in your daily life as well. You are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Three in one. One in Three. To have God’s Triune Name is to have the Triune God as your God. Holy Baptism is a marvelous give-away: God takes everything that belongs to him and gives it to you. Even those things we can only believe and not fully understand – such as the mystery of the Trinity – are yours in Baptism.
Everything Jesus declares in Matthew 28 centers on that word, “given.” The Son is given from the Father, given to be born, to suffer, to die. Jesus gives up his life for you on the cross. And Jesus gives as he receives. He gives his church and pastors the authority to forgive sin. He gives us the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son. He gives us that same Spirit in Baptism. He gives us his word, his promises, his very body and blood. And as we receive, so too, we give…to all nations. Teaching, holding, guarding, treasuring, keeping, watching over Jesus’ words –. Baptizing in the Triune Name.
According to Jesus, baptism and teaching go together. Whether you’re baptized as an infant or an adult, it matters not; that’s the pattern: baptism , then teaching; or teaching leading up to baptism, and then more teaching.
This is why Creeds are important. The Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed; they teach us. They summarize the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. They also sustain and support us in the faith. Creeds are a confession. The question is, what does it teach? What/who does it confess?
Creeds are everywhere in our culture: Live and let live. That’s true for you, but not for me. Love is my religion. Imagine no religion. I’m spiritual, not religious. Love is love. Don’t judge me. Deeds not creeds. No creed but the bible. Follow your heart. That’s just your interpretation. You only live once. Karma. Tolerance. Pride. Coexist. The list could go on.
Creeds are everywhere. Everyone has a creed. After all, anything after the words, “I believe_____” is a creed. Creeds are a statements of belief, even if that belief is, “I believe in nothing.”
Everyone has a creed. The question is, does the creed you confess point to you and what you do, or to the Holy Trinity and what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has done for you? The historic creeds take the attention off of ourselves and onto the saving work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
When we confess the creeds, we are living in the words of Jesus when he told the disciples at the end of Matthew 28, And going, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
The Christian Creeds are more than helpful tools. They’re vital. Necessary. They’re an anchor and foundation, especially as we live in storm-tossed times of relativism and subjectivity.
They’re unifying, not dividing. Creeds give us consensus. True doctrine unites. False doctrine divides. Confessions of faith as found in the creeds bind us together. Creeds keep us grounded in Scripture, instead of flying around with the changing winds of beliefs. After all, it’s easy to be an unorthodox church. The way of faithfulness, and a faithful confession is much harder.
We confess that it is always by God’s grace that we remain faithful in receiving God’s gifts in his Word and Sacraments. Faithful in hearing Christ’s word and promises. Faithful in our witnessing the Gospel to others. Faithful as stewards of the earthly treasures our Lord gives us. Faithful in the hymns we sing and the conduct of the divine service. Faithful in our instruction of the Christian faith. Faithful in our care of one another in the body of Christ. Faithful in our love of neighbor.
Creeds are also transferrable: this is how we pass on the faith, from generation to generation.
Creeds are a defense, an apologetic, teaching us what we believe and why we believe it.
Creeds are a witness, a simple outline of evangelism. And the best part is you probably already have it memorized. So when someone asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you, you can start quoting the Creed. Maybe not verbatim, but use it as an outline. Let the Creeds of the church, let the language of the Scriptures shape your daily language.
This is what the church does. She confesses. Baptizes. Teaches. To all nations. And guess what. All nations are here in our communities as well. The nations come to our preschool. To VBS. They are your neighbors, friends, co-workers.
Creeds are also a reminder that you are not alone. There’s no such thing as a lone-wolf Christian. We confess the Christian faith as God’s redeemed, baptized, beloved people, and we do it together. Not only that, we are reminded and reassured in our Lord’s words from Matthew 28 that in Jesus’ work and words of baptizing and teaching, he is with you. I am with you always, to the end of the age.
In his mercy, the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – creates, redeems, saves, sustains, and upholds you on Trinity Sunday, and every day, now and forever.
A blessed Trinity Sunday to each of you…
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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