SUNDAY JUNE 7 2020

SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2020

TRINITY SUNDAY

Okay, I think I’ve got it!

Before anything (any thing!) existed you were;

And when nothing (no thing!) remains you will be.

But, what I want to know....were you there the other day when temptation cracked the combination to my heart?

Will you be there when death taps me on the shoulder and grins, “wanna go for a walk?”

And if I whisper, ‘Come, come soon, I need you right now.’

Will you?

Trinity Sunday has been a day that I have struggled with over the years as I have tried to explain to bemused children and bewildered adults the mystery of the Triune God.

And so I was pleased to find the above wee reflection by Rev Thom M Shuman which brought me a little comfort as I thought about what to say today.

Two of the set readings for this Sunday are:

Genesis 1:1-2-4a and Matthew 28:16-20 which speak of God; Creator, Spirit and Son all present in the beginning, and present to the end of the age. God with us, for us, yesterday today and forever.

Both of these readings are both familiar to us and yet fresh as this new morning.

The Matthew one spoke especially to me at this time.

Jesus said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Known as the great commission, this promise is both comforting and challenging.

For, this promise means a certain kind of behaviour from us. What will we do, what will we say if we truly believe “I am with you always”? Making disciples and baptizing are not just apostolic acts or evangelical events. They are ways by which the Kingdom of Heaven happens.

If we believe “I am with you always” as true, that should make a significant difference as to how we are in the world.

How will we be with each other if we believe God is here? How will we act toward each other if we believe God is with us? How will we speak about each other if we believe God is among us?

And, with the Genesis text in mind, how will we care for God’s creation if we believe God is beside us in the garden? How will we tend to this earth that has been entrusted to us?

We are living through days where so many things have changed, we may have thought that we were in control of much of our lives, we had our plans, we had priorities, and like prodigal sons and daughters we strayed into a far country, squandering the riches entrusted to us.

And now..................well now................God is pressing the re-set button, stripping us of all that is not of Him........drawing us back home where He waits to embrace us once more.

Then, secure in His love. We may be His witnesses to all nations.

A prayer :

I bind unto myself this day, the strong name of the Trinity.

The Creator’s gifts of earth and sky,

the flowing creeks and fertile land,

the winter sun and summer moon,

the roaring sea and golden sand.

I bind unto myself this day, the Christ who wears our human clay.

The Baby sleeping in a stall,

the Healer touching our disease,

the Man of love upon the Cross,

the risen Friend who hears our pleas.