June 11, 2017

Today is Trinity! Sunday. The Holy Trinity! is more than a mathematical formula. The Holy Trinity! is more than a triangle or geometric symbol. The Holy Trinity! is God. It is the way God has revealed himself in the Bible. God is a mystery. God is far beyond human understanding. But humans have a god-given brain and heart and soul, and curiosity, and so we try to understand God. We try to understand God as children try to understand their parents. We want to know God because we love God.

The Old Testament of the Bible teaches that there is only one God. So, when the Early Church realized that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were also God, this gave rise to many different opinions. The bad opinions we now call “heresies,” the orthodox understanding we call “The Holy Trinity!.” Today I want to talk about what I think are the modern “heresies,” the modern “blasphemies.”

The greatest problem is that people do not believe in God. Even if there were only one god or three gods or 10,000 gods, many people call them selves “atheists.” And of course, this is the greatest blasphemy of all. It is not recognizing the majesty and love of God. Atheists think that they are in control of their lives and that the death of the body is the end of their existence. But there are no atheists in church this morning, so I am not preaching to them. (I hope.)

The second greatest problem is the people who worship a false, so-called “god.” Their prayers are not heard by their so-called god. Their hopes are not achieved. Their religion is all in vain. It is a waste of time and energy. Their belief is based on ignorance. They have no salvation. So the Christian mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Truth about Jesus Christ.

The third problem is the people who have messed up ideas about the True God. There are two sub-groups. The first sub-group is religions like Judaism, Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and the like. The orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity! is a stumbling block to them, so they make up their own explanations that do not accept the atoning death of Jesus who is God on the cross. But there are no people of this group in church this morning, so I am not preaching to them. But I may be preaching to the second sub-group. The second sub-group is the Christians with messed up ideas about God. They are not messed up so much to be dammed, but their life as a Christian would be more enjoyable if they would quit trying to save themselves by their own works and let Jesus and the Holy Spirit guide them. Another part of this sub-group might be the so-called “God-bless-America” religion. It is held by a lot of people who never go to church, aren’t baptized, don’t pray before meals, and yet think they are Christian. But they believe in the existence of god, whatever that means. Of course, no one who has studied Martin Luther’s Small Catechism and has been confirmed is in this group. I hope.

So today, I want to talk about the problem that we as members of this church might have. It is not a matter of “belief,” but of “practice” and “response.” Yes, we believe in the Trinity!, but so what? What does it mean to believe in God? First, it means we pray. We pray at home, we pray in church fellowship, in the car, walking in the shopping mall, we pray in the time of our need and the need of others. When we have a problem or we see some disaster and cry out, “Oh, my God!” it is a beautiful prayer of faith that God will come and help. When we pray to the Triune God, we know we are praying to God who is Creator, Savior, and Helper. God is so powerful that we pray in confidence.

What does it mean to believe in God? Second, it means we worship. We begin our worship service in the “Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

What does it mean to believe in Triune God? Thirdly, it means that we seek Baptism in the Name of the Triune God. It means that we seek Baptism for our children and loved ones. When we begin our worship in the “Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” it is a reminder of our Baptism.

What does it mean to believe in the Triune God? It means that we have the authority of God. We have the authority to preach, teach, and baptize. At the time of his ascension, Jesus spoke to the disciples, saying, “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That authority was given first to the disciples, but it has also been given to the whole church. It has been given not just to pastors, but to all Christians. Fore example, it has been given to parents who bring their children to Baptism, send them to Sunday School, and teach them at home to observe what Christ taught. Therefore we have the authority “to go.” “Go in peace, serve the Lord.” How do we serve the Lord God? Jesus says it is first by making disciples. Disciples are made by baptizing and teaching the Gospel: teaching the Gospel of the love and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. We have been given the authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. That happens when people believe the Gospel and are baptized in the Name of the Triune God.

We serve the Lord when we recognize that God the Father loves me and the rest of the world and we work to preserve peace in the world and the beauty of God’s creation.

We confess that Christ the Son of God who is both God and human died on the cross to forgive our sin. We serve the Lord when we confess our sin and receive pardon and forgiveness. This is the peace of faith.

We confess that God the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples at Pentecost and keeps coming down daily on all us believers. The Holy Spirit makes us holy. We are holy when we believe in God and are made members of His holy church, members of the holy body of Christ.

This is what we celebrate on Trinity! Sunday.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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