Church is Not the Building

I was sent an article the other day, which you can read here. The story has been making its way around the internet quite quickly. My Facebook feed has been flooded with people sharing the link.

I understand the need to separate church and state, and I never thought I would agree with our current Premier on anything, but I am saddened to hear that churches in the province are arguing that the Pallister government is interfering with their religious rights. It is simply ludicrous.

This pandemic has completely up-heaved our lives. We have been isolated from friends and family. Stores and businesses have shut down affecting the livelihood of many business owners, especially the small family-owned stores. Schools have closed their doors so students of all ages have had to finish their year learning in solitude, save for those with siblings (which really isn't the same as being with your friends), and various grade levels have had to miss out on the ever important life-event of graduation.

We long for coffee dates with friends, meetings that don't involve Zoom, visiting loved ones in care homes and hospitals, and simple things like hugs. And how many of us miss seeing the random smiles on passersby that are now hidden behind masks? I know I do.

Not even going into the discussion of front-line workers who have been risking their lives since day one, these last few months have not been easy. Our lives have been disrupted, we don't know when the pandemic will end, and we don't know what the future will look like.

But, as Winnipeggers, we have done well, it seems. The virus has not affected us in ways that we have seen elsewhere in the world. While I have no scientific proof to back my claim, I truly believe the reason is because we have followed the regulations that have been set out by health officials and the government.

As the Pallister government has begun to relax the regulations over the last few weeks, I have been tentatively watching the effect on the public. Personally, I am nervous at the speed at which people are rushing back to the malls and the restaurants. However, for the most part, I have seen many patrons respect the rules of distancing and wearing masks.

As an Anglican minister, I contemplate these openings, the statements made by my Bishop, and observe my fellow clergy as we all begin to discern the safest way to re-enter our church buildings.

Let me be clear, while the doors to the church buildings have been closed, worship has not ceased. Many of us have hurried to learn technology and have leaned on those experienced in providing live or recorded worship in order to maintain some form of weekly worship for our congregations. Church is not the building. Church is wherever you are at that moment, whether it be in your car, in your home, or sitting outside enjoying nature.

Scrolling Facebook on a Sunday morning, you can't help but see all of the parishes that are providing live or recorded video feed or written services that can be used by anyone, at any time, in any place.

Church is not the building. While we all long to be together again, to worship in community, it is simply not yet safe to do so. It is better to worship together apart than to worship together in person and risk someone, or everyone, getting sick. Even with taking all of the best possible precautions, you just never know what might happen. Remember what happened in Calgary? If not, click here for the article.

As the province has opened up, the statement seems to be clear amongst my fellow clergy: we will take things slow, we will follow the rules, we will help our people worship at home, and we will keep people safe.

I state again that the church is not the building. Worship continues and no one has removed our right to practice our religion.

The pandemic will not last forever and we can already start being together in small groups. We need to keep up our diligence.

As Pallister states, "have a little faith."

Justification by Faith: What Does it Mean?

The Second Sunday of Pentecost

 **Please note this service is based on the format of the Anglican Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from the Book of Alternative Services (BAS) and the hymns from the Book of Common Praise (BCP). Other hymns and prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.

 **NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.

 **This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.

Opening Prayer

As you go, proclaim the good news, the kingdom of heaven has come near. (Matthew 10:7)

God of the prophets and apostles, you greeted old Abraham and Sarah with news of wonder and life. Send us into the world to preach good news, as Jesus did, heal the sick, resist evil, and bring the outcast home. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary Prayers)

Opening Hymn – Here I am, Lord

            Listen Here

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

 Collect for Purity

            Listen Here

The Gloria

          Listen Here

Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Almighty God, without you we are not able to please you. Mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Readings

A reading from the Book of Genesis                                18:1-15

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be the God.

Psalm 116:1, 10-17

            Listen Here

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans                                   5:1-8

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gradual Hymn – Come to Jesus

            Listen Here

The Lord be with you.

And also with you. 

