Calvary United Church of Christ

06/15/2026

June 14, 2026 CCLI #991847

06/14/2026

THE JOURNEY OF DISCIPLESHIP AND MINISTRY
Genesis: 18: 1-15 & Matthew 10:1-15 (16-23)
June 14, 2026


Have you ever committed to doing something and later said to yourself, “What did I get myself into? This isn’t what I thought it was going to be like.” I’m certain all of us have found ourselves in that reality before. We all have our perceptions and expectations of what things will be like, but until we take the first step, we really don’t have a sense of what is involved. Ministry and discipleship are no exceptions. The Lord calls us to follow and to serve, and when we follow, we do so with a human understanding of how things will play out. We forget that God’s ways are not our ways, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and God’s sense of timing is not our sense of timing. God has a plan, and so, God’s Spirit moves at the will and way of God in the fullness of God’s time.

God said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Accepting God’s call was just the beginning of a much longer journey for Abram. Between last week’s Genesis reading and this week’s’ Genesis reading, twenty-five years have passed. Settling in Canaan proved difficult for Abram. The Canaanites still occupied the northern portion of their land. So, Abram went south. Unfortunately, there was a famine in the southern portion of Canaan. The caravan then moved across the border to Egypt. The king of Egypt had his eye on Sarai and so Abram lied and told the king that Sarai was his sister so that the king would allow them to stay there. God deals in truths, not lies, and when all of Egypt was afflicted by a terrible disease, Abram’s lie was brought to light. He was forced out of Egypt, and Abram returned to the southern portion of Caanan.

Where Abram settled did not provide enough acreage for Abram and Lot to both settle with their families, animals, people, and possessions. They decided to split up and go their own way. In the place where Lot settled, a civil war erupted and Lot was captured. Abram had to rescue his nephew.

During these twenty-five, years Abram and Sarai still remained childless. Sarai tried to move things along by insisting Abram have a child with one of their slave girls, Hagar. Abram was 86 at the time. Sarai’s plan worked, but then she became jealous of Hagar and her son Ishmael and put them out. God promised Hagar that Ishmael would, himself, have descendants as many as the stars. Mohammad and the Arab nation trace their ancestry to Ishmael.

In today’s text, Abram, now called Abraham is 100, and Sarai, now called Sarah, is 90 have their next encounter with God. Remember, ministry is a journey, not a sprint. God’s messengers have paid Abraham a visit in the heat of the day. The law of hospitality commanded Abraham to welcome these guests with food and water, which he provided. Then one of the messenger’s said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” Having overheard what was said, Sarah laughed. Who wouldn’t? I know I have shared this before, but when my mother found out she was expecting me, she cried. She was 45 when I was born.

Sarah’s laugh did not go unnoticed by the visitors. The one who spoke asked, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” True to his word, the Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, and Abraham named his son Isaac.

From the time Abram said yes to the time Abraham named his son Isaac took time, God’s time. It took perseverance and faith on Abraham’s part to stay the course, to go the distance and not give up. While God’s part was already assured, it still took patience and perseverance on God’s part to keep the dream alive through all of the human detours, weaknesses, and doubt. As a result of the covenant between God and Abraham, in the end all the families of the earth were blessed through Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac. Sarah, herself concluded, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Ministry with God and in God’s name is a journey over time.

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called
them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

The first five disciples Jesus called simply dropped everything, right where they were, and followed him. Seven more were called and followed too, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot. All twelve followed without really a clue as to what they were being called to do. Today’s gospel text tells us how their journey began.

It began with instructions. They were to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven has come near”; they were to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with a skin disease, and cast out demons. Does that job description sound like a little more than they might have bargained for? It would have been for me. They were to do this work in Jewish communities and not in gentile areas or Samaritan areas. They were to take no money with them or baggage. They were to bless those who welcomed them and shake off the dust of their sandals against those who did not.

Their job description would have run off most people, but Jesus wasn’t finished yet. He went on to say 16 “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the gentiles. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Sibling will betray sibling to death and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23

What is amazing to me is that not one of the twelve said, “Sorry. you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m out of here.” They stayed; they all stayed. They didn’t understand what Jesus was trying to teach them a lot of the time; they got things wrong more often than they got them right, but in faith, they persevered and they followed. Their transformation didn’t happen the instant they said yes, but, after three years of internship, they were ready to carry the ministry and mission of Jesus forward to its next level. They became the building blocks of the church. Many were martyred because they followed in Jesus’ way, but they remained faithful to the very end, relying on the Holy Spirit to sustain them on their journey with God. In their following, they were blessed and became blessings.

