Trinity

(NIV): 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This weekend you have the choice of observing two separate holidays. According to the church calendar, this Sunday after Pentecost is known as Trinity Sunday. Our emphasis is on the truth that our God has revealed himself to us in a unique way. Although he is only one God, he reveals himself as three distinct persons — the Father who created us, the Son who redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us. Since our focus at church is on what God says to us in his Word, our primary emphasis in worship will be on this theme.

Memorial Day📷The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are decorated by U.S. flags on Memorial Day weekend in 2008.Official nameMemorial DayObserved byUnited StatesTypeNationalObservancesRemembrance of American soldiers who have died in military serviceDateLast Monday in May2017 dateMay 292018 dateMay 282019 dateMay 272020 dateMay 25FrequencyAnnual

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God

This year, Trinity Sunday, occurs during Memorial Day weekend. We have many local opportunities in our communities to also celebrate or commemorate why we have this federal holiday.

Do you have a relative or close friend or neighbor who gave his/her life in service to our country? When this holiday first started, the events were undoubtedly much more solemn and emotional for those who visited the graves of fallen veterans in part because of the massive number of people (over 600,000) who had perished during and after the Civil War. This would have also been intense during World War I and World War II and the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War. But the intensity for the individual or family of a fallen veteran is just as intense regardless of the number of others who are also remembered on Memorial Day.

Although Memorial Day is a secular, federal holiday, it has developed some religious aspects to it as well. The themes of sacrifice, death, and hope (because the person gave his/her life for a better future) resound at many Memorial Day events.

Those themes of sacrifice, death, and hope are also prevalent in what our Triune God has done for us. As we reflect on our text, we see how the sacrifice of Jesus frees us from death and gives us hope for the future.

The sacrifice of Jesus was necessary to free us from our own sinful nature and its influence on our lives.

Romans 8:12–17

(NIV): 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

St. Paul contrasts living by the flesh and living by the Spirit. To understand his point, we do well to hear again what Jesus said to Nicodemus in our Gospel lesson on the same theme.

(NIV): 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

By nature we are subject to “flesh”. This term means that by nature we are not godly people. We are opposed to God and seek only selfish interests. We resist and reject the authority of God and how he commands us to live. The result is that we deserve condemnation. That is why Jesus assures Christians that he did not come to condemn the world and St. Paul earlier in this chapter assures us that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This ultimately leads to death. On Memorial Day we honor those who have died under certain circumstances. We are aware that death occurs in other circumstances as well. The bible teaches us why this is (the wages of sin is death). St. Paul acknowledges that death is something that is feared. The amazing thing about those in the military is that they have been trained to regard others more important than themselves that they are willing to give their lives facing and in their cases experiencing death even though death is naturally feared.

How is it that St. Paul can say that we will not live in fear again? (NIV): 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. We need not fear death because we have the hope of eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Although we would fear God because of our sins and our realization that we deserve condemnation, God has freed us from that by the work of his Son and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus teaches Nicodemus what he will do to sacrifice himself in death so that we may live. He prophecies that he would be lifted up just as the Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so that all who look to him will have eternal life.

St. Paul references that here. He writes about how the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. Elsewhere he emphasizes a well known truth. Jesus died willingly to sacrifice himself for us.

But in a way that is not enough. Jesus did indeed die for all people. But not all people have been set free from fear and death. The key is the work of the Holy Spirit. Note how Jesus emphasizes the Spirits work in John and how St. Paul does as well here in our text.

Jesus teaches that we must be born again by the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul teaches that the Spirit of God must live in us which means that we believe in Jesus and as a result live in accordance witht he Spirit so we have our minds set on what the Spirit desires. Our mind is governed by the Spirit so we have life and peace. That same Spirit wil give life to our mortal bodies.

Through the word and sacraments, we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts to create a new relationship between us and God. Before this, were were controlled by our own sinful nature and hostile to God. Our only realistic conclusion was that we are poor miserable sinners who deserve God’s wrath and punishment and that the only enjoyment we can find in life is from our own means.

But God has freed us from that outlook by bringing us into his family through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we can have HOPE. This hope is compared to the hope that children have in their parents. As children of God, we have hope that he is our dear Father in Heaven and that he does not treat us as our sins deserve but has chosen instead to bless us.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Conclusion: How will the truth that our God has saved us through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of the Spirit in us have on us?

It brings us hope as it removes the fear of condemnation.

It compels us to make decisions that are controlled by God’s will and not by our own selfish desires. It will have a tremendous impact on how we respond to temptation, regard our neighbors, treat other people, and act in love.

Romans 8:12–17

(NIV): 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

(NIV): 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

On Memorial Day the nation pauses to reflect on what those in the armed forces did when they made the ultimate sacrifice and died for something greater than themselves. As Christians who are saved by Jesus, every day is a new opportunity to die to own sinful flesh and to live for Jesus.