Trinity Church, Cheneyville, La

Trinity Church, Cheneyville, La Established in 1859 as a mission, it soon became a church parish and the present building was constructed in 1860. Montford Wells; the vestrymen, Dr. W. P.

A National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. site, it is a Civil War skirmish site and church services are held on Sunday at 7:30 a.m Anecdotal History Trinity Church

The Mission at Cheneyville was an enterprise of the larger Episcopal Church in Alexandria, LA, some 20 miles north of the small town, in 1856. Following a period of some uncertainty as to clerical support it was decided in 185

8 to make the mission independent. A number of the plantation owners of that day organized a parish under the name of Trinity Church on April 25, 1859. The first wardens were Dr. Samuel Slaughter and Gen. Marshall, Thomas Helm, Dr. Kenneth Clark, Gen. Keary, and Branch Tanner. Money was raised for the building of a church in the spring of 1860 and in the summer and fall of 1860 construction was undertaken. The first service was held in the new building on January 1, 1861. The church was built by the labor from the plantations - slaves - who were an integral part of the life of the early church in Cheneyville. Services were had for the servants every Sunday afternoon, either at the church in Cheneyville, or at one of the two plantations in the vicinity. Above the sanctuary of the church is a gallery where the slaves of the day sat and joined in the worship. Records of the church reflect the marriages and baptisms of the slave population and their children. Trinity's life in the 1860's reflected the life of the community and times during and following the War Between the States. The area suffered greatly from the ravages of the war, but always there was the Church. Even in 1868 when lightening struck the church and destroyed the tower and wall, the congregation in spite of great loss from the War, found resources to rebuild their Church. The church and its people persevered through the times following the War, the economic depressions of later years until this very day. As the rural South declined from a farming area with large populations of labor to one of farms with equipment needing fewer persons, so likewise, did the Church decline from a congregation of 30 to 40 persons to just 3 active members, as little as 5 years ago. Those 3 members continued to have services each Sunday, modestly maintain the building and keep the doors open. Then some 5 years ago, miracles began to happen, 2 more came, then a child, then a family of 4 moved back to the area, attracting a single mother with 3 children, followed by an older couple. The congregation of 3, had grown to a Sunday attendance of 18 persons - with a Sunday School [the first in some 45 years] having 4 children, all under the age of 6 years. The average age of the communicants had, in 2 short years, gone from age 80 to 40 years. On special holiday services this little church on the bayou has in the last year attracted as many as 175 persons on the last All Saints Day service and 110 at Christmas services all coming from surrounding communities and different faiths. Now life began to flow and a restorative drive begun to raise some $250,000.00 to save Trinity, a National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. building. Following a four year period of fund raising, planning and ultimately construction a $300,000.00 restorative program was completed. An effort culminating in the complete restoration of the church proper, and with a refurbishing of the small mission hall attached to the rear of the church which had not been included in the original project.

- Dated June 2004

At Trinity Episcopal Church we are blessed to have an additional member of our staff. Joining us is Daniel LeBoeuf. Dan...
09/09/2026

At Trinity Episcopal Church we are blessed to have an additional member of our staff. Joining us is Daniel LeBoeuf.

Daniel is a postulant in the Diocese of Western Louisiana and is beginning his final year at Iona School of Ministry in Texas. He is scheduled, through God’s providence and the approval of the bishop, to be ordained a deacon in or around December, 2026. He is a native of Louisiana, born and raised in Terrebonne Parish. In 1991, he married Suzanne, born and raised in Arnaudville. They have two wonderful children: Zachary and Zoë, both graduates of the Episcopal School of Acadiana. Zachary earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of Iowa and is currently a librarian in Cedar Rapids. Zoë graduated from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette in finance and is currently a legal assistant for Gailmore Law Group based in New Orleans.

Suzanne and Daniel are both retired from the educational arena. Suzanne has worked at the same school, Cecilia Primary, since 1988. She was a special education instructor as well as principal. Even after retirement, she still works at Cecilia Primary with testing and tutoring. Daniel has taught all subjects and all grade levels between 5th and college. He has been assistant principal at Cecilia Junior High as well as principal at Cecilia High. Not as strong-willed as his wife, he crossed over to the dark side of district administration, serving as St. Martin Parish supervisor of curriculum as well as the district testing coordinator. He currently works in the math and writing center at the Lafayette campus of South Louisiana Community College on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Daniel and Suzanne currently reside in Arnaudville.