Ministry is a journey. Many of us have been on this journey for a long time and it never seems to get easier. There are always unexpected twists and turns along the way. The old saying remains true: If it were easy, everyone would do it. By our baptism, we have been called to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best as we are able. We are a few more than twelve at Calvary and the Spirit that sustained Abram and the disciples is still the Spirit that sustains us today with what we need for the journey. Like Sarah, we may laugh at the odds before us, but God always gets the last laugh. Nothing is too wonderful for the Lord. Lord, help us to follow faithfully wherever the Spirit may lead us in God’s time. Amen

PASTORAL PRAYER
God of the journey, we have made our way to worship on this Lord’s Day. Here on this sacred ground, we are reminded that saying yes to discipleship and ministry requires much more of us than just words. It requires us to trust and follow, believing that you have our best welfare in mind; it requires a daily commitment of our time and talents, patience and perseverance to remain steadfast in our walk, with you, even when we are uncertain about our future. Like Abram, we confess that it is our human nature to want to speed up your timeline or to want to try an alternate way, but that seldom leads to the blessing we are seeking. Forgive our foolish ways. By your Spirit, O God, teach our wayward feet to stay, and guide them in the homeward way. Like Sarah, receive our laughter and our doubts in faith. Then show us just what you are able to do through us.
We pray again this week for families who have found themselves in the path of severe weather, causing devastation to homes and communities. We pray for our children and youths who are roaming the streets unsupervised and finding themselves in trouble and harm’s way. We pray for the World Cup Games, that like the Olympics, we can find common ground on a common field to share a time of fair play and competition among nations. We believe, O God, that you hear our prayers and that nothing is too wonderful for you. To that end, we pray as Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Our Father, who are in heaven…

06/07/2026

STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN WITH THE SPIRIT
Genesis 12: 1-9 & Matthew9:9-13 & 18-26
June 7, 2026

In these Sundays following Pentecost, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit is alive and active, moving at the will of God. We are also reminded that those who find themselves caught up in the movement of the Spirit will find themselves moving too. The Spirit moves us from what was and is toward something new and life-giving that will be revealed as we take steps forward. That certainly was the case for those in our scriptural texts for today.

Before Abraham was Abraham, he was called Abram. Abram’s lineage traces back to Shem, one of the sons of Noah. Abram was the son of Tereh. Tereh was a worshiper of idols, which makes it probable that idol worship was familiar to Abram as well. Sarai was Abram’s wife. Along with his father Tereh and his nephew Lot, Abram left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot and all the possessions that they had gathered and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. …Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”

Why would Abram choose to pick up and move again? It’s hard to say, but I’m going to give the Spirit credit here. Abram had acquired possessions and people, but there were other important things he did not have. Before the Hebrew people were a nation, they were a nomadic people. The very definition of nomadic means to move from place to place without a permanent home. The Lord was offering Abram land that would be his own, a place where he could settle and put down roots for the future. About the future and the offspring of Abram that would inherit this land, Abram and Sarai had no children. God’s promise to Abram was two- fold. It was a promise of land and a promise of offspring.

As with anyone the Spirit of the Lord falls upon, there is a choice to be made, accept the call or reject the call. With the hope of land and offspring, a new future opened up for Abram and Sarai. Abram accepted the call. He packed up and moved toward the future God had prepared for him.

Jesus called disciples, twelve of them. We know well the story of the first four disciples Jesus called, the two pairs of brothers that were fishermen, Peter and Andrew, and James and John. We know relatively little about the rest. Today we heard the call story of the disciple known both as Matthew and Levi. We also know his former occupation. He was a tax-collector. Matthew’s occupation made him despised by everyone, except the Romans, who just wanted their taxes collected but cared little about how they got their money. From a social standpoint, tax collectors were not welcomed or invited to gatherings of their own people because they collected extra money for themselves. Matthew’s occupation paid him well in monetary things, but not well in things that money cannot buy.

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. Nowhere does it say that these two had met before. Why did Matthew get up and follow? Again, I give the Spirit credit here. Maybe Matthew was looking for a way out of his old life, a new start, maybe not. All we are told is that an invitation was given by Jesus and Matthew got up and followed. Like Abram, something, which I call the Spirit, told him that this was his opportunity for a new start and future.

