The First Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday - 19 June 2011
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Psalm 8
II Corinthians 13:11-13
St. Matthew 28:16-20
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| The Holy Trinity - Rublev |
BACKGROUND: The Feast of the Holy Trinity
Festivals in the Christian Calendar usually celebrate events in the life of our Lord. This particular festival, however, celebrates a dogma of the Church, and is a latecomer to the liturgical year. The 10th Century saw the introduction of offices dedicated to the Holy Trinity, but it was not until the 14th Century that the Roman Church adopted it as a festival. In the Episcopal Church it is one of seven principal feast days in the Calendar. In certain liturgical churches, the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult) is confessed either at Prime (the Roman Church) or at the Trinity Sunday Eucharist (some Anglican and Lutheran Churches). There is an Anglican twist to the celebration in that Thomas Beckett (1118-70) honored the date of his consecration as the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sunday after Whitsunday (Pentecost) as a new festival that honored the Holy Trinity.
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 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. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
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. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. 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. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
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, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. God made the two great lights-- the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-- and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
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." 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. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
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. 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.
Then God said, "Let us make humankind 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, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
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." 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. 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. 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. 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. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
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| Adam and Eve - Ghiberti |
The Ancient Near East was no stranger to prose and poetry regarding the creation of the cosmos. Sumerian and Babylonian epics, as well as those that are based on these epics, all revolved about the gods battle against chaos. Some of this is reflected in the version that forms our reading for today, and is evident in the psalter as well (Psalm 74:12-14). Here, however, the single God creates in 6 days, a reflection of the workweek of ancient Israel, providing a theological understanding of how society was ordered. There is almost a liturgical response to each of the days, which seems natural since this version is from the “priestly” strand. The response, “God saw that it was good”, provides for both response and memory. That it borrows certain motifs from other Ancient Near Eastern texts does not diminish its intent to set the story of creation by YHWH apart from the myths of other cultures. This is Israel’s proclamation about the God who creates and preserves.
Breaking open Genesis:
- Why do you think that this reading was chosen for this day which celebrates the Holy Trinity?
- What aspects of the Trinity are seen in the Creation story?
- Have you heard of the “Sabbath Movement”? When do you rest from all your labors?
Psalm 8 Domine, Dominus noster
O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
O LORD our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
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| Adam and Eve - Dürer |
In this psalm we have what seems to be a recollection of the wonders of creation. It looks forward to the past acts of creation (Hebrew always saw the future as something behind – unknown) and muses on them. The wondrous nature of humanity is celebrated at several points. “Out of the mouths of babes…” notes that even the youngest of humankind know their special relationship with God. At the center of the psalm stands the human, placed below God, the gods, and the angels. The relationship is succinctly stated, as well as the honor and the responsibility that goes with it. The meditation on creation becomes a reflection on our role with God in creation.
Breaking open Psalm 8:
1. What is the role of humankind in the world?
2. How well does our time meet that role?
3. How might we “master” the works of God’s hands?
II Corinthians 13:11-13
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
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 farewell to the people at the Church in Corinth, Paul wishes a blessing replete with all good things: agreement, peace between themselves and God and with humankind as well. The “holy kiss”, a liturgical act, would have reminded the Corinthians of the relationship that they held with Paul, and the relationship that they held in Christ. The closing blessing serves as a liturgical greeting in the Roman Catholic and Lutheran rites for the Holy Eucharist.
Breaking open II Corinthians:
- What does “peace” mean to you? What comprises peace?
- What kind of relationships do you have at church? How do you give a “holy kiss”?
- What kind of relationship do you have with Christ? How would you describe it?
St. Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
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| Pier Paolo Pasoline - The Gospel According to Matthew |
Galilee, oddly enough, is the epicenter of the new church, for this is where Jesus chooses to meet the disciples. The mountain is unimportant, but rather symbolic of all the mountains that have appeared in Salvation History. That the disciples “doubt” (or do not recognize him) is a common theme in the resurrection appearances (Emmaus, Mary Magdalene, at the Sea of Galilee, and Thomas). Matthew completes his Gospel fully in mind of his own time. No longer is the mission of the church limited to the Jews. The mission is unlimited – a development that would have been apparent to Matthew and his contemporaries. And what shall this church do? Baptize is the first command, although it is doubtful that at this point a Trinitarian formula would have been used (see Acts 2:38). The Gospel here reflects a later usage. The other command is to teach, and here we see Matthew’s identification of Jesus with the Prophet Moses (see the Birth Narrative). Unlike Moses, however, this teacher is with us “to the end of the age.”
Breaking open the Gospel:
- Who is included in this command to baptize and teach?
- How do you baptize?
- How do you teach, and whom do you teach?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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