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.                  9:35-10:8

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon

Paul the Christian was once Saul the Jew. Not only that, he was a Pharisee and a persecutor of the early Christian movement. Before he was a Christian Apostle, Paul was a Jewish Missionary on behalf of the synagogue mission to the Gentiles.

The goal of Jewish mission work was to convert Gentiles to Judaism and it was based firmly in Mosaic law. The law was the means by which one and all participated in the salvific covenant with God. Thus it was a natural reaction on the part of Judaism to combat any threat to the law.

Early Christianity, with its proclamation of a certified Messiah, posed not only a threat in competing for converts within and without the synagogue, it proclaimed an absolute contrast between the Messiah and the law. Paul would have reflected upon the relationship between Christ and the law and would have seen the sheer incompatibility as clearly as did anyone in the first century. It was this conflict between Christ and the law that would have motivated Paul’s persecution of early Christians.

So what caused Paul to convert from Judaism to Christianity? By his own account, Paul’s experience was less a conversion than a prophetic call. In Galatians, Paul’s experience sounds more like Jeremiah’s than a description of a conversion from one religion to another:

“God who had set me apart from my mother’s womb, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles.”

Nowhere in Paul’s writings does he reveal disappointment in his past life in Judaism. In fact, he often speaks about his past with pride, as in his letters to the Galatians, the Philippians, and in his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul claims that he now has a new perspective on the conflict between Christ and the law. This new understanding of the conflict between the crucified Christ and the law and having had the risen Christ revealed to him by God, called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

On occasion during his ministry, questions were raised about the gospel Paul preached and the legitimacy of his apostleship. This happened dramatically in Galatia and Corinth. When such questions were raised, Paul was able to defend his message and his apostleship emphatically because both extended from his call, which was a result of the revelation of the risen Jesus Christ to him, which was an act of God.

Thus to question Paul’s gospel or apostleship was to question his call; and to question his call was to question the revelation of the risen Lord; and to question that revelation was to question God!

Paul’s self-understanding was that he had been called in order to be sent throughout the world he knew to preach the good news, or gospel, of what God had done and was doing through Jesus Christ. In modern terms, he claims to have preached from Israel through Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Greece, going as far as Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia.

How could one man possibly do all of that in a short 25 years? Two words – team work.

Paul’s letters reveal that he coordinated the activity of an organized band of missionaries. He would move with a group of seasoned missionary colleagues to the capital city of a Roman province. They would seek out places to preach their gospel and would gather any Christians who already lived there and incorporate them into the missionary enterprise, thereby expanding Paul’s staff.

While Paul seemed to have stayed in the capital city, his fellow workers would spread out into other cities, towns, and villages in order to establish new congregations. Paul would remain in one location until they were established, for example he stayed in Corinth for a year and Ephesus for 2, and then he would move on to the next region.

But Paul never lost contact with any of the churches that he founded. He even paid checkup visits to the churches if he deemed it necessary. More often though, he used letter-writing as part of his missionary strategy, employing the written communication, like a modern Bishop’s letter, to influence and build up the congregations he addressed.

These were not casual letters or simple friendly communications. Paul wrote his letters to address specific situations that existed in particular churches. With his letters, he sought to extend his influence in order to assure desired results. For Paul, the letter was an instrument of his apostleship.

Throughout the summer weeks (less one quick venture into his letter to the Philippians next week), we will be hearing specifically from Paul’s letter to the Romans. In many ways, this letter is distinct from Paul’s other letters.

It is addressed to a church founded neither by Paul nor one of his missionary colleagues. Moreover, Paul had never visited this community of Christians. So then why did he write this letter?

There are two schools of thought. The first being that in Romans Paul is occupied primarily with his own concerns. Some scholars claim that Romans is Paul’s last will and testament, providing a summary of his theology and practical positions.

The second school of thought is that Paul is occupied primarily with the concerns of the Roman church. It is claimed that Paul wrote Romans to deal with the Jew/Gentile issue in Rome that had become a serious problem. With the expulsion of Jewish Christians, the church was left in the hands of the Gentile Christians. Paul may have written Romans to prepare Rome for his planned visit to provide the church with an apostolic foundation.

