Trinity Sunday, Sunday May 31st

Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, grant that we may always desire to spend time in your presence. May we not forget your goodness to us. Guide us to share your blessings with others.

The Holy Trinity, by Jusepe de RiberaHymn – Christ is made the sure foundation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bC0tgG_blE

Christ is made the sure foundation,Christ the head and cornerstone,chosen of the Lord, and precious,binding all the Church in one,holy Zion's help for ever,and her confidence alone.

To this temple, where we call thee,come, O Lord of Hosts, today;with your constant loving-kindesshear thy servants as they pray;and thy fullest benedictionshed within its walls alway.

Praise and honor to the Father,Praise and honor to the Son,Praise and honor to the Spirit,ever Three, and ever One,one in mighty, one in glory,while unending ages run.

PreparationGlorious Trinity make your presence known within our homes,through our worship, our prayer, the reading of your Word,and in the fellowship we shall enjoy. Amen

Father, you come to meet us when we return to you:Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, you died on the cross for our sins:Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Spirit, you give us life and peace: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name;thy kingdom come;thy will be done;on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation;but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom,the power and the glory,for ever and ever.Amen.

Collect for Trinity Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity: keep us steadfast in this faith, that we may evermore be defended from all adversities; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

Responsorial Psalm 29

R: The Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace.Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. R

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters.The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice. R

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Mt Hermon like a young wild ox. R

The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare; in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. R

 Gospel Reading: John 3. 1-17

Alleluia, alleluia. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

one God, who was, and who is, and who is to come,the Almighty. Alleluia.

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s

womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.’

This is the Gospel of Christ

Reflection edited from “Sacred Space”Trinity Sunday is one which many preachers would prefer not to have to talk about. What can one say that is meaningful about such an abstract concept as the Holy Trinity? When it comes to speaking of the meaning and inner relationship of three “Persons” in one God we are floundering in territory where ordinary human language is totally inadequate to express the reality. Our God can only be reached in the “cloud of unknowing”, as Julian of Norwich so beautifully expressed it.

However, we should not try to get off the hook too easily and decide to speak or think about something altogether different on this Sunday. Provided we are aware of God’s basic unknowability by our limited minds, there are still many helpful things we can consider about our God and the inner relationships which are part of his being.

While it is of the utmost importance that we realise this, there are many statements we can make which will help in our relationships with God.

One of Thomas Aquinas basic principles was that “Behaviour is determined by the nature of things”. From the way things act we know something about what they are. We can thus distinguish the different natures of minerals and other non-living substances, plant life, bacterial and viral life, animal life, human life from the different ways in which each is able to function and react. We normally will not confuse a cow and a horse, a bird or a bat, a shark or a whale, a gorilla or a human being. It is not simply their appearances that are different. We realise that each has certain capabilities and that those capabilities arise from the way they are essentially constituted in their inner being. We don’t expect animals to talk as humans do, except in TV cartoons. We don’t expect snails to run in the Derby or the Grand National. Or tortoises to outstrip hares, except in fables.

And, in our daily rubbing shoulders with other people, the only way we can know them is by what they reveal of themselves through their behaviour and

interactions. We say they ARE kind, because they consistently behave in a way that is kind. Or they ARE cruel, again because of what is perceived as consistently cruel behaviour. “By their fruits you will know them,” said Jesus. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a bad tree good fruit”.

And it is in the Christian Testament especially that we get the first hints of there being more than way of understanding God, although the full theology of the Trinity was only developed later. What it means to have three Persons in one Being is something we do not even try to understand. But we can get some inkling if we confine ourselves to seeing what each of the persons DOES as a clue to what they ARE.

So, speaking analogically, we can say that in our God there are three masks, three personae, three roles pointing to three separate sources of action. This is not an explanation. It is a groping effort to get some understanding. Those three roles are that of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We see God as Father, a loving and compassionate Father. Not a daunting patriarchal figure but one that is easily approached and who can be addressed by the familiar and intimate term “Abba”, compare the English ‘Papa’. He is the Creator and giver of all life. Everything good that can be discerned in the world around us comes from him and through him. In him, through him and with him all things exist. He is the one who cares, the one who waits for the Prodigal to return and forgives completely and immediately. He is the Father of truth, the Father of love and compassion, the Father of justice.