In following Jesus, Matthew’s life was given new purpose and direction. He also became a blessing to others that thought they were not worthy of God’s love. As already stated, Matthew was socially ostracized by his fellow Jews for working for the enemy, the Roman Empire, but in calling Matthew, Jesus demonstrated his mission to the “outcasts and sinners.” Matthew even hosted a banquet at his home, introducing Jesus to many tax collectors and “social outcasts”. Through Matthew, God’s good news of love, grace, and forgiveness reached many, changing lives.

In our texts, there were two more people who reached out to Jesus, who would not have done so under normal circumstances. After Jesus called Matthew, there was an uproar among the religious leadership. When the Pharisees saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, they questioned Jesus’ disciples asking them why Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus, himself, replied that it was exactly for persons such as these that he had come.

In spite of the Pharisees being upset with Jesus, an unnamed leader sought Jesus out. Why? The man’s daughter was gravely ill and feared dead. What parent(s) would not try to do something for their child, even if it meant seeking help from someone others did not approve of? The leader would not be deterred. He was moved, empowered to take the chance to reach out to Jesus anyway. Jesus went with the man to his home and found a scene of mourning. The crowd was put out of the house. Then Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand, and she got up. The report of this healing spread throughout that district. The Spirit moved the leader to find Jesus, Jesus went with the leader, the Spirit of God moved again and healed the girl, and a new future was opened that had not existed before. I’m certain this leader had something powerful to share with his neighbors.

There is one more story left to be told. As Jesus walked with the leader to his house to tend to his daughter, he was sidetracked. A woman came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his cloak. She was not just some woman; she was a woman with a specific medical condition. Because of that condition, she should not have been in a public space at all. She was required to keep her distance from friends, family, her faith community, and the general public, which isolated her from human contact. Harsh consequences would result if she were to be found out. Why would the woman take such a risk? Like the leader, she was desperate. Perhaps she had heard about Jesus, and she felt compelled to take the risk in the chance that she could be made well. Her movement toward Jesus bore fruit.

Jesus felt her touch on his cloak. He turned around and looked at the woman, but there was no anger in his eyes. There was only compassion. Jesus called the woman daughter. His words were deliberate and meant for all to hear because by calling her daughter, Jesus was recognizing her as a child of God. Then he said to her, “Take heart, your faith has made you well.” Like the leader, something within the woman moved her to find Jesus and, in her movement, she too experienced a new future that hadn’t existed just moments before. Like the leader, I’m sure this woman’s testimony also had a powerful effect on her neighbors.

The Holy Spirit is active and moving at the will of God in these days after Pentecost. Movement is a good thing for body, mind, and spirit. Movement opens up new possibilities. When the Spirit blows on us, we need not be afraid. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. The Holy Spirit watches out for our best welfare. The choice is always ours, but if we feel the Spirit blowing on us, urging us forward in a new direction, it would be wise for us to pay attention. Spirit of the living God, we will go if you lead us. We will hold your people in our heart. Amen.

PASTORAL PRFAYER
Ever-moving God, your Spirit has called us to worship on this Lord’s Day. We came from many directions, yet we have made our way here together to this sacred space. Through prayer and song, scripture and sacrament, your Spirit moves among each of us, calling us forward into the new future you envision for us; yet the decision to follow, to go remains with us. We confess that we wish we could envision what the future will look like before stepping out into the unknown, but that is not how faith works. Faith trusts. We thank you that no matter where we journey, you are already there. We thank you for the Advocate that is always leading us along the way that is the most life-giving for us and those that we serve. Grant us courage and perseverance of spirit to follow Christ in the direction that your Spirit is blowing so that we may discover the joy that awaits us in our following.
With schools out for summer vacation, we lift up to you our children, youths, and families. We pray for the safety of our children and youths who are playing, walking and driving in the streets of our communities and neighborhoods. We pray for families who now take on added costs for childcare and meals that had been provided by schools over the course of the school year. We continue to pray for leaders and nations that we may find the way to live together in peace and cooperation for the common good of all. We pray for our churches as we try to faithfully navigate through these difficult and challenging days. Lord, surely your presence, your Spirit is in this place. Hear us as we sing the prayer you taught us to pray. “Our Father, who art in heaven…

06/05/2026

06/02/2026

May 31,2026 Trinity Sunday CCLI #991857 and 20938380

05/31/2026

Pentecost Sunday May 24, 2026 CCLI #991857

05/31/2026

TRINITY SUNDAY: A CELEBRATION OF THE “PERSONS” OF GOD
Lectionary Readings for Trinity Sunday Year A
May 31, 2026