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between, with Paul concerned both with passing on his theology in a written testament as well as wanting to deal with the heated situation developing in Rome.

Ultimately, Paul’s motives for writing his letter to the Romans appears to be based in his desire to establish Rome as a Christian base in the West as he did with Antioch in the East. In his letter to Rome, Paul desires to lay out his gospel and its relevance for the believers in Rome. Paul’s letter is an introduction of himself and his message.

One of the key pieces of Paul’s message is that God justifies sinners by faith in Christ’s death because, by that death, God dealt with sin once and for all. This justification by faith is precisely what’s being spoken about in today’s reading.

I think that today’s reading started one verse too late though. Did you notice that the reading started with “therefore”? That tells me there must be an important thought stated previously of which today’s reading is a conclusion.

Here is Chapter 4, verse 25:

            “who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.”

There are two very important facts in this verse:

            1 – Christ was delivered up to death for our trespasses

2 – Jesus was raised for our justification

Both the death and resurrection of Christ are key elements in the sacred program enacted for humanity’s salvation.

The noun justification and the verb justify occur a total of 85 times in Paul’s letters so one can safely say that justification is an important topic to Paul.

To clarify, justification is the legal standing that results from the process of being justified. To say that one is justified from sin is not to claim that they are innocent of the crime. Rather the term suggests that the offender has been exempted from the penalty they justly deserve.

The issue is this: how can God be just and yet justify sinners? The answer is found in the gift of Christ. God set forth God’s Son as an offering of atonement, a covering for sin. The sinless Lamb of God takes the penalty for the sinful individual who submits to the conditions imposed by the judge, God.

According to Paul, the sinner’s faith is essential to their justification. But their faith in what? In whom? Is this merely the willingness of the sinner to accept the historical facts about Christ, and the surrender of one’s soul to trust the Lord for his salvation?

In his letter to the Romans, Paul affirms that the goal of justification is to have peace with God. In the secular world, peace basically suggests the absence of war. But in biblical terms, peace signifies well-being, health, completeness, and safety.

In the sense of the passage we heard today, peace is a state of being, not a mere emotion. Unfortunately, too many people have an emotional sense of peace while still at war with God. And sadly, others who are at peace with God still search for peace of mind!

Justification and peace with God are available only through Christ. It is also through Christ that we are able to access the grace of God. When we think of Christ’s death for our sin, we think only that He has forgiven our sin, but Paul is saying something far greater:

            God actually credited to us Jesus’ righteousness.

To use a financial analogy, not only was our debt covered, but we were awarded a billion dollars! What makes this all the more amazing is that it’s given to us as a gift. We didn’t earn it, but received it by faith.

The people in Paul’s audience would have been astounded to hear of this gift. They were steeped in the belief that one is justified, or righteous, only by observing every letter of the Mosaic Law.

Paul’s mission with his letter to the Romans was to prove to the skeptics that people are declared righteous by faith, not by how well they followed the law. If you believe in God, then God will find you righteous, or justified.

Is it our obedience that makes us right with God? No! When we turn to God and by faith accept what God reveals, the miraculous atonement by Christ’s death puts us into a right relationship with God. As a result of the miracle of God’s grace, we stand justified, not because we are sorry for our sins or because we have repented, but because of what Jesus has done and by his sacrificial death.

Why is justification by faith so important?

Justification is the act of God forgiving our sins and giving us the righteousness of Christ.

Justification is not earned by our works, it is given to us through the gift of Christ.

Justification is the completed work of God and frees us from the guilt of sin.

It is justification that assures us our salvation and the gift of eternal life.

The message of justification by faith is that we don’t have to earn our ticket to heaven, we already have it in hand. There is no ritual, no sacrament, no deed that can make us worthy of the righteousness of Christ and of God. It is only by God’s grace, in response to our faith, that God has credited to us the holiness of Jesus Christ and the gift of eternal life.

While we are still sinners, God meets us in Jesus and brings us home. In our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, God restores us to life and gives us grace.

In our justification by faith, we are at peace with God.

