In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6)

And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. (Athanasian Creed)

Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.

In case you can’t already tell, it is Holy Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost devoted to the sublime mystery of God’s tri-unity as three distinct Persons in one, undivided Being. If you think you’re going to go home today understanding the doctrine of the trinity better than when you arrived, think again. If you’re looking for some tidbit of relevance, a little nugget of inspirational uplift, a sweet hour of prayer, you may be disappointed. Today’s menu is doctrine. Theology. God-talk.

Grand openings are always big events - fireworks, balloons, searchlights - all ways to grab attention. Come, look here. Something new is happening! So it is with Pentecost, the grand opening of the Church as it moves from 120 fearful disciples locked up in a room to a Gospel movement that in one day and in one breath embraced the Mediterranean world and parts beyond. Today we look back on the Church’s grand opening nearly 2000 years ago, and we reflect also on the continuation of that same Church today 2000 years later.

Jesus prays for His Church. Nowhere is this more profoundly revealed to us than in the high priestly prayer of Jesus in the upper room on the night of HIs betrayal into death. This is the room where He washed the disciples’ feet as a servant; this is the room where He instituted the sacramental meal of His Body and Blood. This is the room where He taught them about His love for them, their love for one another, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and their fruitful union with Him. And now, He prays in their presence. This prayer, recorded in John chapter 17, is the true “Lord’s Prayer,” the prayer only the Lord Himself can pray.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15:9)

The scene is the upper room, Jesus with His disciples. It is evening, the evening of His betrayal leading to His arrest, trial and crucifixion. He washed their feet. He gave them His Body as bread, His Blood as wine. He taught them. He prayed for them. It’s in this context, the context of His impending death, His laying down His life for the life of the world, that Jesus says, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

An angel of the Lord sends Philip chasing after a chariot. A eunuch from Ethiopia is reading the prophet Isaiah. He hears the good news of Jesus and believes. There is water in the wilderness, and he is baptized. The Gospel is messy business, isn’t it?