One more “special” Sunday before we get to the green of the season after Pentecost. Today we recognize the Trinity and the pavements are white.
The word “trinity” isn’t in the Bible, even though it’s a foundational concept in Christianity. The unity of the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit aren’t specifically named in any passage. However, the idea is consistently reflected in the way God is referred to in the Scriptures. Let’s get started.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
We haven’t talked about the book of Matthew yet. The first of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Matthew concerns itself with anchoring Jesus in the tradition of the Hebrew scriptures. Over and over again Matthew appeals to Jewish tradition and prophecy to reveal that Jesus is, indeed, the promised Messiah.
Today’s reading is the final five verses of Matthew. Jesus has risen from the dead and has appeared to various followers, including the disciples. Now these same disciples are in Galilee. Note that they are on a mountaintop; Matthew uses mountaintop settings to designate important moments where Jesus will reveal something of his Deity.
What do the disciples do? They worship…and some doubt. It’s possible to do both—even the disciples doubted on occasion. We know from later accounts that every one of these men when on to do as Jesus commanded. They went over all of the world, so it’s safe to say they didn’t let the doubt paralyze them. Doubt isn’t a sign of no faith, but it should be a prompting to draw closer to God.
And then take a look at Jesus’ words. He claims “all authority,” significant at the culmination of a book that is chiefly concerned with Jesus’ authority as Messiah. He invokes what we know now as the Trinity to give as His last command, “Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:4
Are there words that are more familiar in the entire English language? I’m sure this story is familiar to you; slow down and read it out loud for yourself today. Find a translation that is maybe less familiar, and try to listen to the words with fresh ears.
This is one of several creation stories in the Bible. Even though it’s the first one we come to, it isn’t the first one that was written; that honor goes to the creation story in Job 38-42. Hugh Ross does a great job in a couple of his books of digging deep into the relationship between science and these chapters. Another creation story is found as Psalm 104, and then you probably also know that Genesis itself contains two accounts of creation.
The point here is that each story reveals something to us of the actions of God in the world. So what does this account tell us? First, God acts in an orderly way to bring good out of the chaos. As incredibly varied as creation is, God took it one step at a time, making sure that He was happy with one stage before He moved on to the next.
Second, we can see that God is uniquely powerful. It’s worth noting that at the time this was written, creation stories had a huge cast of characters, with various gods responsible for creating different parts of the world or different creatures. In many cases the gods weren’t happy with their own creations or someone else’s, which led to conflict. The God of the Hebrews saw his entire creation as a good thing, mankind among them the only creation pronounced “very good.” This was unique.
Third, God is a mysterious “us” who has always acted in concert. This second verse mentions the Spirit of God, and later God makes man in “our” own image. It’s not exactly clear what this image means but that’s probably deliberate.
A further note about reading poetry, especially in the Bible. This passage can be read as a creation poem, with every day a repetition until we get to the creation of man. Each day is “good” until we get to the creation of man. Only the creation of man merits “very good.” It’s the repetition of the other days that makes this final creative act of God stand out.
Psalm 8
This is absolutely a beautiful Psalm to read in concert with today’s Old Testament reading. The Psalmist exactly encapsulates the story of Genesis in a mere nine verses. This poem uses repetition as well, this time to emphasize the Psalmist’s point of the majesty of God.
Here’s a little word study to ponder in this verse. In v. 6 we’re told that man has been installed as ruler over God’s creation. The Hebrew word for rule or dominion is mashal, and it equally means proverb or wise saying. This could have been translated as God giving man wisdom over His works. Also consider what a good king looks like to God: wise, just, working for the benefit of his subjects; not autocratic, capricious or selfish. The dominion we are given over Creation is to be used for the entire world’s benefit, not merely our short-sighted pleasure.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
This is the closing of Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. The first letter found Paul appealing to the believers to resolve their differences and remember who they follow. Paul reiterates his direction to be united in this second letter to them. We’d do well to try to live up to these commands.
Again, on Trinity Sunday, it’s appropriate that Paul invoke the name of the Triune God here.
I hope you have a wonderful week! Pray for the peace of our tired country and our tired world. The church pictured above is the Basilica de Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, Italy.
