In the Name!

And Jesus came and said to them, “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.” (Matthew 28:18-19 ESV) Today is Trinity Sunday! We confess our Trinitarian faith as we worship our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – not three Gods but One God. As we confess who He is in our words and actions, He sends us into the world to share this good news!

This historic teaching or doctrine of the Christian church is a mystery and beyond our comprehension, and yet this truth sends us into the world with the promise of His abiding presence. While the term “trinity” is never used in the Bible, the truth of God’s uniqueness is expressed on every page from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, we begin today “In the beginning” and see God the Father speaking everything into existence through the Word/God the Son even as God the Holy Spirit covers the deep (Gen 1:1ff.). The Second Reading from Acts 2 and the conclusion of Peter’s first sermon cuts to the very heart of this truth as he says, “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) Immediately the people respond with the question, “What can we do?” and Peter tells them to be baptized and receive the promised Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38) But the Gospel lesson for this Trinity Sunday from the Great Commission of our Lord is the clearest of all: “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 observe all I have commanded you. And behold I will be with you always to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:16-20)

Whether Creation, Redemption or Sanctification, all three persons of the Trinity are present and active to bring us into existence and into unity with God. Yet to bring us into community with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, there was a great cost. Though God is One, He was ripped apart for you and me. Jesus was divorced of the Father on the Cross and the Spirit departed from His lips just as Ezekiel had seen the Spirit leave the Temple. Yes, while this is a mystery deep and far beyond our limited understanding, the good news we need to hear today is that “Jesus came to them.” He comes to us! This God who is Uncreated, Incomprehensible, Almighty, Lord of All has come to us in Jesus! We see His glory, the disciple John says, full of grace and truth.

And with all authority, in heaven and on earth, what does Jesus do? He sends you and me - His church - to go and make disciples, go and baptize, go and teach in His Name,  the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This mystery is not to be hidden away and kept safe and protected under lock and key. No, this good news is to be shared, proclaimed, spoken about, and lived until He returns in glory to bring us to Himself.

Pastor Carl