Trinity Sunday A: The Great Promise
Dear Partner in Preaching,
Ever notice that the close of Matthew’s Gospel, a passage we usually refer to as “the Great Commission,” ends with a promise? I think I sometimes get so caught up in the grandeur and import of the Great Commission that I overlook what I now think of as “the Great Promise” – “And I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I suspect this isn’t an accident. That is, I suspect that our only hope of fulfilling the great commission – sharing the good news of God’s grace in Christ with the world through word and deed and welcoming all into fellowship through Baptism – is by keeping in mind the great promise: Christ will be with us. Except notice Jesus’ language: it’s not just future tense. Christ is with us. Even now. Even here. Even amid our struggles at home or at work or at our congregations or in the world. Christ is with us. Encouraging us, comforting us, working with us, guiding us, granting us the grace and courage necessary to be the people of God in the world right now.
Frankly, I think that’s pretty much enough for a meaningful sermon this Trinity Sunday. Because I am not at all sure that most of our people sense that God is with them. Oh, maybe in times of tragedy or loss, when even the most infrequently religious of us call on God for some extra help. (Though, now that I think of it, calling on God and experiencing God with us are not the same.) But what about all the other times. Good times, not so good times, joyous times, sad times, expectant times, anxious times. Do we sense God’s presence?
Right now, as I write, I know of one friend anxiously awaiting the outcome of a surgery on a grandchild. And another who has recently lost her job. And one more who is celebrating a much better semester than he’d imagined possible. And yet one more who is navigating significant changes in her roles at both home and work. Do they sense God’s presence? Some, I expect, do, but others perhaps do not. And so also with our people. So I think it could be really, really powerful to remind them that the very last thing Matthew records of everything Jesus said and did is a promise: “And I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Right here, right now, and forever.
While I really do believe this is enough for a sermon, I think it also helps us to make a little more sense of the Trinity. Yes, the Holy Trinity: one of the last “doctrines” to be defined by the church and surely one of the most difficult to understand. Here’s the thing: We tend to think of the Trinity as something we need to at least believe, if not fully understand. That is, we think about the Trinity in terms of what it is. But maybe – if you want to talk about the Trinity (and I don’t actually think that’s a requirement) – it might help to focus on what the Trinity does. Not simply the individual members of the Trinity – as in Creating, Redeeming, Sustaining – but rather in terms of the Trinity’s more holistic and ongoing activity to remind us of God’s promise in Christ to be with us and for us always, to help us believe that promise, and to encourage us to live in the confidence it grants.
I will confess that I don’t really understand the Trinity as a concept or doctrine – and that I don’t completely believe those who say they do! – but I do know that at the heart of the Trinity is the belief that God is inherently and irreducibly both communal and loving. One God in three persons whose shared, mutual, and sacrificial love spills out into the world and all its inhabitants. And I think that, ultimately, we are called to be church in a similar way. Loving, respecting, and caring for each other in a way that spills out into our neighborhoods and communities in tangible, beneficial, and attractive ways.
And that’s part of what promises do – they bind us together, they provide hope, and they create courage to live with each other, support each other, forgive each other, and encourage each other. At the heart of every authentic and nurturing relationship, when you think about it, is a promise. A promise that is a whole lot like Jesus’ promise: I will be with you. I am for you. You can count on me. I’ve got your back. Let’s see what we can do together.
So perhaps the opportunity this week, Dear Partner, is not so much simply to talk about the Trinity, let alone try to explain it, but rather to invite us into the shared love and life of the Trinity by reminding us of Jesus’ Great Promise – the promise that makes it possible for us to dare the Great Commission and so much more. In fact, perhaps a question to pose this week might be, “what would you dream, dare, and do if you believed that Jesus is with you, no matter what.” Not, mind you, what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail – for most daring and faithful feats involve a fair amount of failure! – but rather what would you do if you knew that God was for you and with you no matter what and forever.
Promises create relationships and possibilities. And that, it seems to me, is just what the Trinity is about, as well. And perhaps just what we need to hear. Thanks for the creativity and courage you offer in bringing us this Word. It makes a real difference in our lives.
Yours in Christ,
David
Awesome words… they seemed to speak to me personally… IT’S COOL TO REALIZE WE ARE NEVER ALONE!
Blessings,
Kevin
Thanks David. When I think about my preaching (and counseling), I can say that the promise of presence is very prominent. The other point that I get from this passage is that the some of the disciples doubted. Knowing that Jesus gave this promise of his presence in the midst of doubt is powerful…just as he gave Holy Communion to those he knew would betray, deny, and flee. This is pure grace.
When I think about my preaching (and counseling), I can say that the promise of presence is very prominent. The other point that I get from this passage is that the some of the disciples doubted. Knowing that Jesus gave this promise of his presence in the midst of doubt is powerful…just as he gave Holy Communion to those he knew would betray, deny, and flee. This is pure grace.
Thank you for your insights
The word that stuck out to me in that last sentence is “remember”. It maybe that I am just getting older and it is harder to remember things but this constant presence is on the do not forget list. Lord help me remember the things I need to remember and forget the things I should forget.
I like how the CEB translates the promise – “Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” EVERY DAY! That’s the good news. Thankfully, this Sunday, our congregation honors our graduates. What a great message to share with them as they go out into the world!
David, thank you so much for your beautiful and comforting words. Loneliness is a struggle in ministry. As you said there are many of us really need to remember this promise, especially these days. Peace be with you!
Mary in Town:
It’s also my experience – I’m not sure either that people think of God with them everyday and have a sense of his presence with them in the here an now. They do not comment on his ‘being with them.
How can we encourage folk and help them to see God in their lives, supporting them, walking with them. What are the signs and sights that we can talk about and point people towards.
I checked other translations of this text, including a Greek interlinear, because I wanted to understand a previous sentence: “they worshiped him, but some doubted.” Some translate the word as “hesitated” instead of doubted. In line with your words, I wonder where our hesitancy lies in our living into the promise of Christ’s presence. Or, as I’ve asked many who say they used to worship but can’t seem to find their way back, “What is it that stands between you (us) and God?”
I’ve been working with a Muslim group on a workshop for Christian/Muslim Relations: Finding Common Ground Amidst Differences, ( my final project of my doctorate at LTSP) We were talking about God, and they said that in Islam God encompasses our body, mind and soul………..