Listen to the Sermon
June 15:
Call: Matthew 28: 16-20
Text: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
Closing: Genesis 1: 27-31
Prayer: W&S 79
Psalm: None
Up - To Us Part II
Today is Fathers Day
A day important to me in part because I am a father
But more importantly
Because I have a human father
Who loves me and set a good example for me
And because I have a heavenly father
Who also loves me and set a good example
Today is Sunday School Presentation Day
A day important to me because I am a pastor
And just as importantly because it is a reminder
Of the gifts of our students and teachers
Of the many years when I taught Sunday School
And of the time years ago when I was in Sunday school
Of course, it is also important to me
because this is one the few Sundays of the year
when I am under virtually no pressure
After all, even I know
that what I say is not likely to be remembered
All the comments later today
will be about what the children did
and rightfully so.
And finally, today is Trinity Sunday
When we recognize the three parts of God:
Creator Christ and Holy Spirit
Trinity Sunday is the day that we wrap up
The Ascension/Pentecost story
The story that completes the revelation
of the 2nd and 3rd parts of the Trinity.
We wrap them up today by reviewing the story
through the questions we ask when we try to understand
in the hope of storing them in our minds, hearts, and souls
I call these questions "The Five Ws and the Lonely H":
Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
This morning, we ask and we answer those six questions
We begin with "Who?"
Who are the persons for whom the stories are told?
That answer is easy
"Who?" "Who?" and "Who?"
The disciples and Jim and you
For just as Jesus Christ began his ascension into heaven
He told the disciples
And He told me And He told you
That there was something
he wanted them and he wants us to do.
That of course brings us to the next question: What?
What were the disciples to do? And what are you and I to do?
If we paid attention two weeks ago, this question is also easy.
What did Christ expect the disciples to do?
What does Christ expect us to do?
He expected them to be his witnesses
He expects us - despite our being forever flawed and faulty
to be his witnesses.
Next in the examination sextuplet is "Where?"
Where were they and where are we to be his witnesses?
Well, "where" for the disciples was
"In Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria
and to the ends of the earth"
For you and me, that translates to our being his witnesses
Right here in [Potsdam] [West Stockholm]
And in St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Jefferson counties
And throughout all of New York State
And still again: "to the ends of the earth"
In other words the answer to "Where?" is everywhere.
Everywhere we find ourselves
The final two "Ws" are "when?" and "why?"
And for them we look at the second version of the ascension story.
The first version was at the very beginning of Acts
The second version is found at the very end of Matthew.
And whereas Luke's telling of the story
Deals, as we have noted, with the "where,"
Matthew's telling in his gospel
Deals with the "when" "to the end of the age."
On the time and space continuum
Matthew deals with time and Luke deals with place
Matthew's description of the ascension
Which called us to worship this morning
Also tells us "Why."
It tells us that the reason we are to be witnesses
Is to make disciples for Christ
And the UMC Discipline adds,
"for the transformation of the world"
That leaves us with the "H." our last question is "How?"
A question we saw answered last week, on Pentecost
For how
We the "who" Can understand the "why"
and do the "what" "When" and "where" we are
is only by the Holy Spirit.
And so, with the trinity complete, we close this reflection
As Paul closed his second letter to the Corinthians [13: 11-13]
And as you and I prepare to witness to make disciples for Christ
We do so: To the ends of the earth and until the end of the age.
It is up to us to do this.