We see God as Son, who in an extraordinary way came to live among us, and whom, in a paradox beyond all understanding, we humans killed. In the Son as a human being, we can see, hear and touch God. We see something of the nature of our God as Jesus heals the sick, identifies with the weak and socialises with the sinful. Though he is God, he empties himself of all human dignity that he might open for us the way to true and unending life.

We see God as Spirit, becoming, as it were, the soul of his people. All the good that we do, all our evangelising work, our hospitals, schools, works of social development and social welfare, our care of the sick, the weak, the oppressed and the outcast — all are the work of God’s Spirit working in and through us. Wherever there is love there is the Spirit of God at work.

And yet, being aware of all this, we still cannot say that we know our God. We need to remember that we have been called to be and to grow into the image of God himself. In what has been revealed to us through Jesus and the Scriptures, we have more than enough to challenge us and to help us to approach closer to our God. Our ultimate goal, and it is the only goal for all living, is to achieve perfect union with him. We do that, above all, by loving as he loved, by loving unconditionally and continuing to love where no love, and even hate, is returned.

For this we need the creative power of the Father, the compassion of the Son, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They are all available to anyone who opens their heart to receive.

 Creed

We believe in God the Father,who is faithful to all his promises, and loving towards all he has made.

We believe in God the Son,whose kingdom is everlasting,whose dominion endures for ever.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,who satisfies the needs of all things living.

We believe in God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,gracious, compassionate,and rich in love. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Let us pray to the Father, through the Son, and in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Lord God, may your Church reflect your Community and Unity. May there be Godly harmony, shared ministry, mutual support and encouragement in the faith. We pray for our Diocese, for our Bishops Philip and Hugh, for our Deanery as it seeks new paths, current leadership. We pray for our own Church here in this Benefice, for Brian our Priest, for Melva, and for ourselves as we try to extend to all those who step inside the doors your salvation, Peace, mercy and grace.

Lord in your mercy: Hear our Prayer

Lord, your love embraces all the powers of creation. Give strength, we pray, to your people. May the World’s leaders seek not personal power but the public good. May conflicts between nations, between cultures, between mind sets, between families, between individual people, be faced honestly, humbly and with mutual respect, and may the needs of all be met. We pray this morning for decisions to be made to counter this pandemic........... extend to all your Peace, pardoning love, mercy and grace..

Lord in your mercy: Hear our Prayer

Lord, help us to imitate in our own lives the unbroken harmony and mutual love of the Holy Trinity, drawing on the strengths of each within our circle of friends and neighbours. We pray for those who serve us in our villages, for farmers, shopkeepers, for teachers at the school, for those who volunteer in so many ways to run clubs, look after the village public buildings. Strengthen the bonds of our community and may there be love and respect for one another in every household.

Lord in your mercy: Hear our Prayer

Lord, have mercy on those whose hearts cry for help. Dry their tears, quieten their fears, give them the blessing of inward peace, and restore them to the wholeness which is your will for all. We pray for........... Breathe on all who suffer in any way, the lonely, the hungry, the poor, the anxious and bring them the Breath of Life; may all forms of suffering be eased through your healing love.

Lord in your mercy: Hear our Prayer

Lord, our mystery, you bring us to life and move between us with love. We remember those freed from their aching and restored forever, especially...... May we rise to new and eternal life in the company of those whom we have loved.

 Lord in your mercy: Hear our Prayer

Silence for own prayers.......

Lord God we pour out to You our Praise and wonder at the hidden mysterious holiness of Your being, so full of Glory and love.

Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of Power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your Glory. Hosanna in the highest. Amen.

Hymn - Holy, Holy, Holy

https://youtu.be/0SHDNs7Dt5M

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,only thou art holy; there is none beside theeperfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Final Prayers

Almighty and eternal God, you have revealed yourself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,and live and reign in the perfect unity of love: hold us firm in this faith, that we may know you in all your ways and evermore rejoice in your eternal glory, who are three Persons yet one God, now and for ever. Amen.

May the love of Jesus Christbring us wholeness,the grace of God the Fathergrant us peace,the breath of Holy Spirit

instil passionand the unity between themgive us strengthfor this and every day. Amen