Just as Memorial Day weekend ushered in the unofficial start of the summer season, so Pentecost has led us into the green season of the church year. It officially begins today with Trinity Sunday. The green color of our paraments and my stole reflect growth and maturing in Christ. Because all the other seasons are numbered, this season is numbered according to the Sundays following Pentecost. Today is the second Sunday after Pentecost. Together with the Season of Epiphany, the Pentecost/Trinity Season is called Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is not insignificant. It just means this season doesn’t have a specific theme like the waiting season of Advent, the Christmas season of Jesus’ birth, the revealing season of Epiphany, the repentant season of Lent, or the celebration season of Christ’s resurrection, Eastertide. As stated in the Centering Thought, this is the only Sunday in the Christian Calendar Year that celebrates a doctrine of the church.

While each part of what we call the Trinity can be found throughout the Bible, the word trinity does not exist within the scriptures because it is a church coined word. The Nicene Creed is the first official trinitarian statement of faith of the Christian Church. Under Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor, the Council of Nicaea met in what is now northwest Turkey in 325 CE and created this document. This was the first worldwide meeting of leaders of the early Christian Church, noting that worldwide referred to the Roman Empire at the time. This council set forth affirmations of belief to be used throughout Christendom in order to put an end to heretical beliefs which had risen. People, as people will, began putting forth other ideas, particularly about Jesus, saying that he was not really human at all and didn’t really suffer and die. So, beliefs like Docetism and Gnosticism arose, confusing the faithful.

The Nicene Creed standardized Christian beliefs. It confirmed and established the universal belief of Jesus’ divinity, the Trinity, and Jesus’ incarnation, crucifixion, suffering, death and resurrection, for our salvation. Far, far later down the road, as the churches split off into denominations, many denominations created their own affirmation, statement, or confession of faith. The UCC’s is called The Statement of Faith, and while it has undergone revisions since it was first adopted, what remains constant throughout the language changes is the trinitarian formula and both the humanity and divinity of Jesus.

The symbol for the Trinity is an equilateral triangle, representing the three “persons” of the Trinity. The most common names of these “persons” are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. The symbol of the equilateral triangle stresses that God is relational in nature and that all “persons” of the Trinity relate to each other as a unified body.

Read responsively Psalm 8, page 728 (Chalice)

We don’t know when God created, how God created, or why God created, but it is our profession of faith that God created. The entire chapter of Genesis 1, plus Genesis 2:1-4a, was our Torah reading for today, which is obviously too long to read. The Psalm for today summarizes well what God did in the creation process. The psalmist specifically mentions God’s creation of the heavens, the moon and the stars; he mentions God’s creation of the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. The Psalmist is so awestruck by what God created when he looked into the heavens and viewed the moon and the stars that he asked, “What is humanity that God is mindful of us, mortals, that God cares for us?” The psalmist recognized the relational aspect of God when he spoke and answered his own question saying, “You have made them, meaning humanity, a little lower than God, crowned them with glory and honor, and gave them dominion over the works of your hands. Scripture reminds us that “God saw everything that had been created and declared it good.” The psalmist believed that too, which is what prompted him to write, “O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

From a faith perspective, God is the “Father” that gave birth to creation. God is continuously creating and recreating still today. As it has been from the beginning, it remains the nature of God to be in relationship with the whole of creation, and therefore it remains the mission of mortals to care for the whole of creation on God’s behalf. Just like we cannot love God without loving neighbor, neither can we be in full relationship with God without being in full relationship with all that God created. All creation is part of God and God is part of all creation. So, we are co-creators with God.

Hymn: “For the Beauty of the Earth” No 28, Verses 1-3 (Black NCH)
Read Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In order to be a son or daughter, there needs to be parents somewhere in the picture. We know from scripture that God called Jesus God’s Beloved Son at his baptism. We also know Jesus was the son of Mary, who was engaged to Joseph of Nazareth. This goes to the point of Jesus being both fully divine and fully human. We know that it is not uncommon for sons to follow in their father’s footsteps. Jesus did. It is believed that until Jesus appeared in scripture at around the age of 30th, he worked in the same trade as his earthly father Joseph; perhaps he even worked alongside Joseph. After that, he entered the field of ministry, which was the work of his heavenly Father.

