Worship and Devotions

First Sunday After Pentecost - Holy Trinity Sunday

Sunday June 15, 2025

“O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Today we celebrate the holy Trinity. Paul writes that through Jesus we have peace with God, whose love pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, giving us lasting hope. We celebrate the gracious One-in-Three, eternal Three-in-One, as we worship in community; as we share water and word, bread and wine; and as we bring God’s love and hope to our neighbours.

Music

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty (Tune: Nicea - 4vv) [with lyrics for congregations] {Robin Mark}

Prayer of the Day

God of heaven and earth, before the foundation of the universe and the beginning of time you are the triune God: Author of creation, eternal Word of salvation, life-giving Spirit of wisdom. Guide us to all truth by your Spirit, that we may proclaim all that Christ has revealed and rejoice in the glory he shares with us. Glory and praise to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Music

Womb Of Life And Source Of Being

Womb of Life and Source of Being (ACS Accompaniment Edition) - ELW/ACS 948 - YouTube

Readings

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5;

John 16:12-15

GOSPEL - John 16:12-15

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus’ ongoing presence with the disciples will be made known through the coming Spirit who will guide them and communicate to them Jesus’ will and glory.

[Jesus said,] ¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Praise to you, O Christ.

Music

Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove

Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove - Elw 404

Sermon

Rev. Elina Singh

Assistant to the Bishop, British Columbia Synod

Trinity Sunday - John 16:12-15

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sustainer.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” What a start to our gospel reading! Imagine, Jesus says this to his closest friends, to the disciples who have walked with him for the past few years. These are the people who have heard him preach and teach, and to whom he has explained his parables. They have seen him heal the sick and raise the dead. They have seen him turn water into wine, walk on water, and feed a large crowd with just a few loaves of bread and some fish.

If these disciples can’t bear what Jesus has to say, who can?

Do we, the followers of Jesus two thousand years later who have not seen him in person or shared a meal with him, do we have any chance to bear what Jesus might want to tell us?

And what might Jesus want to tell us anyway? What would our God, who is three yet one, want to say to us and to our small church?

As we know all too well, our church is in time of transition. Some call it liminal space, others call it desperation. Attendance in most congregations has been in decline for years. On Sunday mornings only a few make it to the pews. The group of volunteers who do every-thing that needs to get done is small and getting smaller – and older. Our buildings are getting older as well. Our budgets are getting more and more limited.

I don’t need to tell you more – you have likely seen the trend in your congregation and discussed it at your annual meetings. Or, if your congregation is one of the few vibrant, growing ones, you would know this story from your friends or from synod gatherings.

For many congregations, the concern is urgent. How will we survive? Will we survive? Will we exist in five years? Or ten?

And realistically, for many, the answer is no.

What does God want to say to us, to our church now?

I wish I had a clear, concise answer to give you! I wish I could bring you a word directly from God, to tell you how all this is going to turn out, to give you the next three steps we must take to turn things around. But obviously I can’t do that.

What we have is Jesus’s words in John’s gospel.

“When the Spirit of truth comes”, Jesus says, “he will guide you into all the truth.” The Spirit will guide you.

The promise Jesus makes to his disciples before his death, over and over again, is that they will not be left alone. The Spirit, the advocate, will be their companion on the way. The Spirit will guide them to all the truth, lead them along, and help them understand.

And we know that this is what happened, the promise of Jesus came true. Last week, on Pentecost Sunday, we heard the story of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, like wind and flames! We heard the story of how the followers of Jesus spoke various languages and told the story of God’s love for the world to all who were present. The Spirit was with the disciples when they gathered to tell their stories of faith and to break bread together, empowering them to be God’s witnesses in the world.

And the Spirit of God continues to be present and active in our church as well. The voice of wisdom continues to call us to follow. God continues to lead God’s people forward, even when we don’t quite know where we should go. The Spirit continues to guide us into all the truth, nudging us along on the journey.

