Trinity Sunday (2025)

*Opening Prayer

*Call to Worship

(Based on Psalm 8)

Leader: O Lord, our Lord—how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

People: You have set Your glory above the heavens!

Leader: When we look at the sky, the stars, the moon—what is humanity that You are mindful of us?

People: Yet You made us just a little lower than the heavenly beings, and crowned us with glory and honor.

Leader: Let’s worship the God who creates, who loves, and who justifies us by faith!

People: We lift up our voices to the One whose grace is greater than our striving!

Hymn #10 O Worship The King

Scripture Reading

John 16:12-15 - Dana

John 16:12–15 NIV

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Children's Message - Velda

Scripture Reading

Galatians 2:15–21 NIV

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Sermon

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about “unity” in the church in response to Jesus’ prayer for us. And we mentioned Paul’s rebuke of Peter. Peter had been eating with Gentile Christians which is a sign of “unity”. I mean, everyone knows the best way for people to get to know each other is around a good meal. Even strangers become friends as they share together at the same restaurant.

But some Jews came to visit and fearing what they might say about him and these Gentile friends, Peter avoided them and caused others, including Barnabas to do the same. And Paul calls Peter on the carpet about his hypocritical behavior. How can he pretend to be friends with the Gentiles until the Jews come around?

And as he writes to the Galatians, Paul describes this confrontation. And we pick up on a part of what he said to Peter. “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law.”

Now, I have to tell you, it took me a minute to understand what Paul was trying to say here because it sounds as though he is putting down the Gentiles and lifting the Jews up as somehow “better than”. But that’s not what he is doing at all.

Paul is simply recognizing the reality that God’s law was given only to the Jews. The law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai when he was leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. This was a part of the specialness of the Jews. Of course, it also meant that the Jews were the only ones who even knew what the law required—though no one could keep it perfectly.

But there were those who believed that if they kept the law, they would please God. The problem, however, is that it is impossible to keep the law at all times. And we tend to extend grace to ourselves for our failures while we condemn others for the same failure. Someone has once said, “we judge ourselves by our intentions, but others by their actions.”

But then Paul raises another question. If the law is thrown aside by the Jews and the Gentiles don’t have to follow it, then aren’t we opening the door for rebellion? I mean if there aren’t any rules at all then we all just do what we want, right?

So in order to avoid this, there were those who would build another list of “dos and dont’s”. They make rules and laws that people are supposed to follow. But that becomes legalism. And indeed causes more problems because if any law is “good” it would be the one originally given by God, not the one that one person develops in their own mind.

But Paul reminded Peter, the church of Galatia, and you and I today that it’s Christ, not the law, to whom we owe allegiance. He wrote, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.” As long as a person believes they can do something to save themselves, they will not turn to Christ. If a person believes that salvation will come by being a good person or living a relatively good life, or even by being a law abiding citizen, they will not seek after Christ.

It is only when we realize that salvation comes through Christ alone that we will let go of our own efforts to save ourselves. It is only when we can affirm with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” that we have let go of the law and embraced grace. To be crucified with Christ means dying to the illusion that I can save myself—and rising to a new life that’s rooted in grace, not performance. It means we are who He says we are.

Praise Song Who You Say I Am

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Hymn #428, v. 1 I Need Thee Every Hour

Silent Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

Lord's Prayer

Giving of Tithes and Offering

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

Hymn #66 To God Be The Glory

*Benediction

Go now in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ—

not as those trying to earn His love,

but as those already embraced by it.

Die to the pressure to prove yourself,

and live by the power of Christ who lives in you.

Let your life be rooted not in performance, but in promise.

Not in striving, but in surrender.

Not in fear, but in faith.

And may the peace of God,

which passes all understanding,

guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Sanctuary

*Call to Worship

(Based on Psalm 8)

Leader: O Lord, our Lord—how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

People: You have set Your glory above the heavens!

Leader: When we look at the sky, the stars, the moon—what is humanity that

You are mindful of us?

People: Yet You made us just a little lower than the heavenly beings, and

crowned us with glory and honor.

Leader: Let’s worship the God who creates, who loves, and who justifies us by

faith!

People: We lift up our voices to the One whose grace is greater than our striving!

*Opening Prayer

Hymn #104 O Worship The King