From the time of his baptism, Jesus brought the presence of God with him every place that he preached, taught, or healed those in need of comfort and care. Jesus spoke God’s true word to power and authority; he advocated for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. Jesus had compassion for those the world relegated to the fringes of society because they too were children of God. Jesus so epitomized the will and way of God, that God raised him from the dead and place all authority in heaven and earth in his hands.

The resurrected presence of Christ lives on today though those who choose to follow in Jesus’ way. Collectively, that body is called the Christian Church. Our mission has been handed over to us from Jesus, himself. We are to baptize and we are to teach the lessons that Jesus taught his disciples long ago through both word and deed. In our doing the work of God, who sent Jesus to us, Christ has promised that he will be with us to the end of the age. God remains the holder of time, now and forever.

Hymn: “Fairest Lord Jesus” verses 1 & 4 Public Domain
Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature, O thou of God and man the Son:
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration Now and forevermore be thine!

Read John 14:25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.

The concept of God is elusive to human minds. I like the part in our communion liturgy that reads, “Holy God, our loving Creator, close to us as breathing yet distant as the farthest star.” God can feel so near and so far away at the same time. We know who God is by God’s creation. We can see God’s handiwork around us, and we can feel God’s presence, but we don’t have physical form for God. Jesus, we can wrap our head around. He was a man and we know what a human person looks like. We also have Jesus’ recorded words and teachings. So, we have some idea of how he lived and how he died. Yet he isn’t physically present with us either. So how do we follow him? Jesus thought enough about us to ask God to send us an Advocate and boy o boy do we need one. The Spirit is our advocate, the one who works in us and through us for our best welfare and for the best welfare of God’s kingdom.

It is the job of the Spirit to keep us walking, as best as humanly possible, in the way of God following Jesus’ example. It is so easy for us to stray and lose focus. The Spirit blows at the will of God, calling us in and sending us out. The Spirit equips us for ministry in Jesus’ name by bestowing upon us gifts and talents that become stronger when we use them individually and collectively for service. The Spirit empowers and energizes us to walk the walk over the long haul and not give up. The Holy Spirit finds us wherever we may be on life’s journey. It speaks to us from within, like a still, small voice or a prodding force that mandates our attention. It comes to us in our dreams. It touches our spirit through the most ordinary of days in the most ordinary ways when we least expect it. When we pray, it is the Spirit that responds. When we experience those God moments that make us pause, smile, cry, or give thanks, we know that the Spirit has been at work. The Holy Spirit moves us off of our square to do the work of God that we never imagined was possible. The Holy Spirit is the tie that binds us in love, one to another, and to our Lord and God.

Hymn: “Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling” No 59, verses 2 & 3 (Black, NCH)
2 Holy Spirit, ever breathing on the church the breath of life;
Holy Spirit, ever striving through your people’s ceaseless strife,
Holy Spirit, ever forming in the Church the mind of Christ,
In our worship we will praise you for your fruit and gifts unpriced.

3 Holy Spirit, ever working through the Church's ministry;
Quick'ning, strength'ning, and absolving, setting captive sinners free;
Holy Spirit, ever binding age to age and soul to soul
In communion never ending, you we worship and extol

There are no adequate human words to explain the totality of God. God cannot be contained in creeds, statements, or Trinitarian formulas, but it is still important for us to try to name our experiences and understandings of God at work in our lives and the world as best as we can. This Sunday is set aside every year to do just that, knowing, like the psalmist, we are left scrambling for words. I believe the psalmist came to the right conclusion in saying, “O Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

PASTORAL PRAYER
Eternal God of many names and expressions, we gather before you on this Trinity Sunday. You are the Creator of the world in all its vast diversity. You are the source of all that was and is and forever will be. We are part of your creation, and you have charged us with caring for one another and this world in which we live. We have fallen short in our responsibilities and we pray for forgiveness. Help us do a better job of ushering in your kingdom on earth. We thank you for coming to us as a Son born of heaven and earth. Through Jesus’ life death and resurrection, you taught us in word and deed how we are to live as sons and daughters of your kingdom on earth. As the Church, help us to be the body and presence of Christ for others in our day-to-day living. We thank you for your Spirit that abides with us no matter where we may find ourselves on life’s journey. We pray that your Spirit will fall upon us all, melting us, molding us, using us that your will honor you and build up the body of Christ in the world.
God of the ages, in every generation your world, your creation needs to experience anew the fullness of who you are so that we can understand the fullness of who we are. To that end, we lift up our voices and we pray together the prayer taught to us by your Son saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven…