Holy Trinity (First Sunday after Pentecost)

 Sermon Text: Genesis 1:1-2:3

 Other Readings: 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 and Matthew 28:16-20

 

  1. Sunday was Holy Trinity, the day when we focus on the doctrine that our God is three persons in one undivided divine being. These verses teach that. Find references for different persons of the Trinity. Then find proof(s) in the text that our God is one.
     
  2. Based on these verses, list three attributes or characteristics of God.
     
  3. What does it mean that God made humankind “in his own image”? Consult Ephesians 4:20-23.
     
  4. What did God use to make everything? How can that shape our mindset and hearts when we come to worship?
     
  5. Sunday’s worship theme was that the triune God is with us. What is the ultimate proof that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit has been, is, and will be with you? Consult our Gospel Reading from Matthew 28:16-20.
     

 

  1. God the Father is mentioned in distinction to God the Spirit in verse 2. That leaves only God the Son unmentioned, at least specifically. But when we keep in mind John 1:1-3, we remember that Jesus is the Word of God. And since God speaks over and over again in this chapter, we see – or, rather, we hear – God the Son. Additionally, we see the plurality of persons in Genesis 1:26. But, the words “his” and “he” in verse 27 assure us that God still is one divine being, not three.
     
  2. The list is long, but among the most obvious include God’s eternal nature, his power, his love, his wisdom, etc.
     
  3. Whatever it meant, it was lost in the Fall into Sin. But Ephesians 4:20-23 help us understand that “the image of God” meant that humans knew God rightly, knew God’s will rightly, could do God’s will rightly, and wanted to do God’s will rightly. Martin Luther commented that it meant mankind was “righteous, truthful, and upright not only in body but especially in soul.”
     
  4. God used his word. So, when we hear the word of God proclaimed to us in worship, the very thing that he used to create life is the thing that is encountering us. Thus, we can expect God to do something to us, in us, and for us when we hear his word proclaimed.
     
  5. The ultimate proof is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promises he made. We can then go back to our baptisms as proof of our status before God since he has placed his triune name on us.