ATTUNED TO THE TRIUNE
Sermon by Dwyn M. Mounger, M.Div., Ph.D., Interim Pastor
Community Presbyterian Church, Deerfield Beach, Florida
Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2010, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 8 (paraphrase); Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15.
Sermon by Dwyn M. Mounger, M.Div., Ph.D., Interim Pastor
Community Presbyterian Church, Deerfield Beach, Florida
Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2010, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 8 (paraphrase); Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15.
Each
Each time you and I gather here in this Sanctuary to
celebrate the Lord’s Supper, as we’ll do next Sunday, at a certain
point in the service, we either sing or say the so-called Sanctus..
It’s part of the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving, or Eucharistic Prayer,
by which we begin this Sacrament: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of
power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. . . .”
The Latin word Sanctus means, of course, “holy.” Today is Trinity Sunday, when you and I emphasize our conviction that our holy God is triune--that is, one God in three persons. How can we Christians become ATTUNED to the Triune? --How can we mere mortals dare APPROACH this mysterious Three-in-One? Each Sunday morning, here in this sanctuary, we attempt, as a congregation, to do just that. In fact, the very order of this service of worship is designed for us to encounter our triune God in the most effective way possible.
Please now, for a moment, take out a copy of the Bible in your pew, and turn to page 635 in the first, or OLD Testament part. If you have vision challenges, hold up your hand, and an usher will bring you an ENLARGED copy of our lessons from Holy Scripture for today. Look at our FIRST Lesson for today, there on page 635, Isaiah, chapter 6, beginning with verse one. Now keep this passage open, as I talk about it for awhile. And please ALSO keep open your bulletin with the order of our worship printed in it. For I’m going to refer to EACH of them briefly.
TELL me, why do you and I use this particular order of worship here, as given in your bulletin, Sunday by Sunday? (Have you ever thought about it?) Yes, why do we use this order – beginning with the Organ Prelude and Introit by the Choir, and proceeding on the to Praise, Call to Confession, Assurance of Pardon, and only after THIS, Hearing God’s Word and responding to it?
--It’s NOT just because it was this was the order of public worship used by the French Reformer John Calvin, whose 500th birthday you and I celebrated LAST year. It’s not just because this was (and is) the liturgy of John Knox’s Church of Scotland — the most immediate historical ANCESTRESS denomination for Presbyterians here in North America. No, it’s not just because this order is that of our official Presbyterian Book of Common Worship either. It’s not even because it’s the typical order you’d find were you, on vacation this summer, some Sunday morning, to drop into the average Presbyterian, Congregational, Reformed, or United church in the U.S.A., Canada, Britain, Europe, or elsewhere in our world – in our branch of the Christian faith that numbers globally more than 80 million adherents.
No, we Protestants aren’t very big on tradition. Of far greater importance to us is the witness of holy Scripture. And the KEY QUESTION, for our corporate worship as for all our church life, is this: “Is it Biblical?”
Well let me say without any reservation: THIS ORDER OF SERVICE IS MOST ASSUREDLY BIBLICAL! In fact, its pattern springs from this very First Lesson, this passage, from Isaiah, chapter 6, that Beryl O’Connell read to us on this Trinity Sunday. Yes, in these brief verses you and I encounter Isaiah’s beautiful, dream-like vision of the Lord in all God’s glory! -- A vision that was utterly to change the man’s life--and make him into one of the greatest of God’s prophets!
Just who was Isaiah, anyhow? -- Well, he lived during some of the most dangerous days of the nation of Judah. To the east the powerful King of Assyria was conquering the surrounding nations. And the Jews seemed helpless before him. One might think that, in desperation, they’d have turned to God in a revival of their ancient faith. But religion in Judah remained largely external. It seemed to influence very little the everyday lives of the people.
Here, in our lesson, you and I see Isaiah as he enters the great Temple at Jerusalem, perhaps to make a sacrifice. It’s routine business for Isaiah -- something he’s done scores of times before. But today something happens to Isaiah -- something he’ll never forget! As he gazes towards the so-called HOLY Place, suddenly he beholds the VERY IMAGE OF THE LORD, HIGH AND LIFTED UP, SEATED UPON THE THRONE, WITH THE TRAIN OF THE DIVINE ROBE FILLING ALL THE TEMPLE! Just listen to the prophet’s own words: “Seraphs were in attendance above [the Lord]; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.”
Now, friends, THIS part of Isaiah’s wonderful dream corresponds, in your church bulletin, there in your hand, to the very first part of our service, from the Prelude by our Organist, the Chimes and Choral Introit by the Choir, down through the “Call to Worship.” An Organ Prelude is NEVER meant to be BACKGROUND music while I greet and visit with my friends—such as the ditties that one might be subjected to as one rides up an elevator -- or waits “ON HOLD,” on the telephone! No, as you and I gather in this holy place and listen to the Prelude, here, we prayerfully fix our hearts on OUR LORD and prepare ourselves for the rest of the service.
But let’s get back to our lesson and to Isaiah, in the Jerusalem Temple. What happens to him next? --Listen again. He says, “One seraph, [or angel] called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”
This brings you and me to another major part of our order of worship, the “Praise.” Every Sunday morning our opening sacred song is ALWAYS one in which we adore and give thanks to God. Today is an exception, for in keeping with the U.S.A. Memorial Day tomorrow, we begin with a hymn of prayer for men and women who serve in our armed forces, and follow it, appropriately, with the Litany of Remembrance for all the fallen.
On virtually every other Sunday of the year, however, our opening hymn is one of praise, focusing our prayerful contemplation and our hearts upon our Maker, who upholds us and blesses us in countless ways! And yet, having glimpsed something of the Divine MAJESTY, we become immediately aware of our own imperfection and faults, by way of contrast. So Isaiah here cries, next, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
And, in our Sunday service, at this point, at least on MOST Sundays, you and I, conscious of God’s holiness and of our own imperfections, by way of contrast, join in our corporate Prayer of Confession. TODAY, of all times, is an EXCEPTION! Because of our opening, Memorial Day tribute to the fallen, with special hymn and “Bidding Prayer of Remembrance,” we’ve OMITTED a specific Prayer of Confession as such, for the sake of brevity. (Am very much aware that, in North America, if a service of worship lasts longer than an hour, there are folks in the pews who turn into pumpkins at the chiming of the clock!) But normally this is the proper point when we DO join in this expression of penitence.
But let’s move on. Look at what happens next to Isaiah. Immediately after confessing his guilt, he receives dramatic assurance that God has pardoned him. Just listen to the prophet’s words: “Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
Here in our usual liturgy, in the “Declaration of Pardon,” the minister assures us, often quoting the very words of holy Scripture, that, through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven us and canceled our guilt. John Calvin said this about the importance of this part of our worship: “That some word of promise should be added to the general confession to awaken sinners to the hope of forgiveness and redemption everyone recognizes.”
Right after the words of pardon comes “The Peace,” or WELCOME to one another -- a tradition that goes back to the earliest Christians. It reminds us of SO MANY things! –The fact that, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, you and I can’t expect forgiveness from God until we’ve made peace with our neighbors. It also makes us keenly aware of the fact that we worship NOT as lonely individuals:, as isolated persons, each of us alone with the Divine, but that we’re a CONGREGATION, a body of the Lord’s People, united in our love for God and one another.
But, quickly, let’s move on. In our lesson Isaiah next testifies, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’’” This brings us to the longest section of our typical service of worship -- that part that we call the Proclamation of God’s Word. This includes an appropriate, brief ”PRAYER OF THE DAY,” traditionally called a “Collect,” that sets the tone and theme of the readings from the Bible and of the sermon. In this prayer we ask God to help us understand the Word we’re about to hear. And, of course, the “Word” includes the lessons of Scripture themselves -- the first, usually from the Old Testament (except in Eastertide, when this lesson is from the Book of Acts); the Second, usually from the New, with the Psalm of the Day between them – sung by us all in traditional metrical, rhymed verse, or else led in responsorial form by a cantor.
And, finally, this central part of our liturgy includes the preacher’s sermon or meditation --which we, in our Reformed tradition, believe ALWAYS contains some direct message from God to EACH PERSON PRESENT -- despite everything! Yes, despite the skill or LACK of skill of the preacher; despite his or her unworthiness of holy office, we believe that the Holy Spirit FEEDS us through every sermon, just as the Spirit feeds us in the Lord’s Supper! Isn’t that exciting!
But let’s get back to Isaiah and his wonderful encounter with God in the Temple. After HEARING God’s voice saying to him, “‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?,’” Isaiah RESPONDS to the Word by crying, “Here am I; send me!” And this brings us to the part of our service where YOU and I respond to the Word we’ve received from the Lord. -- Yes, we stand and heartily join in a common Affirmation of Faith – often the Apostles’ Creed on a Sunday in which we do not celebrate Holy Communion, and the Nicene Creed when we do join in the Eucharist.