Go forth and spread the good news.

Affirmation of Faith

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say the Apostles’ Creed:

The Prayers of the People

(From the book of Intercessions for the Christian People)

Let us pray.

Made righteous through faith in Christ, asking that we may be faithful to the gift of God’s grace, let us now pray to our God in the power of the Spirit, saying: Lord, hear our prayer.

For the church, that in our prayer we may stand ready, as the Lord wills, to carry out and accomplish the very prayer we utter, let us pray to the Lord.  Lord, hear our prayer.

That the urgency of God’s word of blessing or curse will shatter our spirit of equivocation and compromise and our easy tolerance of expediency and injustice, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who bear the responsibility of government in every nation, that they may build upon the solid rock of truth and justice, and not upon the sands of self-interest and pride, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

That the word of Christ may become the deepest joy of our hearts, and may move us to deeds which reflect Christ’s ministry of reconciliation, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For all in the human community who cry out because of injustice, oppression, illness, or isolation, that we may hear in them the cry of Christ himself suffering in all humanity, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the departed, that they may continue to support us with their love in the communion of saints, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.

Please take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.

Eternal and compassionate God, receive and fulfill all that we ask according to your will. Give us the grace to welcome your word who is Christ, that we may live grounded on the rock of your love and mercy, now and all our days. We ask this through Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Gathering our prayers together, let us pray as Christ has taught us,

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.

Confession and Absolution

Dear friends in Christ,

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites them to the table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.

            (Silence)

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Prayer over the Gifts

**Although not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.

Let us pray.

God of reconciliation and forgiveness, the saving work of Christ has made our peace with you. May that work grow toward its perfection in all we offer you this day. We ask this in his name. Amen.

Doxology

Glory to God,

Whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Blessing

The blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you now and always. Amen.

Closing Hymn – Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

            Listen Here

Dismissal

Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.

Thanks be to God.

A Review of the Book "Call the Widwife" by Jennifer Worth

Title: Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times
Author: Jennifer Worth
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Year: 2002
319 pages

Midwives were commonplace once upon a time, but with advances in medicine they seem to have gone by the wayside. Where home births used to be frequent and hospitals used only in emergencies, now it's all about the hospitals and home-births tend to be frowned upon.

However, even with hospital births, there is a resurgence of the desire to have a midwife throughout pregnancy and at childbirth, likely due to the lack of accessibility to doctors (my opinion, I did not fact check).

"Call the Widwife" is a memoir that provides a great look into midwifery in the mid-20th century. Jennifer Worth trained as a nurse and then a midwife in post-WWII England and began her work as a midwife at Nonnatus House, a convent in the "heart of the London Docklands" (page 1). Interestingly, midwives and nuns worked quite closely together.

It was surprising to read about what types of situations midwives had to deal with - the frequency of home-visits, the complicated births that many women today would be terrified to experience outside of a hospital, and then all sorts of post-natal care. What takes multiple persons now - nurse, OBGYN, family doctor, pediatrician - was mostly done by a single midwife. Not that doctors weren't involved, but the main actor was definitely the midwife.

Secondary in the story was Worth's experience living and working with Catholic nuns. As a self-professed non-believer, she wrote about how she was intrigued by the monastic life the nuns led, and how they had no qualms about getting into the dark and dirty of their patients' lives so that they could provide compassionate and loving care for mother and baby. Based on the end of the book, the experience appeared to be live-altering for Worth.

Worth's writing pulls you into the story so well that you can easily imagine being by her side throughout the book. When the book ends, you long to hear more about all of the characters. I was pleased to discover that "Call the Midwife" was not Worth's only publication so now I just may have to find the rest of her books!

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday

 **Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.

 **This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.

Gathering

Though the word trinity is not found in the scriptures, today’s second reading includes the apostolic greeting that begins the liturgy: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. In the gospel Jesus sends his disciples forth to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. More than a doctrine, the Trinity expresses the heart of our faith: we have experienced the God of creation made known in Jesus Christ and with us always through the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity in word and sacrament, as we profess the creed, and as we are sent into the world to bear witness to our faith.

