TRINITY SUNDAY                                             7^TH JUNE 2020:

WE GATHER IN GOD’S PRESENCE:

Lighting the Candle

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness

but will have the light of life.’

Let us be mindful of each other as we engage in worship:

Greeting:

In the name of the Father,

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

peace be with you     

AND ALSO WITH YOU.

We Focus on God     Psalm 8

(To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.)

1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

YOU HAVE SET YOUR GLORY ABOVE THE HEAVENS.
2     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    TO SILENCE THE ENEMY AND THE AVENGER.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 WHAT ARE HUMAN BEINGS THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF THEM,
    MORTALS THAT YOU CARE FOR THEM?

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    AND CROWNED THEM WITH GLORY AND HONOUR.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS UNDER THEIR FEET,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 THE BIRDS OF THE AIR, AND THE FISH OF THE SEA,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, OUR SOVEREIGN,
    HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!

We Sing: TIS 132 HOLY,HOLY,HOLY! LORD GOD ALMIGHTY

Prayer

Holy God,

in whom we live, and move and have our being

we remain awed by your grandeur

and the mystery of who you are,

acknowledging even such use of the verb to be

diminishes your true majesty.

WE WORSHIP YOU

Lord Jesus Christ

through your coming to us

we have revealed to us truth about

the divine meaning of majesty, power and might…

not to be served, but to serve!

WE WORSHIP YOU

Holy Spirit, Spirit of creation and breath of Christ…

through your presence with us

we offer prayer

the words of which we cannot begin to form

even as its essence drives us to recognize

our utter dependence on you

WE WORSHIP YOU

LORD God, you are One,

and we rejoice that you have committed yourself

to your creation, its creatures and humanity

to establish your reign…

WE WORSHIP YOU

therefore we pray as our Lord taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and forever. Amen

WE LISTEN FOR A WORD FROM GOD

Scripture

Genesis 1: – 2:4

1 In the beginning when God created[a] the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God[b] swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 7 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. 8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 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. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 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. 12 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. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 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, 15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 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.’ 21 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. 22 God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 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. 25 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.

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind[c] 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,[d] and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

27 So God created humankind[e] in his image,
    in the image of God he created them;[f]
    male and female he created them.

28 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.’ 29 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. 30 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. 31 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. 2 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. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, strive for maturity, take courage, · be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

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

In this is the Word of the Lord 

WE HEAR AND REJOICE, O LORD

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

This is the Gospel of our Lord 

PRAISE TO YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST

We Sing: TiS 92 SING TO GOD, WITH JOY AND GLADNESS

Sing to God, with joy and gladness,
hymns and psalms of gratitude;
with the voice of praise discover
that to worship God is good.

1. God unites his scattered people,
   gathers those who wandered far,
   heals the hurt and broken spirits,
   tending every wound and scar.
           Sing to God …
2. Such is God’s great power and wisdom
   none can calculate or tell;
   keen is God to ground the wicked
   and with humble folk to dwell.
           Sing to God …
3. God, with clouds, the sky has curtained
   thus ensuring rain shall fall;
   earth, responding, grows to order
   food for creatures great and small.
           Sing to God …
4. God’s discernment never favours
   strength or speed to lift or move;
   God delights in those who fear him,
   trusting in his steadfast love.
           Sing to God …

Paraphrase by  John L. Bell 1949–

Words and music from Psalms of Patience, Protest and Praise by permission Wild Goose Publications

Contemporary Word  

TRINITY

   I was converted to Christ as a twelve-year-old,

the first member of my family to become Christian,

through the ministry of the Zillmere Church of Christ.

I was baptized into Christ on 20^th July 1958.

I soon absorbed Churches of Christ slogans,

one of which was ‘no creed but Christ’.

Another was, ‘no book but the bible’. 

Well, looking at my library of printed and electronic books

I wonder what happened there!

   Similarly, I am now an ordained minister

within the Uniting Church in Australia which states this about Creeds:

The Uniting Church enters into unity with the Church throughout the ages by its use of the confessions known

 as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

The Uniting Church receives these

as authoritative statements of the Catholic Faith,

framed in the language of their day

and used by Christians in many days,

to declare and to guard the right understanding of that faith.

The Uniting Church commits its ministers and instructors

to careful study of these creeds

and to the discipline of interpreting their teaching in a later age.

