Trinity Sunday | Sunday, 30 May 2021

Trinity Sunday - Audio Version

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The assigned Scripture readings for Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2021, are Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 29, Romans 8:12-17 and John 3:1-17. 

          The following is excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

          “We are blessed this week with two of the ‘classic’ Biblical verses, which could easily be repeated by many within the church: Isaiah 6:8 and John 3:16. Not only do both the Isaiah and John passages have Trinitarian overtones and references, they can lead beyond consideration of the Trinity in many directions.”  

  “The fundamental dogma, on which everything in Christianity is based, is that of the Blessed Trinity in whose name all Christians are baptized. The feast of the Blessed Trinity needs to be understood and celebrated as a prolongation of the mysteries of Christ and as the solemn expression of our faith in this triune life of the Divine Persons, to which we have been given access by Baptism and by the Redemption won for us by Christ.”  

“The feast of the Blessed Trinity was introduced in the ninth century and was only inserted in the general calendar of the Church in the fourteenth century by Pope John XXII. But the cultus of the Trinity is, of course, to be found throughout the liturgy. Constantly the Church causes us to praise and adore the thrice-holy God who has so shown His mercy towards us and has given us to share in His life.”
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          “Trinity Sunday The dogma of faith which forms the object of the feast is this: There is one God and in this one God there are three Divine Persons; the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one, eternal, incomprehensible God! The Father is not more God than the Son, neither is the Son more God than the Holy Spirit. The Father is the first Divine Person; the Son is the second Divine Person, begotten from the nature of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son.”                                                                                                                                        “Why is this feast celebrated at this particular time? It may be interpreted as a finale to all the preceding feasts. All three Persons contributed to and shared in the work of redemption. The Father sent His Son to earth, for "God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son." The Father called us to the faith. The Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, became man and died for us. He redeemed us and made us children of God. He ever remains the liturgist par excellence to whom we are united in all sacred functions. After Christ's ascension the Holy Spirit, however, became our Teacher, our Leader, our Guide, our Consoler.”

“This feast, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, should make us mindful that actually every Sunday is devoted to the honor of the Most Holy Trinity, that every Sunday is sanctified and consecrated to the triune God. Sunday after Sunday we should recall in a spirit of gratitude the gifts which the Blessed Trinity is bestowing upon us. The Father created us; on the first day of the week He began the work of creation. The Son redeemed us; Sunday is the "Day of the Lord," the day of His resurrection. The Holy Spirit sanctified us, made us His temple; on Sunday the Holy Spirit descended upon the infant Church. Sunday, therefore, is the day of the Most Holy Trinity.”
 
Thanksgiving and Confession shared by Rev Dr Sandy Forsyth, Minister of Mayfield Minister of Mayfield Salisbury, Edinburgh, Scotland.

“Loving God, this time, these moments are precious – set apart from all that we have to do in our lives,
A haven where we can seek together the grace you freely give, God the Father,
The peace of Jesus your Son,
And unity amongst each other, to draw near as brothers and sisters in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
God our Father, as You bring light into darkness
And hope to our world.
As Your son Jesus bring comforts to those suffering
And a full life for all.
As the Holy Spirit brings joy to our hearts
And everyday miracles of change in our world.
We come to worship You and to offer our praise.

As we look towards a life where we can live more openly as restrictions ease from the pandemic, we offer our gratitude for the strength You have given us to persevere through all the hardships of the past year, and praise You for the prospect of new beginnings.
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We thank You, Lord God, that You have always come to Your people in the past, for Your presence and guidance through centuries of faithful worship and service in the churches of Scotland:
You have led generations through the wilderness that life can be,
When they have been lost, You have searched for them,
When they have been in deepest struggle and exile, You have brought them back home,
For Your love and commitment to all people which stays so close, we praise You, God.
We thank You, God, that You come to us now in our lives as we look ahead once more,
In worship, You speak to us,
In our journey through life, You go with us,
When we look for a way, we can see it in Your son Jesus,
For Your love which calls us to follow, we praise You, God.
We give thanks, God, for the times when You will come to us in the future,
When our lives are troubled, You will be there for us,
Your promises will remain, You will hold us fast,
Your son Jesus will give us the strength, peace and comfort to go on,
For Your love which holds us forever, we praise You God.
Lord, for the times when we have ignored the path that You have laid for us, when we have rejected Your promises of change, forgiveness and hope, when we have spurned Your generous hospitality,
For the times when we have been too busy to do the right thing, in Your name, even though we know we should have,
For the times when we’ve made excuses rather than act,
Forgive us Lord.
We are but sometime sinners and ragged saints,
Help us to be renewed and refreshed once more, to rejoice again in You,
To live every day as a step forward,
Living our lives always in Your light,
And to spark that light to shine again in church and nation.
We offer You these prayers in the name of Jesus, our saviour who lived and died for us, Amen.”