Confession and Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Amen.

 Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.

Thanksgiving for Baptism

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, the fountain of living water, the rock who gave us birth, our light and our salvation. Amen.

Joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness. Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight.

Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family.

Through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom.

At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit.

By water and your Word you claim us as daughters and sons, making us heirs of your promise and servants of all.

We praise you for the gift of water that sustains life, and above all we praise you for the gift of new life in Jesus Christ.

Shower us with your Spirit, and renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.

To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Gathering Song – Come, All You People: Uyaimose (ELW #819)

     Listen Here

Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

Kyrie

Kyrie eleison: Lord, have mercy.

Christe eleison: Christ, have mercy.

Kyrie eleison: Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy: Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy: Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy: Lord, have mercy.

Prayer of the Day

Let us pray.

Almighty Creator and ever-living God: we worship your glory, eternal Three-in-One, and we praise your power, majestic One-in-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith, defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Readings

A Reading from the book of Genesis                                        1:1-2:4a

At the beginning of time, God the Creator, God the powerful Word, and God the life-giving Spirit form the earth and all its inhabitants. God sees that all this created work is good and then rests on the seventh day.

    In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

   And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

   And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

   And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

   And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

   And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
 So God created humankind in his image,
  in the image of God he created them;
  male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

   Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

   These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 8

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A reading from the 2^nd letter from Paul to the Corinthians              13:11-13

Paul closes a challenging letter to the Corinthians with an appeal to Christian fellowship grounded in the triune harmony of Christ’s grace, God’s love, and the Spirit’s partnership.

[Paul writes:] Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; God’s glory fills the whole earth. Alleluia. (Isa. 6:3)

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew.                                      28:16-20

Glory to you, O Lord.

After his resurrection, Jesus summons his remaining disciples and commissions them to baptize and teach all nations in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Jesus has done his teachings, he has shown himself to the disciples, and the Holy Spirit has come upon us. And now, we are being sent out into the world to spread the Good News of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

Trinity Sunday is a time to focus on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the teaching that there is one God in three Persons – God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

The Triune God is one the fundamental theologies of the Christian faith, and it is the ultimate mystery.

Take a moment and think about how you would explain to someone how the Almighty can both singular and triune?

It’s not easy. Not by a long shot. And trying to separate the entities doesn’t help. God and Jesus might be easy enough to describe, but the Holy Spirit?

One year, I taught a Lenten series and in week two the group discussed the Holy Trinity.

It was quite the discussion as we talked about what the Trinity is, why it is a difficult concept to understand, and to try and define or describe the Holy Spirit.

There were references to God with us versus above us, there was discussion around whether Jesus was human or divine, and a lot of confusion surrounding the essence of the Holy Spirit. Lots of talking and debating was done that day and when there was finally a pause in the conversation, I told the group my vision of the Holy Trinity. It really struck a chord with the group and so I have held it close to me and shared it wherever possible.

My image of the Holy Trinity is thus. God and Jesus stand beside me, one on either side and facing each other, as if they were my walls of solidarity. The Holy Spirit surrounds me in a circle of protection, like a blanket or the arms of a hug. I do not see myself as below the Holy Trinity, as if God and Jesus are somewhere up in the sky looking down on me. I am in the middle of the Trinity; they surround me as I live my life, like my own personal protectors. The Trinity is with me, always.

So how would you describe the Holy Trinity?

Has your image of it changed over time?

The Holy Trinity is not something tangible, that you could draw on a piece of paper and say that it is an exact image.

Everyone will imagine the Trinity, will experience the Trinity, in a different way. It is an extremely personal experience.

But when we trust in our image of the Trinity, things happen.

And because it is God, our experience of the Trinity will never be as we expected it to be.

The Trinity is not something we believe in because it describes God. It is not something to be studied and understood.

The Trinity is something to be experienced, and ultimately it is found in our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Particularly as we – ourselves, our congregations, our communities – seek to move into a future that aligns more closely with what we believe deep in our heart God wants for us – a right relationship with not only God, but also one another.

And there is no path forward if we don’t make room for working to create space for intentional and genuine relationships with people who are different from us – culturally, in faith, in gender, in race.

Between the pandemic and the protests, the world is burning today.

We all want it to stop, we are protesting and making statements and demanding systematic changes.

We recognize that harm is being done in the world and we are demanding a better future.

We recognize that there is system racism in our country, in the justice and policing systems.

But nothing, in the end, will change if we are not drawn into genuine, concrete, actual relationships with persons from communities beyond our experience or comfort.

Because just as we know and struggle to name God through our actual experience of God active in our lives, so also we can only know and appreciate and love and be changed by others in and through actual relationships.

This is the long road to not merely social change but a vision and reality of community that more closely matches God’s dreams for us and God’s own existence as a relational being.

Hear the call from our Bishops:

We need to repent — to kneel on one knee — in prayer, in faithfulness, and in compassion.

We need to commit to changing our ways of thinking and our actions that demean and hurt.

We need to listen, learn, hear the stories, stand alongside of, speak up, speak out, and stand up against injustice.

I pray that we all find the strength and courage to do so.

Amen.

Hymn of the Day – The Lorica by Steve Bell

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Creed

Prayers of Intercession

We are a world that is desperate for you, God.

When powers struggle for dominance, and war, oppression and abuse result; When groups of people oppose one another because of ideology, religion or culture; We need a God who is bigger than ourselves, and our personal interests.

Let us pray for all religious wars in the world; that they may come to peaceful ends.

When people are disregarded and devalued because of poverty, geography or disease; When compassion and justice is withheld to some because of sexuality, race or gender; We need a Saviour who is more compassionate than we are who includes even those we would exclude. 

Let us pray for the family of George Floyd, for any who have dealt with mistreatment simply because of the colour of their skin, and for the protesters fighting for the rights of their neighbours; that there is an end to the systematic and sociological racism that exists in the world. 

When resources are mismanaged and abused, and the world and its creatures are destroyed; When motivation is scarce and creativity is in short supply to address the challenges that we face; We need a Spirit who is more powerful and more creative than we could ever be. 

Let us pray that we find the strength to make significant changes in our lives in order to slow the destruction of our climate. 

Lord God, Loving Saviour, Empowering Spirit, we offer you these prayers because we need you so desperately. Captivate us, call us and fill us, that we may be carriers of your eternal life to this world that you love so dearly. Amen.

(Written by John van de Laar © 2008 Sacredise.com with personal interjections from myself)

Offering Song – Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! (ELW 413)

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**Although not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.

Thanksgiving for the Word

Let us pray.

Praise and thanks to you, holy God, for by your Word you made all things: you spoke light into darkness, called forth beauty from chaos, and brought life into being. For your Word of life, O God,

we give you thanks and praise.

By your Word you called your people Israel to tell of your wonderful gifts: freedom from captivity, water on the desert journey, a pathway home from exile, wisdom for life with you. For your Word of life, O God,

we give you thanks and praise.

Through Jesus, your Word made flesh, you speak to us and call us to witness: forgiveness through the cross, life to those entombed by death, the way of your self-giving love. For your Word of life, O God,

we give you thanks and praise.

Send your Spirit of truth, O God; rekindle your gifts within us: renew our faith, increase our hope, and deepen our love, for the sake of a world in need. Faithful to your Word, O God, draw near to all who call on you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. 

Lord’s Prayer

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

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Sending Prayer

So now we leave this space of worship and while so much of the road ahead is uncertain, the path constantly changing, we know some things that are as solid and sure as the ground beneath our feet, and the sky above our heads. 

We know God is love. We know Christ’s light endures. We know the Holy Spirit this there, found in the space between all things, closer to us than our next breath, binding us to each other, until we meet we again. 

Go in peace.

(submitted by Rev. Nora Vedress, Calvary United Church in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Sending Song – Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen (SURGE ECCLESIA) (ELW 548)

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Dismissal

Go forth into the world to serve God with gladness; be of good courage; hold fast to that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people; love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God.