Daniel’s family has been part of Epiphany Opelousas since 2010. He has co-founded a course in spiritual practices, is very active in Bible studies, and is a member of the choir and the back-up organist. He has led courses on a variety of topics (Book of Revelation, Hymnology, Moses, What Episcopalians Believe, Twelve Steps to Compassion, A Lenten Reflection on the Suffering Servant texts of Isaiah, etc.) and has arranged for several canoe trips with his church family down the Bayou Teche. He is looking forward to worshipping and interacting with everyone at Trinity in Cheneyville as well as Holy Comforter in LeCompte for the upcoming year.

Please come, worship and meet and visit with Daniel at our 7:30 a.m service each Sunday morning.

09/06/2026

The message given at Trinity Church, Cheneyville, this morning:

Choosing Faith Over Fear

Psalm 56:3 — “Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” [O’ God]

Let me ask you something. Have you ever had a moment when one phone call, one conversation, or one piece of news changed everything in your life?

One moment, life feels normal.

And the next moment, you’re standing there thinking:
“Lord, what am I going to do?”

Fear can come quickly.

And when it does, we often ask another question:
“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Or, maybe, “Why me, Lord? What have I done to deserve this?”

Those are honest questions. And sometimes, we don’t have an answer.

You see, bad things happen in this world. Sometimes because of our choices, sometimes because of the choices of others, and sometimes because of circumstances completely beyond anyone’s control.

But here’s what I want us to remember:

We may not always know why something happened, but we can choose where we turn when it does.

That’s where David’s Psalm 56:3 speaks to us:
“Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” [O’ God].

Notice David doesn’t say, “If I am afraid.”

He says:
“Whenever I am afraid.”

David knew fear.

And so do we.

Faith doesn’t mean we never feel afraid.

Faith means fear doesn’t get to decide where we turn.
[Pause]

Fear tells us to stare at the problem.

Faith tells us to look toward God.

Fear says:
“Look how big this problem is.”

Faith says:
“Look how great my God is.”

And sometimes choosing faith is as simple as saying:
“Lord, I don’t understand this.
I don’t know how this is going to work out.
But I choose to trust You.”

Now, that’s faith.

It’s not pretending everything is okay.

It’s not pretending we aren’t hurting.

It’s not having every answer.

But, it’s trusting God in the middle of what we don’t understand.
[Pause]

In life, we can spend so much time asking why that we forget to ask where.

Where do I turn?

Where do I take my fear?

Where do I take my questions?

Where do I go when I don’t know what to do?

Well, David tells us:
“Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” [O’ God].

We take it to God.

We bring Him the fear.

We bring Him the questions.

We bring Him the uncertainty.

And then, with His help, we take the next step.
[Pause]

There may be things in your life right now that you don’t understand.

You may be carrying a question that has no easy answer.

You may be facing something you never expected.

And perhaps today God is not asking you to understand everything.

Perhaps He is simply asking you to trust Him with what you cannot understand.

So when fear comes, remember:

You don’t have to know why.

You don’t have to know how.

You don’t have to know what tomorrow will bring.

You just have to know where to turn.

We turn to God.

We trust His promises.

We take the next step.

And when your heart begins to say, “Lord, why me?”

let your faith answer:
“Lord, I don’t understand—but I trust You.”

a) Because faith is not the absence of fear.
b) Faith is choosing God in the presence of fear. Repeat (a) and (b)

So whatever you are facing today, don’t let fear have the final word.

Give it to God.

And stand on the words of the Psalm:
“Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” [O’ God}.

Not because we know what tomorrow holds.

But because we know who holds us today.

And that is where our faith begins…..in the loving arms of God! [pause]

Amen.

Services at Trinity Episcopal Church are each Sunday, at 7:30 a.m. in Cheneyville, LA. Please come, you are always welcome! No obligations, just friendship, worship and a cup of coffee and biscuit after church

08/30/2026

The message delivered this morning at Trinity Episcopal Church's service:

Exodus 3: 1-15
Matthew 16: 21-28

Who am I? A Call to Discipleship!

Let me begin with a question.
Who am I?

[PAUSE]

Not “Who am I?” in the sense of my name or where I come from.

But…
Rather; Who am I to do what God is asking me to do?

Who am I to speak?

Who am I to lead?

Who am I to serve?

Who am I to think that God could use me? [pause]

I think Moses understood that question very well.

There he was, standing before that burning bush, and God was calling him.

“Moses, ...go to Pharaoh….. “ Moses, bring my people out of Egypt.” [pause]

And Moses says,
“Who am I?”

[PAUSE]

You can almost hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“Lord… who am I to do something like that?”

And isn’t that sometimes our question?

“Lord, surely you don’t mean me.”

I’m not qualified.

I don’t know enough.

Someone else could do it better.

Who am I?

But listen to God’s answer.

God doesn’t give Moses a list of his qualifications.

He doesn’t tell Moses how talented he is.

He simply says:
“I will be with you.”

[LONG PAUSE]
You see, that’s the promise.

Not, “You can do it alone.”

But, [pause]

“You will not be alone.”

And then we come to the Gospel.

Jesus tells Peter and the disciples what following Him is really going to mean.

There will be suffering.

There will be rejection.

There will be a cross.

But, Peter doesn’t want to hear it.

He wants the victory without the sacrifice.

But Jesus says:
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
[PAUSE]

Those words aren’t just for Peter.

They’re for us.

Because being a disciple of Jesus isn’t simply about believing in Him.

It’s about following Him.

And that means asking:

What is my role?

What am I supposed to do?

What am I supposed to say?

How am I supposed to serve Christ?

And then that little voice comes back:

“Who am I?”
[PAUSE]

That question takes me back to when I was a boy.

Back then, we didn’t have organized children’s sports like kids have today.

We played neighborhood ball, without regard to age or size of the boy.

One of the games we played was called “Throw Back.”

One person would take a football, turn his back to all of us, and throw the ball over his head.

We would all be scattered behind him.

Whoever picked up the ball was supposed to run it back for a touchdown.

But there was one problem.

The minute you picked up that football…

you became the target.

[PAUSE ]
And we didn’t play touch football.

The bigger boys knew what was coming.

So they would hesitate.

Nobody wanted to pick up that ball.

But I was the youngest and smallest one there.

And somehow, I developed a habit.

If that ball came anywhere near me…

I picked it up. [pause]

And I ran.

And those bigger boys would come after me…

and they would tackle me.

Hard.
[PAUSE]

I didn’t always make it very far.

But I learned something from those kids games that has stayed with me throughout life.

In life, somebody has to pick up the ball!

Somebody has to step forward.

Somebody has to be willing to run—even when they know they are going to get hit.

And I think that’s part of what Jesus is asking of us today. [pause]

Discipleship isn’t always easy.

Sometimes following Jesus means stepping forward when others hesitate.

Sometimes it means speaking when it would be easier to remain silent.

Sometimes it means serving when somebody else could do it.

Sometimes it means reaching out to someone who needs a little encouragement.

And sometimes…sometimes...

it means simply being willing to say,

“Yes, Lord. I’ll do it.”
[PAUSE]

Now, I didn’t know when I picked up that football exactly what was going to happen.

But I picked it up anyway.

And maybe that’s faith.

We don’t always know what is going to happen when God calls us.

We don’t always know where the road will lead.

We don’t always feel qualified.

We may even be afraid.

But God isn’t asking us to know everything.

He’s asking us to trust Him enough to take the next step.

Because remember what He told Moses:

“I will be with you.”
[PAUSE]

So perhaps we’ve been asking the wrong question.

Maybe the question isn’t,
“Who am I?”

Maybe the question is,
“Who is with me?”

And the answer is….. God. [pause]

The God who stood with Moses.

The Christ who called Peter.

The God who has been faithful to His people through every generation.

That same God is with us today. [pause]

So when the opportunity comes—

when God puts someone in our path—

when He gives us something to say or something to do—

don’t spend too much time asking,

“Who am I?”

Pick up the ball.

Take the step.

Trust God.

