Spotlight
What about the Trinity?
Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity are all festivals we will be celebrating in the coming month of May. We may remember that Ascension was when Christ returned to the right hand of God (a position of honor and glory); we may remember that Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the New Testament church; but what about Trinity? That word or event does not even appear in the Bible!
How true, but I am not suggesting we do away with it. It is a festival we celebrate which explains one of the truths of Scripture. You see, we worship God who is three in one – three distinct persons in one divine essence. That is where the words Triune and Trinity come from.
Within the church we not only celebrate Trinity Sunday, but the Sundays after Trinity (which we call the Pentecost Season). For many, that time of the church year becomes dull. Why? There are no more festivals to celebrate (until we start again with Christmas), and it seems to be the same old thing Sunday after Sunday.
But what do these Sundays mean? To understand, we need to look at why we worship on Sunday. We worship on Sunday because it reminds us of the Trinity and the work that each person of the Trinity did. It reminds us that
- God the Father started creation on the first day of the week
- God the Son rose on the first day
- God the Holy Spirit founded the New Testament church on the first day of the week.
Secondly, as we gather during the Pentecost season, we give witness to the world that it is the only true God we worship – the Triune God. Not only is it enough to give witness to this fact by our mouths, but our lives must also show this fact.
Traditionally the summer months are those times when church attendance begins to slip – all because we consider things as dull and there are more exciting things happening elsewhere. May we pray this does not happen this year either at Trinity or St. Thomas, But that we continually glorify God in our lives. To that end, let us pray for ourselves and our fellow members, that we receive strength to gather for worship in order that God house be filled to the brim each Sunday to sing His praise and glory. And finally may we resolve to bring others to Christ – to let them know that they are missing out on knowing the great God of Salvation.
As we carry that out, God will bless us, for we have His promise that as we give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, our labor will not be in vain. To God all praise and glory!
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Jabs