Further responding to the Word, we lift our hearts in the major PRAYERS of the service. In gratitude, we bring our GIFTS to God through the OFFERING. And, on Communion Sundays, even the Lord’s Supper (or “Holy Communion”) itself is our own grateful response to God’s written Word but especially to the living Word, Jesus Christ. It may puzzle you to think of the Lord’s Supper as part of our response. But it is. For in the Sacrament we bring to God our gifts of bread and wine, and God blesses them and nourishes us with his Body and Blood.
For centuries our spiritual cousins in the Church of Scotland have dramatically emphasized this through a certain beautiful custom. On Communion Sundays, in Scotland, the holy table is never set ahead of time. Instead, at a certain point after the sermon, the elders and the minister exit. And then, as the offering is brought forward, and as the entire congregation stands and sings the 24th Psalm -- ”Ye gates, lift up your heads on high, Ye doors that last for aye, Be lifted up, that so the King of glory enter may!” -- the elders and the minister march back in with the gleaming, silver Communion vessels -- including the flagon of wine and the chalices and the loaves!
But let’s take one final look at Isaiah here in the Temple. Immediately after the prophet responds to God’s Word, “Here am I, send me!,” the Lord DOES send him out on a special MISSION to his people. And in our Sunday service here, that’s the CLOSING part of our order of worship. The pastor, just before the Benediction, gives the charge to the congregation, “Go out into the world in peace. . .,” Yes, go out and CHANGE the world, in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit!
This sanctuary, you see, ISN’T a place to escape the harsh reality of life around us! It’s no womb or cocoon to shelter us from things that might disturb us. Instead, a sanctuary is, for us Christians, a refueling station! It’s the place where, run down by the struggle, you and I come to get our spiritual batteries recharged--and then return, with renewed strength, to fight the forces of death and evil!
Such, then, friends, is the Biblical meaning of this order of service that you and I use this Trinity Sunday and every Sunday! Yes, ATTUNED TO THE TRIUNE -- our corporate encounter with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! -- I pray that, EVERY time you and I assemble here, we may receive a VISION of our glorious Lord just as marvelous as that of Isaiah in the Jerusalem Temple!
Prayers:
We thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for revealing yourself to us through our corporate worship! For the blessed privilege of prayer and praise; of confession, assurance, intercession, and petition; for the Word of God read and preached; the Sacraments through which Christ comes to us; and especially for your Spirit, who brings life to our liturgy: make us truly grateful!
Deliver us, we pray, from all that would cause our divine service to be artificial or mechanical; all that would detract from your glory; all that would divert our attention from your voice.
Lord of all the worlds that are, let your blessing now rest on everyone who names your name, in all places on earth, who, on this Trinity Sunday, joins us in praising you. Let this congregation, and those represented here today, be places where parents, children, and grandparents all may receive your benediction and know your truth that sets them free.
O God, may your special, wise guidance rest upon those leaders of every nation who earnestly and sincerely strive for PEACE in this world - in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; in Israel and occupied Palestine; and in nations of Africa that are torn by strife. Bring unity and harmony to the peninsula of Korea.
God of healing, mercifully grant your balm to those in this sanctuary today who need restoration in body, mind, or spirit. Heal the sick. Comfort those who mourn.
And, finally, keep us in eternal fellowship with all our brothers and sisters who have entered heaven and who, like the Prophet Isaiah, now behold you face-to-face, and join all the hosts in the celestial Sanctus, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” For we make these our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.
The Latin word Sanctus means, of course, “holy.” Today is Trinity Sunday, when you and I emphasize our conviction that our holy God is triune--that is, one God in three persons. How can we Christians become ATTUNED to the Triune? --How can we mere mortals dare APPROACH this mysterious Three-in-One? Each Sunday morning, here in this sanctuary, we attempt, as a congregation, to do just that. In fact, the very order of this service of worship is designed for us to encounter our triune God in the most effective way possible.
Please now, for a moment, take out a copy of the Bible in your pew, and turn to page 635 in the first, or OLD Testament part. If you have vision challenges, hold up your hand, and an usher will bring you an ENLARGED copy of our lessons from Holy Scripture for today. Look at our FIRST Lesson for today, there on page 635, Isaiah, chapter 6, beginning with verse one. Now keep this passage open, as I talk about it for awhile. And please ALSO keep open your bulletin with the order of our worship printed in it. For I’m going to refer to EACH of them briefly.