It commends to ministers and congregations their use

for instruction in the faith,

and their use in worship as acts of allegiance to the Holy Trinity

(Basis of Union Article 9, 1992 Edition) Catholic in the Basis of Union means Universal, not the Roman Catholic church.

   Obviously I shifted from no creed but Christ… or more accurately,

I shifted in my understanding of, and appreciation for,

the two mentioned creeds, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. Furthermore, Article Three of the Basis of Union clearly declares the UCA’s conviction that the church is built on Christ!

   Today is designated as Trinity Sunday.

It does us well to recall this distinctive understanding of who God is.

It is always tempting to glibly assume that Jews, Muslems

and we Christians, worship the same God,

the God acknowledged and worshiped by Abraham…

There is some truth in that,

but not the whole truth!

Each of the traditions thinks

in different ways as to the nature and actions of the God

who self-revealed to Abraham and Sarai

in his call to them to leave kin to travel to a new land…

Both those within Judaism and Islam

think of Christians not as worshiping the One true God,

but three versions, gods even, of God.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God, we say…

When I was in Footscray, Victoria,

the local Muslim community was very active,

and in our own language, evangelical! mission minded!

They organized public events for families and young people.

For a while, their leaders and committed members

wore T Shirts with the slogan on the back:

Moses

Jesus

Mohammed

three prophets,

One God

A clever parody of our Trinitarian claim!

Christ has commissioned us to (Matthew 28):

‘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’!

The one name includes Father, Son and Spirit.

Similarly, the blessing offered by Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor.13) echoes this Trinitarian concept: 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

   It no doubt will surprise you to learn

that arguing for the Trinitarian concept of God

was forced on me when I began work, aged 17,

as a Junior cost clerk at Arnott Morrow’s,

the biscuit people, then on Coronation Drive, Milton.

The Senior Cost clerk, Roger, was a Jehovah’s Witness.

During many an extended lunch hour we dialogued,

and I argued in defence of the Biblical witness

to accepting Christ’s divine status,

and then including the Holy Spirit, within the One God.

We have read some of these texts the last few weeks:

the disciples worshipping Christ (Matt 28:17),

Thomas’s confession: My Lord and my God! (John 21:28),

The ancient confession within Philippians 2, which begins with:

⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited…

And of course the multifaceted witness of especially John’s Gospel

which includes:

1:1 In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

 14: 9, 10 Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 

¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The inclusion of the Spirit within the Trinity is also confirmed by Jesus with reference to the other Paraclete in the verses which follow…

   I had no difficulty arguing the meaning of these and many other texts! Even using the Genesis 1:26 text: 26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;

drawing attention to the use of the plural pronoun.

   My difficulty then, and even now though to a lesser extent,

is attempting to formulate an understanding of the nature of,

and the relationship within, the One God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It is difficult not to slip into concepts which different bishops

of the early church thought heretical on the part of other bishops.

   To settle the issue Constantine,

the new Emperor who claimed the cross was given him

as a sign to conquer his rival to the Empire,

ordered the bishops to attend a council to hammer out

a consensus understanding.

His agenda might have included theological clarity,

but certainly was driven by the desire to have a united Empire

through a people unified by a common understanding of their faith.

The location of this convocation? Nicaea.

The outcome?  the Nicene Creed of AD 325…

still recognized as the only Ecumenical Creed

(with some adjustments re-articulated in Constantinople in AD 381.)

Here it is… (I know, this might seem rather dull,

but it is a useful opportunity to remind ourselves of this historic creed!

I have served in congregations where it is always recited

as part of a Holy Communion service…) 

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, universal and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

(Note, the phrase “and the Son” was added quite some time later

by the Western empire churches, guided by Rome,

and is not recognized as correct theologically

by the Eastern empire (Orthodox) branches of the Church).

When one reads the affirmations concerning the Son,

it is clear that the framers also struggled to put into their language

both the distinction between Father and Son and their unique unity.

We do well to recall the line in the Basis of Union :

framed in the language of their day …

The thought occurred to me that if faced with that task today,

to express the unique unity

one might draw on genetics, DNA as illustrative examples;

Of course, apart from attributing DNA to God,

the difficulty in claiming the same genetic make up

for Father and the only begotten Son,

consubstantial with the Father…

comes in the next paragraph with the mention of Mary.

Her genetics comes into play, obviously,

for Jesus did share human existence!

