Holy Trinity Sunday – May 22, 2005

Today we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday seeing the importance of recognizing our one true God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost in the King James. That reminds me of a favorite story of mine.

After rainstorm filled all the potholes in the back alley, a young mother watched her two little boys playing in a water puddle through her kitchen window. The older of the two, grabbed his sibling by the back of the head and shoved his face into the water hole. As the younger boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother ran to the backyard in a panic. “Why on Earth did you do that to your little brother?” she said angrily. “We were just playing church, Mommy,” he said. “I was baptizing him like the preacher did in church last Sunday. I said, ‘I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and in-the-hole-he-goes!’”We can laugh at this story but there is a truth here too that our faith is often “caught” more than taught. The boys learned that Baptism is important by seeing it in church. The season of Pentecost, which began last Sunday, is now the season of the church and recognizing that God has called us to proclaim Jesus.

Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday through a baptism and reception of new members! And what a great text we have from Matthew today as Jesus sets His disciples out on the great mission of the church – to make disciples. The formula is simple, baptize and teach in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit – the Trinity.

The entrance point for most people into the faith is Baptism. Here we see the Lord at work in our lives as He comes to us and gives us faith in Jesus’ salvation. We are transformed by God’s grace and mercy. And we who have been baptized then are called to baptize others and to teach them about Jesus. The whole mission of the church is to proclaim Jesus’ life, death and resurrection for the healing of the whole world.

Our lengthy lesson from Genesis reminds us of what God’s creation was before sin – it was good! And we know the story of how Adam and Eve fell into temptation and brought sin into this world. We also know, through God’s Word, that we all are sinful and in need of salvation. The Gospel story, that has been taught and caught by us, is the story of a new creation. God has restored us by the power of His Son conveyed to us through the Holy Spirit. The same trinity that created the universe is the one that redeems it as well.

This story of God’s salvation, that is near and dear to our hearts is meant to be shared. We are called to make disciples – people who follow Jesus. We are witnesses of what God has done in our lives. The new members we are receiving here today have decided to commit to the ministry here at Mount Olive because they have heard the Gospel message from you. Each of us may have our own unique ways of expressing the love of God to others but all of us are called to make disciples.

Our mission statement at Mount Olive sets the agenda for us as we follow Jesus command. We are called by God to reach out, care for, and build people toward maturity in Christ. Each one of the actions of our mission statement calls us into service to the world. Each part helps us see the importance of spreading the Gospel and making disciples.

Peter felt that calling as he preached to the people in Jerusalem. In our Acts lesson today we see one of many sermons from Peter that proclaims the Gospel message. Peter and the other apostles, plus others they recruit, begin in earnest to make disciples. They didn’t just go back home they felt the calling to go as far as they could to tell others about Jesus.

We are called as well to proclaim Jesus. We may not travel to the ends of the earth, though with transportation today we could with relative ease, we are to go as far as we can to make disciples. Actually we live in an age that makes it easier for us to reach many for Jesus. We have the world coming to our doorstep. We don’t have to travel far to experience other cultures and peoples that need to hear the Gospel. We have the Internet and other ways of communication that can literally reach the ends of the world, without even leaving our home. Whatever mode we take, and whatever gift, talent, ability or treasure we use, we are called to make disciples – to share with others what we know to be true – that Jesus is our Savior.

But God doesn’t leave us alone in this matter. Jesus didn’t go to heaven and wait for our action. He promised His disciples, you and me, that He will always be there for us. Jesus is there to bring the Gospel message to our hearts, minds, and lips. He has gone ahead of us to prepare the way so we can make disciples. He doesn’t leave us alone but promises to be with us along the way.

In fact HE has always been with us. Matthew does a neat thing with His Gospel to remind us of God’s presence. Matthew chapter 1, as we hear of the birth of Jesus, in verse 23 we see Jesus being called Immanuel, which means God with us. And now at the end of the gospel we see Jesus saying that He will always be with us. God with us is a wonderful promise and brings comfort to those who believe in Him. We are not left alone, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are always with us. That too is a truth we can proclaim as we teach and make disciples.

Today, as we leave this place refreshed from worship as God touches our hearts, may our eyes be open to the opportunities to make disciples. It isn’t hard – just share what you know about Jesus. It isn’t impossible – because God is there with you. It is the greatest task we have, and the only one that truly counts for eternity – make disciples for Jesus.

Amen.