Trinity Sunday in the church's lectionary has become an afterthought. We now refer for the rest of the church year to Sundays in Pentecost, not Trinity. Indeed the lessons appointed for this Sunday hardly seem appropriate for Trinity and my commentary for Pentecost has already exhausted the subject.
Just as a single person can be someone's daughter, another's sister, and a mother as well so too we can look at the one God from different perspectives. However we approach him he is worthy of our duty and praise. It should also be noted that God is neither male nor female but displays qualities of both. Whereas God may have been said to have created man in his own image we conceive of God in our own image and an all-powerful god needs must display masculine traits it seems.
Today's lessons speak more to our relationship with this god than about his nature.
Once more we return to the OT for our first lesson:
Isa 6:5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
This passage would not be out of place in Revelation.
Psa 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Psa 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Our Gospel tells the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus' visit to Jesus and culminates in the famous:
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him
The Father and the Son are one. The Epiphany did not occur with the intention of starting a Jesus Cult. The Son became man to demonstrate God's Redeeming Love. At his Resurrection he became one once more with the Father and last Sunday we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit which opened the minds of the Apostles. God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity.
I would take issue with Father Luther. God is a God of Love. He is not to be feared. Fear enters the relationship when like Adam and Eve we transgress and fail to repent and turn away from our sins and feel naked before God.
Just as a single person can be someone's daughter, another's sister, and a mother as well so too we can look at the one God from different perspectives. However we approach him he is worthy of our duty and praise. It should also be noted that God is neither male nor female but displays qualities of both. Whereas God may have been said to have created man in his own image we conceive of God in our own image and an all-powerful god needs must display masculine traits it seems.
Today's lessons speak more to our relationship with this god than about his nature.
Once more we return to the OT for our first lesson:
Isa 6:5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
This passage would not be out of place in Revelation.
Psa 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Psa 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Our Gospel tells the story of the Pharisee Nicodemus' visit to Jesus and culminates in the famous:
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him
The Father and the Son are one. The Epiphany did not occur with the intention of starting a Jesus Cult. The Son became man to demonstrate God's Redeeming Love. At his Resurrection he became one once more with the Father and last Sunday we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit which opened the minds of the Apostles. God in three Persons, Blessed Trinity.
I would take issue with Father Luther. God is a God of Love. He is not to be feared. Fear enters the relationship when like Adam and Eve we transgress and fail to repent and turn away from our sins and feel naked before God.
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