Nevertheless Jesus had to also retain every aspect

of what it meant to be divine…

only this way could he accomplish the “for our salvation”

declaration of the Creed,

which included his re-creative act of breathing the Holy Spirit

on his disciples

the other Paraclete he had requested of the Father…

The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life!

The exact nature of the interaction between three as one

and mode of being of one as three

remained, and still remains, outside of human understanding…

it is a mystery held by faith…

For the modern era,

the crucial issue is not so much defining the exact relationship

between ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit’,

as recognizing that there is a relationship within the Godhead.

The God we approach with confidence

is not a self-sufficient monolithic entity.

Within God, interactive communion provides a divine entity

where relationship is celebrated.

The God whom we confess as Father, and as Son, and as Holy Spirit expresses a divine internal co-dependency.

   The reflections of Jesus concerning himself, God and the Spirit

illustrate this divine relationship.  

That divine relationship overflows to us.

Whatever the interaction between ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit’,

Jesus assures us that is the Divine interaction with us!

(see e.g. John 15:26-17:26).

The texts gathered for Trinity Sunday this year

extend that Trinitarian internal relationship to humanity;

Psalm 8 celebrates our unique place and space in relation to God

and the rest of creation.

Nevertheless, we remain within creation,

retaining our creatureliness, even if created in God’s image.

Our mindset ought therefore to be that of Christ,

to build on the Philippians 2 quote,

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

so that, though you are in the image of God,
    you do not regard near equality with God
    as something to be exploited…

by exploiting that, and those,

over whom you have been appointed stewards,

care takers and care givers… [1]

Yes, we might well be the first amongst all the species,

a little lower only than God,

privileged recipients of

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit…

God who is clearest reflected in the Son

revealed to us in the gospels

through the ministry of the Spirit…

What is the mind of Christ concerning being numero uno?

and whoever wishes to be first among you

must be your slave;

 ²⁸ just as the Son of Man

came not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life a ransom for many.

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

Prayer of Confession

Creator God, who with the Word fashioned all that is

through the Spirit who hovered over the pre-formed creation;

You breathed life into humanity

commissioning us to be your stewards over all that is;

We confess we have chosen to be served,

using and abusing your good gifts to us;

Through the Spirit breath of the Son,

reshape us to follow his calling to serve,

not only each other

but the whole of your creation…

We PRAY:  TIS 131 FATHER OF HEAVEN WHOSE LOVE PROFOUND

Declaration of Reconciliation

The One God who calls us to account

has acted to bring reconciliation through forgiveness

and works within us for transformation.

Salvation comes through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God, and the communion ofthe Holy Spirit,

so we say with joy in our hearts THANKS BE TO GOD

Passing the Peace.. as we raise our hands in blessing to those unseen…
The God of love and peace be with you all  AND ALSO WITH YOU.

We Share Our Community Life 

see the attached information.

Prayers of the People

Eternal LORD

we come with thanksgiving

for the easing of the nature of our lockdown restrictions;

especially since the impact of the Coronavirus on the health of people within our nation is minimal compared to many other countries.

Nevertheless, we are very mindful of the terrible plight of people

in other parts of the world;

especially where health services are scarce and limited. 

Grant through your Spirit,

a global sharing of wealth and health resources

to bring healing and hope.  

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Lord Jesus

named as King of kings and Lord of lords,

we beseech you that you will breathe the Spirit

into the hearts, minds and will of national and international leaders,

that the disruption of these times

will become opportunities for new ways of living together as people enjoying your gifts of creation;

all, and everyone, living adequately and sustainably.

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Holy Comforter,

we ask that your ongoing companionship may infuse

those whom we now name

with the peace, love and grace necessary for their well-being…

              -name aloud or in the silence of your hearts…-

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

in the name of Jesus,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever, AMEN

We Bring Our offering to God

setting aside our gifts to support the local and wider work of the church

and bless our gifts in an act of praise…

WE GO OUT TO SERVE GOD

We Sing: TIS 447 LORD, YOUR ALMIGHTY WORD

Sending Out  (2 Corinthians 13:11 alternative reading)

Finally, brothers and sisters,

rejoice, strive for maturity, take courage, ·

be like-minded, live in peace;

and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Blessing (2 Corinthians 13:13)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the communion ofthe Holy Spirit be with all of you.

AMEN

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[1] For an excellent exposition of the connection between God as trinity and our ecological responsibility see

Denis Edwards, JESUS THE WISDOM OF GOD, An Ecological Theology St. Paul’s HOMEBUSH 1995