Isaiah 6:1-9a:
| In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw
the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe
filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six
wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered
their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his
glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who
called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” And he said, “Go . . . .” |
Community Presbyterian Church – Deerfield Beach, Florida Trinity Sunday (And Lord’s Day prior to Memorial Day in the U.S.A.) May 30, 2010 - 10:30 a.m. - Traditional Worship - Sanctuary Organ Prelude Arabesque Wolford Westminster Chimes Choral Introit *Processional Hymn (all stand, singing stanzas 1-3 only) “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” (Navy hymn, inclusive) *Call to Worship (Isa. 6:3, Rev. 1:8) led by Beryl O’Connell, Lector Let us worship God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of God’s glory. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Praise the Lord. The Lord’s name be praised. * Bidding Prayer of Remembrance
We remember and give thanks.
We remember and give thanks.
We remember and give thanks.
We remember and give thanks.
We remember and give thanks. (A time of silence)
Amen. *Organ Response Taps (Bugle call; composer Union Army Brig. Genl. Daniel Butterfield, 1862) *Sung Response (by all) “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” (stanza 4 only) *As Christ Has Welcomed You, So Welcome One Another Prayer of the Day Ms. O’Connell God’s Word in Holy Scripture Isaiah 6:1-9a page 635 in the Old Testament read by Ms. O’Connell *Response, Hymn 11 “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty” NICAEAPsalm 8, Hymn #95 (all sing, seated) “O Lord, Our Lord, in All the Earth” DUNFERMLINE Romans 5:1-5 page 155 in the New Testament read by Ms. O’Connell Anthem “For the Beauty of the Earth” (words P. Pierpoint; music John Rutter) Gospel, John 16:12-15 page 110 in the New Testament read by Dr. Mounger Sermon Attuned to the Triune Dr. Mounger *Affirmation of Faith [unison; Apostles’ Creed, page 12, front of hymnal] led by Ms. O’Connell *Response “O Trinity, Bless-ed” (words Dwyn Mounger © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Tune ASH GROVE; Please see insert.) Concerns Prayers of the People Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever. Amen. Choral Response Offering Offertory *Doxology # 544 and Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 34 “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” LAAST UNS ERFREUEN *Benediction and Choral Response *All who are able, please stand. |
TELL me, why do you and I use this particular order of worship here, as given in your bulletin, Sunday by Sunday? (Have you ever thought about it?) Yes, why do we use this order – beginning with the Organ Prelude and Introit by the Choir, and proceeding on the to Praise, Call to Confession, Assurance of Pardon, and only after THIS, Hearing God’s Word and responding to it?
--It’s NOT just because it was this was the order of public worship used by the French Reformer John Calvin, whose 500th birthday you and I celebrated LAST year. It’s not just because this was (and is) the liturgy of John Knox’s Church of Scotland — the most immediate historical ANCESTRESS denomination for Presbyterians here in North America. No, it’s not just because this order is that of our official Presbyterian Book of Common Worship either. It’s not even because it’s the typical order you’d find were you, on vacation this summer, some Sunday morning, to drop into the average Presbyterian, Congregational, Reformed, or United church in the U.S.A., Canada, Britain, Europe, or elsewhere in our world – in our branch of the Christian faith that numbers globally more than 80 million adherents.
No, we Protestants aren’t very big on tradition. Of far greater importance to us is the witness of holy Scripture. And the KEY QUESTION, for our corporate worship as for all our church life, is this: “Is it Biblical?”
Well let me say without any reservation: THIS ORDER OF SERVICE IS MOST ASSUREDLY BIBLICAL! In fact, its pattern springs from this very First Lesson, this passage, from Isaiah, chapter 6, that Beryl O’Connell read to us on this Trinity Sunday. Yes, in these brief verses you and I encounter Isaiah’s beautiful, dream-like vision of the Lord in all God’s glory! -- A vision that was utterly to change the man’s life--and make him into one of the greatest of God’s prophets!
Just who was Isaiah, anyhow? -- Well, he lived during some of the most dangerous days of the nation of Judah. To the east the powerful King of Assyria was conquering the surrounding nations. And the Jews seemed helpless before him. One might think that, in desperation, they’d have turned to God in a revival of their ancient faith. But religion in Judah remained largely external. It seemed to influence very little the everyday lives of the people.
