Today is Trinity Sunday. We cannot perfectly explain the doctrine of Trinity, however, I pray that we can carry out the mission given by the Lord together while believing in and confessing to the Holy Trinity.
In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul was wishing them well and expressing hope for their happiness through his letter. In verse 9, Paul’s prayer was that the Corinthians may be fully restored, and he encouraged them to aim for perfection in verse 11. He also asked them to be comforted, exhorted them to be of one mind, and encouraged them to live in peace. May we strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, and live in peace.
Paul began his final greeting with “brothers and sisters, rejoice!” and closed his letter with a combination of brief encouragement and benedictions. Paul assured that if the Corinthian church lives out the gospel, God of love and peace would bless them with his presence. May we not delay responding faithfully to God of love and peace.
God delights in love and peace and would bless the church that was full of love and peace. Those are true blessings in our faith communities. With God’s blessing we would experience even more love and peace within and outside the church.
He closed with a trinitarian benediction, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” This is Paul’s only trinitarian benediction in all his writings. Paul prayed for grace, love, and fellowship with the persons of the Trinity because these blessings are so essential to the spiritual well-being of the church. True believers love, live, and serve through God’s divine love, faithfulness, and the experience of the nearness of God that encourages and empowers them in their daily walk before him.
In Matthew 28, Jesus invites his disciples to meet him on the mountain, so that they can be commissioned in turn. The Gospel of Matthew serves to equip us for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Jesus sent out the Twelve and gave them the authority or power to cast out unclean spirits, heal the sick, and proclaim the good news. In this final commissioning of the disciples, Jesus adds teaching to the ministries of all his followers.
He promises his presence and a power that baptises in the name of the Trinitarian God, makes disciples, and teaches all people. Jesus said clearly, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (v. 19). Jesus calls us to go make disciples of Christ and put people into a lifelong discipleship process.
Jesus’ final words on earth testify the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and give a mission to all believers of making disciples. Jesus does not leave us alone in that work, nor does he leave us powerless. Jesus had been given that power, and he promised them that he would be with them to the end of the age.
Today’s message is a wonderful gift and blessing to celebrate for people who are living in the feeling of being isolated, alone, angry, depressed, grieving, fearful, anxious, ashamed, and tired. In accordance with Jesus’ words, we are connected to God the Father as Creator, or to God the Son as Saviour, or to the presence of God in the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us and among us.
We cannot make people disciples of Christ without the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is related to the presence of Jesus. Christ keeps pointing to the Father and showing God’s love as Redeemer. God creates and recreates us as our Creator. So therein lies the power of unity. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In the Trinity, we are in the fullness of God and attached to Jesus as disciples. We serve the Lord and others with the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ disciples were to make more disciples including the Gentile mission, because Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission for all nations. Jesus’ command also invited Jewish Christians to lose their prejudices and unify the church. Today’s message invites us to break down boundaries erected by our differences and fixed ideas.
All the authority of Jesus goes with us and empowers us, wherever we go, baptise, and teach, as we fulfill our mandate to make disciples. The risen Christ is always with us. Sometimes, our journey can be rough, but we can move forward continually, learning to love as Jesus loves, growing towards the fullness of Christ. May we walk and join with him in fulfilling the Great Commission through making disciples of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to make disciples, unites us in common purpose Jesus has given us, and lets us abide in love and confidence. In the process of becoming one and uniting in Christ, may we not forget to make disciples as a common goal, not to be complacent in our comfort zones, and fulfill Christ’s Great Commission together in the love of God.
Jesus invites us into the mutuality and power of the divine life. We are all different but come together as one as Jesus’ disciples. Furthermore, this gives us confidence as the Lord promised to be with us until the end. May we think daily of Jesus’ resurrection and what it means to us and obey Jesus’ command to make disciples of all communities and nations by going, baptising, and teaching. I pray that we can rely on Jesus’ promised presence and power as we make disciples together.
I believe and pray that God will bless and lead our lives, family, church, and ministry. May our new journey and the mission of making disciples through our goings, baptising, and teaching be continued and extended with warm blessings and prayers of our church members here today.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)