THE EPISTLE LESSON Romans 8:12-17
THE GOSPEL LESSON John 3:1-17
SERMON "The Sending Trinity"
Worship Notes
Today is the first Sunday after Pentecost, which is also called Trinity Sunday. On Trinity Sunday, we celebrate the mystical experience of God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The liturgical color for Trinity Sunday is white.
The worship service begins with a setting of the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King," which speaks of the many reflections of God in the imagery of nature (wind, water, etc.) and the expressions of praise offered by each in the form of an "Alleluia!" Throughout the Pentecost season, we will sing Acclamation Hymn 577, which is a contemporary setting of the "Gloria Patri," the text of which affords praise to God in each of the trinitarian forms.
In response to the word proclaimed through the sermon, and before we seal the word in the act of communion, we sing Hymn 140, "Holy, Holy," which was written in 1972 by Jimmy Owens. Owens is a jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, teacher, and clinician who has played with Jazz legends such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lionel Hampton. In this hymn, Owens sets a particular expression of praise for God as Father, Son, and Spirit.
In keeping with trinitarian imagery, the offertory is a "Trio Sonata" for organ composed by Liechtensteinian organist Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901). In a trio sonata, three independent melodic ideas (played by the left hand, right hand, and feet) are interwoven together into one musical composition. Just as each melody in a trio sonata is completely whole on its own but yet fits together seamlessly with its two counterparts, so is it with our understanding of the trinitarian nature of God.
The gospel text from John 3:16 is reflected in the duet shared during communion and serves as a reminder of God's great love for us. As the service ends, we carry that love with us out into the world as we depart singing the beloved hymn of the trinity, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