And let your answer be simple:
[PAUSE ]

“Here I am, Lord.”

“Use me.”

“Send me.”

“I will follow.”

[LONG PAUSE]

Because I know one thing:

At times I may not know exactly what I’m doing…

but I sure know who is walking with me.

[PAUSE]
And that… my friends,

is enough.

Amen.

08/20/2026

The following is the Message given at Trinity Church, Cheneyville, LA this past Sunday:

We Are Never Alone

Some of you came into this church this morning carrying a burden that no one else knows about.

You smiled…you shook hands…you asked someone how they were doing.

But inside, your heart is heavy.

Maybe it’s your health.

Maybe it’s someone you love.

Maybe it’s the loneliness of an empty house.

Maybe it’s a fear that wakes you at three o’clock in the morning.

And perhaps you’ve quietly asked the question that faithful people have asked for centuries:

“Lord…are You still there?”

If that is your question today, then hear God’s answer.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Not sometimes.

Not when life is easy.

Never.

The Psalmist declares, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Notice he doesn’t say God "was" our refuge.

He doesn’t say God "will be" our refuge.

He says God "is" our refuge.

Right now.

Today.

In this very moment.

The presence of God is greater than the problem before you.

We don’t mind walking with God on sunny days.

Faith is easy when the skies are blue.

We sing louder.

We smile easier.

We tell everyone, “God is good.”

But faith is not tested on sunny days.

Faith is tested when the telephone rings in the middle of the night.

When the doctor says, “I’m afraid the news isn’t good.”

When someone we love slips quietly from this life into the next.

When the house suddenly becomes so quiet that the silence itself hurts.

That is where faith becomes real.

And that is exactly where God meets us.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”

Notice God doesn’t say " if " you pass through deep waters.

He says " when."

He never promised a life without storms.

But He has promised we will never face them alone.

There are times when we don’t even know how to pray.

The words simply won’t come.

All we can whisper is,

“Lord…help me.”

Brothers and sisters, never believe that prayer is too small.

God hears every whispered prayer.

He sees every tear before it falls.

He knows every burden before we ever speak it.

And then, quietly, faithfully, He begins to work.

Sometimes He calms the storm.

More often…

He calms His child. [That's You]

He gives strength for another day.

He sends a friend at just the right moment.

He places a verse of Scripture into our hearts.

He gives us peace that simply cannot be explained.

One step.

Then another.

Then another.

And one day we look back and realize we were never carrying the burden by ourselves.

Christ had been carrying us.

I once heard an elderly Christian woman asked how she had survived so many hardships in her life.

She smiled and simply said,
“I never survived any of them alone.
Jesus walked through every one of them with me.”

WOW! What a testimony!

Listen to me, my friends.

Your illness is not walking alone.

Your grief is not walking alone.

Your fears are not walking alone

Your family is not walking alone.

This little church is not walking alone.

Because wherever God’s people gather, Christ Himself is present.

So tomorrow morning you may wake up to the very same problems.

The doctor’s appointment may still be there.

The bills may still be be there.

The grief may still ache.

But something else will also be there.

The God who watched over you yesterday…

The God who brought you safely here today…

Will already be waiting for you tomorrow.

Because our hope has never rested in our own strength.

It rests in His unfailing faithfulness.

So whatever lies ahead this week, remember this one truth:

The presence of God is greater than the problem before you.

And because that is true…

We are never…
(Pause)

…never…
(Pause)

….ever….
(Pause)

…alone.

Be at Peace….
God is near!

Amen.

08/02/2026

“We Have Nothing Here But…”
Matthew 14:13-21

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Gospel today, the disciples looked out across a hungry crowd and saw only a problem.

Five thousand people.

An empty wilderness.

A long walk to the nearest village.

And only five loaves and two fish.

Their conclusion was simple:
“It cannot be done.”

Send them away.

Let someone else deal with the need.

But Jesus had a different answer.

“They need not go away.”

And then He spoke words that changed everything:
“You give them something to eat.”

The disciples must have thought He was asking the impossible.

But perhaps that is because they were counting loaves while Jesus was counting faith.

Now before we are too hard on those disciples, let me tell you something.

I know exactly how they felt.

And so do you.

Because 145 years after Trinity Church first opened its doors, there came a time when we looked around and saw needs bigger than ourselves.

The old church needed restoration.

Not cosmetic work.

Real work.

Necessary work.

Very expensive work.

And if we were honest, we probably looked a lot like those disciples standing on that hillside.

Here we were:

A small congregation.

A rural congregation.

A faithful congregation.

But not a wealthy congregation.

The numbers just did not add up.

The needs were huge.

The resources seemed very small.

In other words, we had five loaves and two fish.

But somehow, God had other plans.

Little by little, gift by gift, prayer by prayer, check by check, people began to respond.

And what looked impossible became possible.

Not five thousand dollars.

Not fifty thousand dollars.

But over $300,000 raised in roughly a 2 year period for the restoration of this historic church.

How does a small country church accomplish that?

Well I’ll tell you.

The same way five loaves fed five thousand people.

God takes what is offered in faith and multiplies it.

And then there were the altar kneelers.

The old cushions had served faithfully but had reached the end of their days.

New kneelers were needed.

Beautiful kneelers.

Needlepoint kneelers.

The kind that honor the beauty of God’s house.

There was only one problem.

As I recall, only one person here knew how to do needlepoint.

One person.

One pair of hands.

One disciple with five loaves and two fish.

But then something remarkable happened.

People began appearing.

People from outside the congregation.

People with talents we did not possess.

People with willing hands and generous hearts.

And before long there were more people volunteering work on kneelers than there were kneelers to be worked on.

Does that sound familiar?

Of course it does.

Because it is exactly how God works.

When God decides to accomplish something, He often begins with scarcity.

He begins with weakness.

He begins with limitations.

He begins with a handful of disciples staring at a large crowd.

Or a small church staring at a large restoration project.

Or one needlepointer staring at a room full of unfinished cushions.

Then God says, “Bring Me what you have.”

And that is the lesson of today’s Gospel.

The miracle was never about bread.

The miracle was about trust and faith.

The disciples brought what little they had.

Jesus blessed it.

Jesus broke it.

Jesus multiplied it.

And suddenly there was enough.

More than enough.

In fact, twelve baskets left over.

My friends, Trinity Church stands today as living proof that this Gospel is not ancient history.

These walls stand, because faithful people brought what they had.

The restoration happened, because faithful people brought what they had.

The kneelers were completed, because faithful people brought what they had.

Again and again and again, God took what seemed insufficient and turned it into abundance.

And that should give us all confidence for the future.

Because the same question still stands before the Church.

Not, “Do we have enough?”

Not, “Are we big enough?”

Not, “Are we wealthy enough?”

The question is this:

Are we willing to place what we have into the hands of Christ?

Because when we do, miracles still happen.

A church is restored.

A ministry is born.

A life is changed.

A soul is fed.

A community is strengthened.

And, the Kingdom of God moves forward.

For 167 years, Trinity Church has been offering its five loaves and two fish.

And for 167 years, God has been multiplying them.

My brothers and sisters, may we have the faith to keep bringing what we have, trusting that the Lord, who fed the multitude, is not finished with Trinity Church yet.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Trinity Church services are each Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.; you are always welcome, there is no obligation, please come! Let us welcome you!

07/26/2026

The message for today, at Trinity:

“The Kingdom Hidden in Plain Sight”

Based on Gospel of Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52

In today's Gospel lesson we found that Jesus loved to teach with stories and parables.

Not complicated speeches.
Not theological lectures.
Stories about mustard seeds… yeast… treasure buried in a field… a pearl of great price… fishing nets thrown into the sea.

Simple things. Everyday things.

And yet through these ordinary images, Jesus reveals something extraordinary:

The Kingdom of Heaven is already among us — often hidden, often small, but powerful enough to change everything.

A mustard seed is tiny.
You can almost lose it in your hand.
And yet Jesus says it grows into something large enough for birds to rest in its branches.

The Kingdom starts small.

That is important for people like us to hear.

Because sometimes the Church feels small.
Sometimes faith feels small.
Sometimes our strength feels small.

In a little rural church, it is easy to wonder:
“Are we really making any difference?”

But Jesus says:
Never underestimate what God can do with something small.

A small prayer.
A small act of kindness.
A small church that stays faithful.
A small word of encouragement.
A small invitation to someone who is lonely.

The Kingdom grows quietly.

Not always through headlines or crowds.
Often through ordinary people simply loving God and loving their neighbors day after day.

Then Jesus talks about yeast mixed into flour.

You cannot see the yeast once it is worked in.
It disappears into the dough.
But it changes everything from the inside out.

That is how God works.

Not always loudly.
Not always dramatically.
But deeply.

A Christian grandmother praying every day for her family.
A farmer who treats people honestly.
A church member visiting the sick.
A neighbor bringing food to someone grieving.

These things may seem small to the world.

But the Kingdom of God is working there.

Quietly rising.

Quietly transforming hearts.

Then Jesus tells of a treasure hidden in a field.

A man finds it, covers it up, and sells everything he has just to possess that field.

And then a merchant finds one pearl of great value and gives up everything to obtain it.

Why?

Because once you truly discover Christ, everything else changes value.

The world tells us treasure is money, status, success, power.

Jesus says the real treasure is knowing God.

And once a person truly understands that — truly deep down understands it — they stop asking,
“How little can I give to God?”
and begin asking,
“How much closer can I grow to Him?”

Faith stops becoming a duty and starts becoming joy.

Then comes the final image — the fishing net.

The net gathers all kinds of fish.

Jesus reminds us there will one day be a sorting, a judgment, a moment when truth is revealed.

And that reminds us of something important:
The Kingdom is open to everyone — but we must still choose whether we will live as citizens of that Kingdom.

God invites all people.
But He does not force anyone.

So the question becomes:
What are we doing with what we have heard?

At the end of the passage Jesus asks the disciples,
“Have you understood all this?”

And they answer,
“Yes.”

I always smile a little at that.

Because I suspect they understood far less than they thought.

And maybe we do too.

But this much is clear:

The Kingdom of Heaven is already at work among us.

It may look small today.
It may seem hidden.
It may move slowly.

But God is working.

In this church.
In your family.
In your prayers.
In your acts of love.
In your daily faithfulness.

And one day, what seems hidden now will be revealed in glory.

So do not lose heart.

Keep planting seeds.
Keep sharing kindness.
Keep worshiping.
Keep praying.
Keep trusting Christ.

Why? Because the smallest seed in God’s hands can become a shelter for many.

Amen.

Services each Sunday, at 7:30 A.M., no obligation, everyone welcome! Come worship with us, and visit afterwards with a tasty, light treat. You'll be glad you did! Please come.

06/07/2026

Trinity's message for you today, June 7th, the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, delivered at services:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a simple pattern that appears again and again in Scripture.
First, God calls,
Second, someone responds.
And in that moment - between the call and the response - faith is revealed.

We see it in the story of Abram in the Old Testament lesson from Genesis. God speaks to Abram: "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."

Notice what is remarkable here. God does not give Abram a map. He does not show him the destination. He simply says, "Go".

And the next line is one of the most powerful acts of faith in the entire Bible:

"So Abram went, as the Lord had told him."

Abram trusted God enough to step forward before he could see the whole path. Faith, in other words, is not having everything explained in advance. Faith is trusting the One who calls us.

The same spirit of trust echoes in the Psalms. In Psalm 50, God says:

"Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

God does not promise that life will be free of difficulty. Scripture is far too honest for that. But, God promises something deeper: that when we call, God hears. And when God hears, God acts.

Faith is not just believing that God exists. Faith is believing that we can call on God, right now, in the middle of whatever we face - and God will respond.

This promise is carried forward in the words of Paul to the Romans. Paul reminds the church that the promise given to Abraham did not come through the law, but through faith. Abraham became the father of many nations not because he perfectly followed a set of rules, but because he trusted God's promise.

In other words, the story of Abraham becomes our story. The promise God began with him stretches across generations until it reaches us [you and I].

We too are invited to live by faith.

And then we come to the Gospel of Matthew, read today, where we see this same pattern again. Jesus walks along and sees a tax collector sitting in a booth - a man named, Matthew. In that society tax collectors were not admired. They were considered collaborators and sinners.

But Jesus simply says two words:

"Follow me".

That is all. ["Follow me"].

No explanation. No long sermon. Just a call.

And Matthew does something that echoes Abraham across the centuries. The Gospel says:

"And he got up and followed him."

Matthew leaves his table, his money, his security, and he follows Jesus.

Abraham left his homeland.
Matthew left his tax booth.

Both stepped into the unknown, "Why?"; because they trusted the One who called them.

And that same voice still calls today.

God calls people in quiet ways and surprising ways. Sometimes through Scripture. Sometimes through a moment of conviction. Sometimes through a deep sense that God is asking something of each of us - perhaps to forgive, to serve, to reach out, or simply to trust.

The life of faith is not about knowing every step ahead. It is about taking the next step when God calls.

And here is the beautiful promise that ties all of these readings together:

"When we follow, we are never walking alone."

You see, The God who called Abraham walks beside us.
The God who hears our cries in the Psalms listens to us.
The God who fulfilled his promise through Christ calls each of us by name.

And like Matthew, like Abraham, the question before us is very simple.

When the Lord says, "Follow me",
what will we do? [what will we do?]

May we have the courage of Abraham to go where God leads.
May we have the trust of the Psalmist to call upon the Lord in every trouble.
And may we have the readiness of Matthew to rise from where we are and follow Christ.

Faith - my friends - is trusting in the promises of God.

Amen.

06/02/2026

Message for Trinity Sunday, May 31st:

Today is Trinity Sunday.
And if we are honest, the Trinity can feel mysterious.
One God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Not three gods. One God in three persons.
A God who exists in relationship, love, and unity.

And today’s Gospel from Gospel of Matthew gives us one of the clearest pictures of that mystery.

Jesus stands before His disciples and says:

“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.”

Not just “go preach.”
Not just “go build churches.”
But go and bring people into the life of God Himself.

And strangely enough, that command connects all the way back to Moses.

In the Old Testament, God told Moses:
“You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

God reminds His people:
“Never forget where you came from.
Never forget what it felt like to be the outsider.
Never forget the days when you needed mercy.”

That is a powerful word for us today.

Because the church can sometimes forget that we were all strangers once.

Every one of us came to God needing grace.
Needing forgiveness.
Needing someone to open the door for us.

Somebody welcomed us.
Somebody taught us.
Somebody prayed for us.
Somebody showed us kindness when we were unsure, broken, or lost.

And now Jesus says:
“Go do the same.”

That is Trinity Sunday in everyday life.

The Father creates and loves the world.
The Son reaches out and saves the world.
The Holy Spirit draws people into the family of God.

And now we are sent out in that same spirit of love.

Not with arrogance.
Not with anger.
Not with closed doors.

But with open hearts.

Because Christianity is not a private club for perfect people.
It is an open invitation to weary sinners, lonely souls, wandering hearts, and searching people.

Out here in small towns and rural communities, we understand something about welcoming strangers.

You can still find places where somebody waves from a tractor.
Where neighbors bring food when somebody is sick.
Where people notice when someone new walks through the church door.

That matters more than we realize.

Because a visitor may walk into church carrying burdens nobody can see.
A young family may be searching for hope.
An older man may be looking for peace.
A hurting person may simply need someone to say,
“We’re glad you’re here.”

And when we welcome others with grace, we reflect the very heart of the Trinity.

The Father who welcomes.
The Son who redeems.
The Spirit who gathers.

My friends , we do not just believe in the Trinity.
We are meant to live the Trinity —
living in love,
living in unity,
living with open arms.

Jesus did not tell the disciples to stay safely on the mountain.
He said, “Go.”

Go to the forgotten.
Go to the outsider.
Go to the stranger.
Go to the neighbor who thinks nobody cares.
Go to the people who believe church is no longer for them.

And bring them into the love of God.

Why? Because once, we were strangers too.

But by the grace of the Father,
through the mercy of the Son,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
we were welcomed home.

And now it is our turn to hold the door open for somebody else.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The door is always open at Trinity Episcopal Church; 7:30 a.m. Sunday service, come visit and worship with us. We love having you.

Address

1060 Bayou Road
Cheneyville, LA
71325

Opening Hours

7:30am - 7:30am

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