Here, in our lesson, you and I see Isaiah as he enters the great Temple at Jerusalem, perhaps to make a sacrifice. It’s routine business for Isaiah -- something he’s done scores of times before. But today something happens to Isaiah -- something he’ll never forget! As he gazes towards the so-called HOLY Place, suddenly he beholds the VERY IMAGE OF THE LORD, HIGH AND LIFTED UP, SEATED UPON THE THRONE, WITH THE TRAIN OF THE DIVINE ROBE FILLING ALL THE TEMPLE! Just listen to the prophet’s own words: “Seraphs were in attendance above [the Lord]; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.”
Now, friends, THIS part of Isaiah’s wonderful dream corresponds, in your church bulletin, there in your hand, to the very first part of our service, from the Prelude by our Organist, the Chimes and Choral Introit by the Choir, down through the “Call to Worship.” An Organ Prelude is NEVER meant to be BACKGROUND music while I greet and visit with my friends—such as the ditties that one might be subjected to as one rides up an elevator -- or waits “ON HOLD,” on the telephone! No, as you and I gather in this holy place and listen to the Prelude, here, we prayerfully fix our hearts on OUR LORD and prepare ourselves for the rest of the service.
But let’s get back to our lesson and to Isaiah, in the Jerusalem Temple. What happens to him next? --Listen again. He says, “One seraph, [or angel] called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”
This brings you and me to another major part of our order of worship, the “Praise.” Every Sunday morning our opening sacred song is ALWAYS one in which we adore and give thanks to God. Today is an exception, for in keeping with the U.S.A. Memorial Day tomorrow, we begin with a hymn of prayer for men and women who serve in our armed forces, and follow it, appropriately, with the Litany of Remembrance for all the fallen.
On virtually every other Sunday of the year, however, our opening hymn is one of praise, focusing our prayerful contemplation and our hearts upon our Maker, who upholds us and blesses us in countless ways! And yet, having glimpsed something of the Divine MAJESTY, we become immediately aware of our own imperfection and faults, by way of contrast. So Isaiah here cries, next, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
And, in our Sunday service, at this point, at least on MOST Sundays, you and I, conscious of God’s holiness and of our own imperfections, by way of contrast, join in our corporate Prayer of Confession. TODAY, of all times, is an EXCEPTION! Because of our opening, Memorial Day tribute to the fallen, with special hymn and “Bidding Prayer of Remembrance,” we’ve OMITTED a specific Prayer of Confession as such, for the sake of brevity. (Am very much aware that, in North America, if a service of worship lasts longer than an hour, there are folks in the pews who turn into pumpkins at the chiming of the clock!) But normally this is the proper point when we DO join in this expression of penitence.
But let’s move on. Look at what happens next to Isaiah. Immediately after confessing his guilt, he receives dramatic assurance that God has pardoned him. Just listen to the prophet’s words: “Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”
Here in our usual liturgy, in the “Declaration of Pardon,” the minister assures us, often quoting the very words of holy Scripture, that, through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven us and canceled our guilt. John Calvin said this about the importance of this part of our worship: “That some word of promise should be added to the general confession to awaken sinners to the hope of forgiveness and redemption everyone recognizes.”
Right after the words of pardon comes “The Peace,” or WELCOME to one another -- a tradition that goes back to the earliest Christians. It reminds us of SO MANY things! –The fact that, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, you and I can’t expect forgiveness from God until we’ve made peace with our neighbors. It also makes us keenly aware of the fact that we worship NOT as lonely individuals:, as isolated persons, each of us alone with the Divine, but that we’re a CONGREGATION, a body of the Lord’s People, united in our love for God and one another.
But, quickly, let’s move on. In our lesson Isaiah next testifies, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’’” This brings us to the longest section of our typical service of worship -- that part that we call the Proclamation of God’s Word. This includes an appropriate, brief ”PRAYER OF THE DAY,” traditionally called a “Collect,” that sets the tone and theme of the readings from the Bible and of the sermon. In this prayer we ask God to help us understand the Word we’re about to hear. And, of course, the “Word” includes the lessons of Scripture themselves -- the first, usually from the Old Testament (except in Eastertide, when this lesson is from the Book of Acts); the Second, usually from the New, with the Psalm of the Day between them – sung by us all in traditional metrical, rhymed verse, or else led in responsorial form by a cantor.
