TRINITY SUNDAY
May 26, 2024
“Sharing, Honoring, Looking Ahead”
How many events can be crowded into one weekend — even if it’s three days long? Our church calendar signifies this Sunday as one in which we observe the Holy Trinity — the three persons of God and the uniqueness of each. Journeying through the year, hearing accounts of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, the persons of God the Father and the Son have become more apparent. In the season of Easter, we learned of Jesus’ promise to the disciples that the Holy Spirit, an Advocate who would strengthen and support them in ministry, would come to them upon his ascension into heaven. The dramatic arrival of the Holy Spirit as told last Sunday brought us fully into relationship with the triune God.
The secular calendar here in the United States designates Monday as Memorial Day, when we honor those who sacrificed their lives while serving our country, whether personally close to us, or the many we never knew at all. Throughout history, the people who put the safety and well-being of others before themselves have been the bedrock of their communities. How blessed we are to be the beneficiaries of their courage and determination, and how obligated we are to carry on this legacy of selflessness.
Added to these significant occasions, graduations are taking place on every educational level, filled with anticipation for what lies ahead. High school youth are excited (even if not totally sure) to be reaching an important milestone, and college grads are ready to embrace careers and independence. These are times of mixed feelings — leaving behind friends, families, and a comfortable environment while looking ahead to new experiences.
As families and communities are always dealing with change, even uncertainty, words of assurance and strength come to us through the writings of the Apostle Paul, as he says in Ephesians 2:19-20: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”
What a powerful statement this is, assuring us that everyone is invited to be part of God’s family, with no one excluded. Faith is a living structure, a constant, ongoing activity of growth, which we are called to continue building, sharing the promise of love and forgiveness through Christ, our Lord. These words of love and acceptance, bringing people together, are the good news that our world desperately needs to hear. We may appreciate and honor those from the past, but there’s always another chapter, another step, another turn in the road. We who have received the promise of God’s unending love and salvation, now have the opportunity to tell the story through our words and actions.
Grateful for the past, present, and future,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers