I am finding this a very difficult Sunday to preach. not only is it my last official Sunday at Redeemer before I retire but also it is Trinity Sunday, a day we recognize our God’s mysterious Trinitarian nature and being; something most priests try to avoid preaching about.
Additionally, there are baptisms happening on this feast at the 11 o’clock service.
And this is Memorial Day weekend, a day extremely important to our nation and culture.
So it is a day that is loaded with a variety of meaning.
It would’ve been so much easier to have retired at Christmas: you know, Merry Christmas and Ho, ho, ho, I’ll be retiring so off I go! even Easter might be easier: Jesus Christ is risen today, now I am retiring and off to play.
But surprisingly, as I prepared for this sermon, I did begin to see theological strands that tie all of these events together like beads on a string. It has to do with the mystery of our God in his nature, and the mystery of his sovereign work in our lives. As I have mentioned in previous sermons and teachings on the Trinity, I am ill-prepared to give any in-depth dissertation on the subject. My only attempt in seminary was to generate a mark of D on my paper, and the professor’s accusation that I might even have constructed new Trinitarian heresies; an accusation of which I am perversely proud.
So I am content to accept at face value that which God has revealed about himself, which the Church has accepted through the ages, that he is one God in three persons: father son and holy ghost. that is the nature of faith—to trust what God has said as truth.
One God, in three unique persons, bound together as one in mind and heart in perfect love with the unifying purpose being the redemption of Creation itself, with us as the center of that focus.
We see these intonations of the Trinity throughout Scripture: in Creation, in the numerous accounts of God’s interaction with the Old Testament’s notables, in Jesus’ incarnation, in his baptism, and in his death and resurrection, in his command to the Church, the great commission: to go into the world and baptize people into the mystery of the Trinity.
In all of it we have glimpses of the triune nature of God at work to effect redemption of humanity, bringing humanity into the mystery of that very relationship.
Consider this mystery: we have God as our father, our dad, who loves us so much that he gave his most precious son to death as a ransom for our lives.
We have his son Jesus our Savior, Lord intercessor and friend, who willingly surrenders his life to death that we might have a new life, a qualitatively and quantitatively different life—life that is holy—reflecting God’s person, and eternal, unbound from death and the constraints of this world.
Out of his death he brings life.
And we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to personally guide us in this new life. He dwells in us that we might die to self and live in Him. extraordinary!
And this triune nature, this unity of multiples, is reflected in some of the very structures of his handiwork.
Consider the mystery of marriage. His divine ordering of relationship, two completely different persons, a male and female come together, become one in love, each sacrificing part of themselves for the other, giving themselves for one another—a death of sorts, to become one in heart, body, and mind. And out of that God- ordained ordering, ideally, comes new life.
Consider the Church—this church if you will. A cacophony of different people with different backgrounds and different life situations is united in their baptism, in their dying to self and accepting the new life given to them in Jesus Christ.
As a consequence, we come together in worship of this mysterious yet intimately personal God with one voice; two or more coming together as one—with Jesus himself in our midst—inhabiting our praises.
this is how Paul can refer to the Church as the body of Christ, one body many members. Many gifts coming together to live a new life in God’s grace—giving up part of our lives, time, talent, our money, to do ministry. A type of death—of participating in a new life for one another that we might bring others into that unique relationship with this mysterious God.
This is the mystery that we enter into in baptism. In professing faith in Jesus we die to self, that is the implication of the water, not just washing but being submerged, inundated, drowned as it were, and raised to new life; a life defined as having God as father, through the atoning death of his son, with the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to live that new life.
Baptism into the Triune God brings life from death.
This divine concept is so momentous that it seems woven into the reality of Creation as in the Seasons: winter and spring, night and dawn, death and life;
Tomorrow (Monday) is Memorial Day and the poppies that are handed out are significantly tied to this theme of life out of death.
In World War 1the battlefields, especially in Flanders, became devastated wastelands oozing the blood and gore of battle. But after a short time of peace, red poppies transformed these gruesome places into literal gardens. These poppies seemed to intimate that the lives of so many dead were not in vain, that out of death comes life.
and we recognize this reality in our national celebration of Memorial Day, remembering those who gave their lives so that we might have the life we inherit today.
As we live in this new life baptized into the life of the Trinity, we become actual icons of God. Our
lives begin to reflect love and holiness—those qualities that God has in himself. When the world looks at our lives, at our marriages, at our church, they should see proof of one God in three persons lived out before their eyes.
But even in living that new life there is mystery. we live inspired by the Holy Spirit. Dying to self, we go where he leads, to do what he lead us to do. Life as a Christian is an adventure. You never know where you might end up.
In 1979 I became a Christian; I gave my life to Jesus. And surprisingly to me, He took it!
My life was never the same. Everything changed. My attitudes, behaviors, well most of the real bad ones anyway, my goals for life, everything changed.
I didn’t want to be a priest yet here I am. I never wanted to live in Florida yet here I am. I am not really an Anglo-Catholic yet here I am. The baptized life is an adventure.
In Lent of 1996 I was trying become rector in one of two churches up north when Fr. Robinson, the fairly new rector of Church of the Redeemer, called to invite me to be his assistant.
But there was a number of concerns. First it was 12 miles further south. I wanted to go back north to four seasons and snow. There was the fact that Redeemer is known as a high Anglo-Catholic parish, and I was a low church, evangelical charismatic.
I kept thinking to myself what is that guy thinking, this will never work! Well through a lot of prayer and discernment I came to Church of the Redeemer. I figured I’d be here for two years and we’d both be happy when I left. That didn’t happen, either!
I never chanted before I got here. On my first Sunday, as we were getting ready to walk out to line-up for procession, the good rector informed me that I would be chanting the prayers of the people. I thought he was kidding. but he was not laughing. 15 minutes later I chanted for the first time of my life. Welcome to redeemer.
And then there were all the liturgical practices. On one of the first Sundays here, I got confused and went up to the altar and asked dear Father Saunders of blessed memory, what I was supposed to do. He was so frustrated with me he said: Go sit down! So I did. I know how to do that. During the Offertory, the deacon is supposed to receive bread, water, and wine. On one Sunday in my first month here, I received bread, I received water, lots of water, but no wine.
So I couldn’t help myself. When I brought the flagons up to Father Robinson I told them I want to see what you’re going to do with this. It was only done once before.
Well there are other events that reinforced my belief that my time at Redeemer would be a 2 year stint. Yet here I am 22 years later.
The life baptized into the mystery of the Trinity is an adventure and mystery itself.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the privilege of living part of that adventure with you. Fr. Robinson, thank you for the privilege you gave me of serving our Lord here with you.
Brothers and sisters thank you for your love and fellowship. Gail and I have been truly blessed to be a part of this parish family. You helped me to grow in my faith in the Lord Jesus, and you helped me to grow in my priesthood. And I am forever grateful. You also helped me to grow old!
Church of the Redeemer is a wonderful place. I hope you will all continue to live out your baptism adventure in this place, continuing to let your love and commitment to the Father, through the redeeming work of his Son in the power of the Holy Spirit, shine as a beacon in this town.
God bless you.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard C. Marsden
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
Trinity Sunday
27 May 2018