Bible Text: Matthew 28: 16-20, 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 | Preacher: Rev. Berlin Guerrero | Series: 2020 | For the first time after so many years, the world find itself in an unprecedented situation brought about by the pandemic and its economic, social and political consequences. In some ways, it has created a culture of self-care that has led to self-preservation, diminishing the community spirit and collectivism. There is also a tendency among people to distrust strangers and especially people of colour. In the US of A, racism has another victim in the name of George Floyd, fanning the flames of anti-racist protest which has spread out to many parts of the world especially in countries with colonial history and history of tyranny.

 

So what has Trinity Sunday got to do with what’s happening around the world? Or in a more exact terms, what has the worship of Triune God got to do with the world we live in with all its people and creatures?

 

First of all, it is into this world where we are sent. Jesus gave us the “Go” command and our being commanded to “Go” is what makes us as persons and as a people with a purpose and a mission.

 

Yesterday, there were huge gatherings of people in Sydney and here in Melbourne to show solidarity with the peoples of America to their cry that Black Lives Matter. The people there went with a common purpose. Who among our members of our congregations joined the protests? I apologise I was not there. I could have been there if not for the set up and test-run our audio-visual team yesterday afternoon in preparation for today’s online service. That is my excuse.

 

If you did not go, what is your excuse? Shouldn’t it be that all of us who are able should be there? Why? Because God was there, Christ was there, and the Holy spirit was there and the triune God will always be there because God is in the world working with people working to make a better world. Christ was there because it Christ’s mission to free people from all forms of oppression and slavery, the Holy Spirit is there because the Spirit moves and animates a movement of people for change and inspiration.

 

It pains me truly to see that whilst a lot of people, perhaps many are not church-goers, are out there fulfilling God’s purposes, mindful and dutiful yet unhampered by the COVID-19 restrictions, and yet we church members are all worried and burdened with how to comply with state restrictions and requirements. There are pages and pages of papers laying down the rules and regulations in order to comply with the restrictions that has become part of the law with fines and penalties for breach. Because of this, the default position for many congregations is to go back to regular church activities such as Sunday public worship only when all the restrictions are lifted. This is the safest self-preserving position.

 

 

This posture can be described into two words: safety and compliance. And this is a challenge for Christ’s Church. The church is bending its knees to the restrictions of the State to the point that the traditions of the church are bended and shaped according to state OHS and COVID-19 regulations. For example, public worship, is limited in the number of participants and will have to be private because no one can just come in. It has to be by invitation; no choirs and no hymn singing; the impact of these restrictions is that the very mission and purpose of the church is restricted as well.

 

It is Trinity Sunday today. It means reflecting on Trinitarian matters should situate us precisely where we belong and where we stand — we are invited into the life and transformative power of a God who is on the move in the here-and-now. Like the Holy Spirit, the power of God is unhampered and unrestricted.

 

 

Another characteristic of the Triune God is God’s ever-presence: “I am with you always to the end of the days.”

 

It so good to take these words as an assurance that God is on our side and in our journey. But this is not a passive accompaniment. God sends us to the world because God is in the world through Christ’s Spirit. Jesus commands us to go in order to meet him there and share in his work.

 

We share in God’s work similar to how Jesus Christ worked when God sent him to the world.

 

Lastly, Paul’s articulation of the Trinity these words: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

 

We are quite familiar with these greetings and also as form of collective blessing at the end of a gathering or meeting. Let us not just be familiar with these words but rather be aware of what these words mean so that when we utter them, they bring blessings to others as well as to ourselves, they bring empowerment and grace to all, strength and endurance for the ministry and mission of Christ.

 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ – demonstrated in how he treated those around him, family, friends, followers and disciples. There is this redemptive nature by which he related and engaged with people. And of course,  his world-saving act by giving up his life for all.

 

God’s love –  God’s ability creating out of love, judging out of righteous love, liberating out of love, and of giving up the most important part of God’s being, God’s Son. A kind of love we cannot understand, yet we can experience; a love we grew into but cannot outgrow, a love that is capable of embracing the world even if our hands are not long enough. Love that invites you to love others because that is the only way to respond to God’s love.

 

The Communion of the Holy Spirit –   The Holy Spirit communes with you and me – communicating, speaking, conversing with your innermost-self and reaching out to your deepest thought. The Spirit assists you to think godly thoughts and speak godly talk; the counsellor counsels you and questions you; the Spirit pushes you to break your limitations even as the Spirit guides you to break the yoke of injustice and oppression in the world.

 

The Spirit unites and makes us one body in Christ and Christ’s body in the world.

 

These words are surely limited but hopefully suggestive of the essentials of our Triune God. Consider these words whenever we say the greeting and the collective blessing so that we are ever inspired and strengthened to do God’s mission in the world. Amen.