YEAR C 2025 trinity sunday

Trinity 2025
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
Psalm 8

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

In Tolkien’s book, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” when everything is on the line, Frodo says “I wish it need not have happened in my time.”  And Gandalf replies, "So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: This is a very difficult time to be a preacher.  We can’t ignore what is happening in our country and in our world right now.  We can’t escape it in fact.  But complaining about it isn’t going to change anything, and will probably just cause more division.  We live in a time of anger and anxiety and disagreement.  But these are our times. 

We cannot change the times in which we live, but we can change how we live in those times.  We can choose where to place our trust and our hope.  Because politicians and governments are not going to solve things.  There is no cavalry coming over the hill.  And what we need above all else is hope.  Hope that things will get better.  Hope that this is all a temporary stumble and not a new normal.  But above all we need to live into the hope that only God can give.  And here comes the apostle Paul to show us the way.

In this morning’s Epistle reading, from Romans, Paul writes “We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Now FIRST off, we have to avoid the temptation to read that as though suffering is a good thing, being the first step leading to hope, right?  I mean, if we’re not careful when reading that little contorted sentence, we might end up thinking that an increase in suffering is actually a good thing, since it leads to endurance, which produces character, which produces hope.  Two key words to notice in that passage are “also,” and “because.”

Paul says we ALSO boast in our sufferings.  That whole thing about suffering is preceded by “We boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”  He makes that statement, which we generally agree with.  We boast in our hope.  And the word that gets translated as “boast” is related to the word for “neck.”  Boasting is not bragging.  Boasting is holding your head up, keeping your chin up.  Standing tall in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  Right.  Totally makes sense.  But Paul goes on . . .

And we ALSO boast—or, hold our heads up—in the midst of our sufferings.   We ALSO walk in confidence with our chins up when we are suffering (or feeling hopeless), because suffering leads us through a pathway that leads us right back to to hope.

In essence, Paul is talking about hope.  No matter what happens, we can walk with confidence and hope.  And that whole little riff on having hope either way starts with Paul saying, “since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God . . . we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand.”  We stand in peace with God through grace, with our heads held high, because of Jesus.

This month at St. Timothy’s, we celebrate our 189th anniversary of ministry in Massillon.  For 189 years, this congregation has been gathering together to worship Jesus.  We hold our heads high in hope, and we hold our heads high in suffering as well, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts, just as Paul says.  For generation after generation.

This parish would not exist if God did not want us to be here.  Or, in a more positive way: we are here—in our little postage stamp of Massillon—because God wants us here.  God has a purpose for this congregation.  And that is why we will continue to gather for our 190th anniversary and beyond.  

And that, my friends, is the most important thing to remember on this Trinity Sunday.  It might not matter if you understand the Trinity . . . especially since nobody who is honest is able to do so.  What matters about understanding the Trinity is remembering the full presence of God in our common life together.  The most important thing to take away from here on Trinity Sunday is that God the Father is with you, God the Son is with you, and God the Holy Spirit is with you.  God walks in front of you, and beside you, and behind you.

And this morning, that same Trinity meets us at this altar, in bread and wine from God's creation, in the body and blood of Jesus, which is sanctified by the Holy Spirit, who was sent by the Father to inspire us to faith together.  And when you come forward and stretch out your hand, you can hold your head high with confidence and hope, knowing that God welcomes you unconditionally.  The Creator is with you, and the Spirit is leading you, and Jesus is coming to meet you once again in the Bread of Heaven and the Cup of Salvation.  No matter what may come in the days ahead—and there will be plenty—keep your chin up, and keep hope alive.  Because hope does not disappoint us.

Amen.