Time in the Word Preparation for next week, the Feast of the Holy
Trinity
The
Holy Triune God Recreates Us in the Image and Likeness of Christ Jesus
The Holy Triune God “created the heavens and the earth,” and
“behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:1 , 31 ). However, after Adam and Eve
fell into sin and plunged God’s good creation into decay and death, the Son of
God would be “delivered up according to
the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” to be “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23 ). As Jesus “received from the Father the promise of the
Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33 ),
He also raises up all the baptized and pours out the Spirit upon them through
the preaching of His Gospel. He sends out His Apostles to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit,” and “teaching them to
observe all that [He has] commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20 ). Through
such baptizing and teaching–Gospel and Sacraments–the Holy Triune God recreates
us in the Image and Likeness of His incarnate Son, Jesus the Christ, and
behold, it is “very good” (Gen. 1:31 ).
Collect for
the Feast of the Holy Trinity: Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true
faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us
steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever.
Prayer for
the Holy Spirit: Lord God, heavenly Father, let Your Holy Spirit dwell in us that He may
enlighten and lead us into all truth and evermore defend us from all
adversities; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns...
Collect for
grace: Almighty God, heavenly Father, Your mercies are new to us every morning
and, though we in no wise deserve Your goodness, You abundantly provide for all
our wants of body and soul. Give us, we humbly pray, Your Holy Spirit that we
may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all
Your benefits, and cheerfully serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our
Lord, who lives and reigns...
Time in the Word
5-10 June 2017
Preparation for next week, the Feast of the Holy Trinity
5-10 June 2017
Preparation for next week, the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Monday, 5 June 2017—Psalm 16:8–11 ; Antiphon, Liturgical Text—The antiphon for Sunday’s Introit is
an ancient liturgical text: Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided
Unity. Let us give glory to Him because He has shown His mercy to us. The
Triune God has shown His mercy to us by creating us, daily providing for all
our needs, and in accomplishing our salvation by the death and resurrection of
Christ Jesus. Our response, therefore, is to give glory to Him, and to set
the Lord always before us, for
He has made known to us the path of life.
Tuesday, 6 June 2017—Psalm 8 —This psalm of David nicely ties together
the three appointed readings for Trinity Sunday. The first two verses tell how
the entire creation proclaims the majesty, glory, and strength of the Lord, the
Creator of all things, as testified to in the Old Testament reading. The rest
of the psalm speaks of Christ, the second Adam, our Savior, of whose redemption
Peter preaches in the second reading, and who commissions His Church to make
disciples by baptizing and teaching about Him in the Gospel reading.
Wednesday, 7 June 2017—Genesis 1:1—2:4a —The opening chapter of the Bible
matter-of-factly recounts the creation of the earth, the universe, and all that
is in them in seven days by God. Which person of the Trinity was responsible
for the creation? All three persons! The first three verses alone proclaim this
fact: The Spirit is said to be hovering over the face of the waters, while God
(the Father) speaks—speaks His Word, who is the Son, as St John tells us in the
opening verses of his Gospel. On the sixth day, there is further testament to
the working of the Trinity, when God says, Let Us make man in Our
own image, after Our likeness. Not just the Father, but the Son and
the Holy Spirit as well, were involved in the work of creation, just as all
three are involved in the work of salvation.
Thursday, 8 June 2017—Acts 2:14a , 22–36 —The second reading for the Trinity
Sunday is a continuation of St Peter’s Pentecost Day sermon in Jerusalem. In
this portion, Peter speaks of Jesus Christ, a man attested to you by God
with mighty wonders and signs, who was crucified and killed by the hands
of lawless men, but raised up from the dead because He was not just a man,
but also Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Peter quotes from Psalms
16 and 110, showing how the Old Testament testifies of Christ, and
also proclaims how all three persons of the Trinity were involved in the
salvation of mankind: Jesus (the Son) was delivered up according to the
definite plan and foreknowledge of God (the Father), has been exalted at
the right hand of God, and now pours out His Spirit that people
might hear and believe the Good News.
Friday, 9 June 2017—Matthew 28:16–20 —Before
His ascension to the right hand of His Father, Jesus charged His disciples with
the task of making disciples of all nations. What are the tools which He has
given to accomplish this task? His teaching and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism,
Baptism in the Name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Which
parts of His Word are important? Which of His Words are they to pass down
faithfully? Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Finally, He promises always to be with us—and so He is, in Word and Sacrament,
the means of grace.
Saturday,
10 June 2017—There are few hymns
that are addressed to, or focus on, the Holy Spirit. Sunday’s Hymn of the Day, Come, Holy Ghost,
Creator Blest (LSB #498), is one such hymn.
It is of ancient origin, from at least the eighth century, and generally
attributed to the great Frankish scholar and theologian, Rhabanus Maurus
(though sometimes Gregory the Great or Charlemagne are given credit).
In the
Middle Ages, it was one of the best loved and most frequently used invocations
of the Holy Spirit, and its singing was accompanied by the use of incense,
candles, bells, and rich vestments. The last two stanzas are explicitly
Trinitarian, making it ideal for Trinity Sunday: stanza six (like Luther’s
explanation to the Third Article of the Creed) affirms that it is the Holy
Spirit who teaches us to know the Triune God aright, and stanza seven is a
doxology—a hymn of praise to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Lectionary summary on front page from LCMS Commission on
Worship
Artwork by Ed Riojas, © Higher Things
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia
Publishing House
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