Virtual Worship - 7 June 2020 Trinity Sunday

Call to worship:

The word of the eternal Father created us.
The love of the gracious Son redeemed us.
The presence of the Holy Spirit unites and empowers us.
Come and worship the glorious Trinity, our God of power, love and peace.

Opening sentence (verse from a hymn by Richard Leach):

Come, join the dance of Trinity, before all worlds begun-
the interweaving of the three, the Father, Spirit, Son.
The universe of space and time did not arise by chance,
but as the Three, in love and hope, made room within their dance.

Introduction to Trinity Sunday theme:

Today is Trinity Sunday, when the Doctrine of the Trinity, of the God who has revealed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is highlighted in the church calendar. It can be a challenge to preachers to explain this teaching, especially in an all-age address! Over the years I have learnt to be less concerned with the Trinity as a doctrine to be taught, and more with the Trinity as an invitation to participate in the divine dance of love.

Song:

Join in with or listen to the song, Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart by Graham Kendrick and Steve Thompson.

Or, read or give voice to a traditional hymn of praise such as All people that on earth do dwell

If you want to hear more of Richard Leach’s hymn, versions can be found on the internet, for example,

Opening prayer:

This prayer is by David Adam, who died earlier this year in January. David will be remembered especially for his time as Rector of Lindisfarne and for his books of prayers. He was very much influenced by the Celtic Christian tradition in prayer of ‘practising the presence of God’. This prayer reminds us of the presence of God within our homes. We might be confined to home at the present time, and this prayer reassures us of God’s presence in our life and home. You may want to say it more than once. The words are not just for saying – as you repeat them, know within your heart that they are true.

The Father is in this house
Nothing need we fear
    Christ is in this house
    Loving us so dear
The Spirit is in this house
Listening to our prayer
    The Three are in the house
    Always very near. Amen.

First reading: Genesis 18.1-8.

The Lord appeared to Abraham[ by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

In this passage of scripture, the story is told how Abraham is visited by three figures and how he and Sarah, his wife, offered them hospitality. In this way, we are told, he entertained angels unawares. The image of the figures from this story has often been referenced by Christians as a depiction of the Holy Trinity.

The picture below is a photo of an icon from the Orthodox Christian tradition, painted by Andrei Rublev in the 14th or 15th century. An icon is more than a painting, it is a ‘window onto God’, painted with prayer and offering an image for devotion. Its purpose is to draw the believer into a deeper experience of faith.

Spend time with this image. Looking at the photo, what do you notice?

Here are some pointers that you might find helpful.

In your opinion, which figures represents which person of the Trinity? There are three objects in the background, one behind each figure – a house, a tree, and a rocky hillside. Does this give any clues as to who the different persons are? In some ways the figures are alike, in others they are different. The faces, for example, look the same. Look at the colour of the clothes that they wear. Blue is common to all of them, but each figure reveals a different amount of this colour. Each figure also wears their own distinctive colour. What does this suggest to you?

The figures are sat around the table, but the picture is open to include the viewer. The figure in the middle looks towards the figure on the left. The figure on the left looks across to the figure on the right. The figure on the right looks down and out of the picture, again emphasising the picture’s openness. This openness might suggest an invitation, to join the figures at the table. But it might also suggest a sending – that what is being enjoyed around the table does not just stay there, but overflows into the world around.

At centre of this circle is a table that might remind you of the celebration of communion. Our present circumstances do not allow us to join around the Lord’s Table as we would wish, but that desire to share continues within us.God’s invitation to us is to come and feast on his love and his grace; and after we have received, to tell and share with others.

Second reading: Matthew 28.16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

To do and to think about: 

The disciples were sent out in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The promise at the end is one of presence, that Jesus will be with them at all times. Just as God’s love circles the whole world, so that same love circles us. Look at the Celtic Circle image used here. If you have some colouring pencils or felt pens, you could colour the picture in. As you do so, reflect on how the threefold Trinity interweaves this circle of love.

Prayers of concern

Slowly trace the pattern with your finger, and as you do so pray that all may be kept safe within the circle of God’s care. Remember to include:

Those working in health care and front-line services
Those in authority making important decisions
Those who are ill, anxious or afraid
Your family, friends and neighbours
Don’t forget to pray for yourself – you too are included within this same circle of care.
Finish by saying this prayer (again, from David Adam) and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer:

Circle me Lord
Keep protection near
And danger afar
    Circle me Lord
    Keep hope within
    Keep doubt without
Circle me Lord
Keep light near
And darkness afar
    Circle me Lord
    Keep peace within
    Keep evil out. Amen.

Song: 

Now thank we all our God. This hymn was written in the seventeenth century by Martin Rinkart in a time of crisis amongst the European nations. The Thirty Years War, a prolonged period of fighting, famine and plague, had just ended. Rinkart’s ministry to the sick and the dying included 4,500 funerals, one of which was for his wife. At the conclusion of the conflict, he still found cause for praising God in this great hymn of thanksgiving.

Words of blessing(David Adam):

The Father on you his blessing bestow
The Son his love towards you flow
The Spirit his presence to you show
On you and all the folk you know
On you and all who around you go
The Threefold blessing may you know

Call to worship: Copyright Roots for Churches Ltd, used with permission.Prayer by David Adam: Copyright, SPCK 2011, downloaded from www.theworshipcloud.compermission given to use in churches for non-commercial purposes; sourced from David Adam, The Edge of Glory. Scripture quotations arefrom the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.