And we need those nudges. God’s truth is bigger than the disciples could bear, and bigger than any of us can comprehend. We read the Scriptures, yes, and we hear the word preached. We pray and we study. And yet, there’s always something new to learn, something new to discover.

So then, during these uncertain times, how do we know where God is nudging us?

Today is Trinity Sunday. Theologians have tried to explain the idea of trinity, three yet one, in various ways over time. But instead of trying to explain, or trying to understand how three can be one, maybe we can look at the way the three interact. There is a closeness in God, an intimate relationship where each one knows the mind of the others, where each is inseparable from the others. The Father, Jesus, and the Spirit are one.

This closeness, this relationship, is a model to us as a church. Jesus called his disciples to follow as a group, and sent them out two by two, not alone. The Spirit called more people to join, and so the church began. We were never meant to follow Jesus alone.

Whenever life of faith has been challenging, the people of God have gathered together to break bread, to pray, and to encourage one another – and to dream of better things.

So, we too, two thousand years later, continue to gather together, to share stories and meals, to pray and to ponder. We gather in our congregations, but also as synods and as the national church to pray and discern, to listen to the nudges of the Spirit, to find the way forward.

We continue to follow the path Jesus showed through his life and his ministry – the path of love, kindness, and compassion. As Paul writes in his letter to Romans, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” It is love that guides us and lights up our way.

We keep on going, step by step, and sometimes that one step is all we can see. We keep on going trusting that God does not abandon God’s church but will find a way to bring us life and hope, whatever that may look like.

We have Jesus’s promise that we will never be alone. God remains faithful through the changing world and the changing church. The Holy Spirit continues to guide us the truth –one step at a time.

Let us pray.

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Drawn into the embrace of the holy Trinity, we lift our prayers for the wholeness of the church, the world, and all creation.

A brief silence.

Abiding God, your love pours into your whole church, creating faith and bestowing hope. Fill all the baptized with these good gifts in our various callings. Grant our leaders, both lay and ordained, wisdom, courage, and the guidance of your Spirit. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Creating God, your name is majestic in all the earth, and we are filled with awe at your creation. Renew this planet and all its wonders: springs abounding with water, earth and soil, beasts of the field, birds of the air, and fish of the sea. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Sovereign God, you delight in the whole human race. On this week of Juneteenth, bring an end to racial oppression and heal the wounds of racial trauma. Grant us your wisdom, so that all people, especially those in authority, work for the life and freedom of others. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Discerning God, fill the hearts of leaders with your passion for justice and mercy. Call the nations of this world, and those opposing them, especially Israel, Hamas, Palestine and Gaza, Russia and Ukraine, India and Pakistan, and all of the Middle East to tables of peace and adherence to international law. Encourage governments to seek avenues of collective benefit and joy. God of grace,hear our prayer.

God, hear our prayers for peace in the Middle East. May all people in the region be protected, safe from harm. We pray that this crisis will end now, with no further loss of life. May the injured and distressed know your healing presence. May the powerful and the decision-makers follow the paths of justice, mercy and peace. We pray for recognition of the dignity and value of every life. May the clamour of violence cease, replaced by the beating of swords into ploughshares. God of grace, hear our prayer. (Christian Aid)

Compassionate God, your mindful care for us is everlasting. Give peace to all who are troubled, comfort to all who mourn, endurance to all who suffer, deliverance to all who are afflicted, and healing to all who are sick. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Living God, your glory appears in our shared life. On this Father’s Day, give to all fathers and father figures gentle hearts and strong spirits, heal the wounds in our families, and comfort those for whom this day brings pain. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Eternal God, your hope does not disappoint. We give you thanks for all who have died in the hope of the resurrection. Hold us in our grief and bring us at last to fullness of life in you. God of grace, hear our prayer.

Gather all our prayers in your mercy, O God, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen.

Music

Holy Spirit, Truth Divine

Holy Spirit, Truth Divine - ELW 398 - YouTube

The Play Of The Godhead

The Play of the Godhead (with lyrics) - ELW/ACS 946