And, finally, this central part of our liturgy includes the preacher’s sermon or meditation --which we, in our Reformed tradition, believe ALWAYS contains some direct message from God to EACH PERSON PRESENT -- despite everything! Yes, despite the skill or LACK of skill of the preacher; despite his or her unworthiness of holy office, we believe that the Holy Spirit FEEDS us through every sermon, just as the Spirit feeds us in the Lord’s Supper! Isn’t that exciting!
But let’s get back to Isaiah and his wonderful encounter with God in the Temple. After HEARING God’s voice saying to him, “‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?,’” Isaiah RESPONDS to the Word by crying, “Here am I; send me!” And this brings us to the part of our service where YOU and I respond to the Word we’ve received from the Lord. -- Yes, we stand and heartily join in a common Affirmation of Faith – often the Apostles’ Creed on a Sunday in which we do not celebrate Holy Communion, and the Nicene Creed when we do join in the Eucharist.
Further responding to the Word, we lift our hearts in the major PRAYERS of the service. In gratitude, we bring our GIFTS to God through the OFFERING. And, on Communion Sundays, even the Lord’s Supper (or “Holy Communion”) itself is our own grateful response to God’s written Word but especially to the living Word, Jesus Christ. It may puzzle you to think of the Lord’s Supper as part of our response. But it is. For in the Sacrament we bring to God our gifts of bread and wine, and God blesses them and nourishes us with his Body and Blood.
For centuries our spiritual cousins in the Church of Scotland have dramatically emphasized this through a certain beautiful custom. On Communion Sundays, in Scotland, the holy table is never set ahead of time. Instead, at a certain point after the sermon, the elders and the minister exit. And then, as the offering is brought forward, and as the entire congregation stands and sings the 24th Psalm -- ”Ye gates, lift up your heads on high, Ye doors that last for aye, Be lifted up, that so the King of glory enter may!” -- the elders and the minister march back in with the gleaming, silver Communion vessels -- including the flagon of wine and the chalices and the loaves!
But let’s take one final look at Isaiah here in the Temple. Immediately after the prophet responds to God’s Word, “Here am I, send me!,” the Lord DOES send him out on a special MISSION to his people. And in our Sunday service here, that’s the CLOSING part of our order of worship. The pastor, just before the Benediction, gives the charge to the congregation, “Go out into the world in peace. . .,” Yes, go out and CHANGE the world, in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit!
This sanctuary, you see, ISN’T a place to escape the harsh reality of life around us! It’s no womb or cocoon to shelter us from things that might disturb us. Instead, a sanctuary is, for us Christians, a refueling station! It’s the place where, run down by the struggle, you and I come to get our spiritual batteries recharged--and then return, with renewed strength, to fight the forces of death and evil!
Such, then, friends, is the Biblical meaning of this order of service that you and I use this Trinity Sunday and every Sunday! Yes, ATTUNED TO THE TRIUNE -- our corporate encounter with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! -- I pray that, EVERY time you and I assemble here, we may receive a VISION of our glorious Lord just as marvelous as that of Isaiah in the Jerusalem Temple!
Prayers:
We thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for revealing yourself to us through our corporate worship! For the blessed privilege of prayer and praise; of confession, assurance, intercession, and petition; for the Word of God read and preached; the Sacraments through which Christ comes to us; and especially for your Spirit, who brings life to our liturgy: make us truly grateful!
Deliver us, we pray, from all that would cause our divine service to be artificial or mechanical; all that would detract from your glory; all that would divert our attention from your voice.
Lord of all the worlds that are, let your blessing now rest on everyone who names your name, in all places on earth, who, on this Trinity Sunday, joins us in praising you. Let this congregation, and those represented here today, be places where parents, children, and grandparents all may receive your benediction and know your truth that sets them free.
O God, may your special, wise guidance rest upon those leaders of every nation who earnestly and sincerely strive for PEACE in this world - in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; in Israel and occupied Palestine; and in nations of Africa that are torn by strife. Bring unity and harmony to the peninsula of Korea.
God of healing, mercifully grant your balm to those in this sanctuary today who need restoration in body, mind, or spirit. Heal the sick. Comfort those who mourn.
And, finally, keep us in eternal fellowship with all our brothers and sisters who have entered heaven and who, like the Prophet Isaiah, now behold you face-to-face, and join all the hosts in the celestial Sanctus, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” For we make these our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.