Holy Trinity Sunday

John 16:12-15

Rev. Paul Gehrs (he/him)

Assistant to the Bishop, Justice and Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
ELCIC National Office 

Reading—John 16:12-15: 

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, [they] will guide you into all the truth; for [the Spirit] will not speak on [their] own, but will speak whatever is heard, and will declare to you the things that are to come. [The Spirit] will glorify me, because [they] will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the [Creator] has is mine. For this reason, I said that [the Spirit] will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Land Acknowledgement:

I am speaking to you today from Treaty One Territory: the land of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and homeland of the Métis Nation. I acknowledge that ELCIC buildings and ministries, from coast to coast to coast, are on traditional territories of various Indigenous Peoples and Nations. I recognize Indigenous leaders as contemporary custodians of water, land, community, and spirituality. In 2015, the ELCIC repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and committed to the ongoing work of learning, healing, and transformation. 

Greetings to each of you and all of you who are choosing to make this Summer Sermon part of your reflections for Holy Trinity Sunday - the First Sunday after Pentecost. My name is Paul Gehrs. My pronouns are he/him. I serve as Assistant to the Bishop for Justice and Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations at the ELCIC National Office. 

The words of Jesus in today’s reading intrigue me:  

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, they will guide you into all the truth…

Have you ever heard Jesus say these words to you?  

It seems to me that these words are simultaneously full of grace and promise.

            The grace of honouring my limits at any given moment.

            The promise that following Jesus will cause me to encounter more about the reality of 
             God’s love for all people and for the whole creation. 

            The grace and promise that I may not be ready yet, but there will be a time when the 
            Spirit will move me and my community to act on the truth.  

As I reflect on when I have heard Jesus say these words, I remember many things:

I remember check-in time during a recent meeting.

            A leader in this church said, It’s always OK to not be OK.

            And another leader saying thank you for sharing.

            Their words and tone of voice were full of grace and affirmation. 

I remember a different meeting, where two people had trouble joining the rest of the community in its discernment and planning. The two became defensive and mean with their words. In the hours and days following this meeting, I got stuck in a loop of saying to myself: 

            I should have said more; I should have said less; actually, it’s not my fault.

            As those feelings jostled and collided inside me, I was forced to conclude that I have more          to hear from God about managing my fear, and more to learn about being a good ally. 

I remember Adrian Jacobs saying to a KAIROS gathering that when you offer leadership in the work for justice, you will be criticized. When you put yourself out there, some will say you are going too fast, and some will say you are going too slow. When you find your calling, you simply must try. 

I remember a mission strategy conversation, where stories of how we had hurt and disappointed each other began pouring out. After listening for an appropriate amount of time, the facilitator said:

            You have listened to each other on what went wrong. 

            What have you learned that will help you move forward? 

The timing was perfect! Suddenly, the history that we thought was holding us back, was now an asset for following God’s call. 

I remember a Bible study that asked “what gifts and talents do you have for the church’s ministry? ” 

            It emerged during discussion that several people felt that only “pastors, musicians and 
            artists have gifts and talents.” 

            At the time, I was surprised. In the long run, I have noticed that most of us need some 
            help from our community to discover the truth about our own gifts for witness and 
            service. 

I remember a particular moment during the funeral for my sister Lisa.

            At a certain point, I noticed that my one-year-old son on my lap was busy smiling at the people in the pew behind me. They were, of course, smiling back. Meanwhile, from the   front, with sombreness and heaviness, we were hearing the prophet’s words: The grass withers; the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.[1]

            What sticks with me is the contrast between the extreme grief at the sudden loss of a     loved one and the pure delight at the presence of child. 

            When carrying diverse emotions, there is more to hear from Jesus. 

All those memories got me thinking about people in Bible:  

The people of Israel, caught between the empire’s soldiers and the Red Sea;[2]

            There is more to tell you but for now you need to run across on dry land. 

Esther being guided by Mordecai, 

            Perhaps everything that has happened to you has a happened for a time such as this.[3]

Peter, Andrew, James and John dropping their nets and leaving everything to follow Jesus.[4]   They certainly had much more to hear. 

Mary and Martha being attentive to Jesus in their own way; each with much to learn.[5]

The parent, desperate for healing for their child, who says:

            I believe, help my unbelief.[6]

Paul confessing, I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.[7]

Two disciples walking to Emmaus are full of questions for a stranger.[8]

            They encounter even more in the breaking of the bread. 

Disciples hiding behind locked doors, scared to share the news of the resurrection,[9]

            If only the Spirit would come and get things moving. 

In all these cases, the words of Jesus seem relevant: 

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, they will guide you into all the truth…

The Feast of Trinity Sunday is an invitation to ponder the mystery of God and to renew our baptismal calling to be disciples. 

Recently, during a faith-based small group conversation, I heard about the concept of sound bathing. The practice is to be immersed in sounds specifically chosen for the purpose of meditation, relaxation, and spiritual renewal. Like the experience of a water bath, the gift of the sound bath is that one might emerge feeling cleansed and transformed. 

The person sharing about the sound bath went on to say that it got him thinking about forest baths. For him, hiking was a way to be surrounded and immersed in trees. He shared that the forest is the place where he most experiences the Spirit and feels most spiritually. For him, I know this is very true. 

His words reminded me that that baptism is a bath. It is an immersion in sacramental waters and our baptism invites us to a daily cleansing from the dirt, grime, fatigue, and guilt of living. As the Small Catechism says, “daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God…”

In the liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptism[10], we are asked:  

            Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism? 

The response is, 

            I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

Even as I say those words, I feel that Jesus has more to say to me, and I am not as ready as I want to be. 

Even I say those words, I hope, and fear, and hope and believe that the Spirit will come and move me and my community to act. 

I believe that every member of this church, every member of the church, has gifts and talents to participate in God’s mission. I thank you for what you are doing now. I look forward to hearing what you are doing next. The Spirit of truth will join you on this journey. 

Thank you for listening. Amen. 

[1] Isaiah 40:8

[2] Exodus 14

[3] Esther 4:14

[4] Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 5

[5] Luke 10:38-42

[6] Mark 9:24

[7] Romans 7:15

[8] Luke 24

[9] John 20

[10] The liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptism, (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 236).