SEASONS OF THE CHURCH YEAR
TRINITY 15
The relationship of the Trinity
In all three creeds we recite—the Apostles’, the Nicene and the Athanasian—we confess that the Son of God is begotten of the Father. This does not mean that the Father reproduced Himself to form the Son in a biological way, like a father begets a son in our lives, but the First Person of the Trinity’s relationship with the Second is like that of Father and Son. And it always has been that way, because the Son is eternally present.
The Nicene Creed confesses it this way: that the Son of God was “begotten before all worlds.” In other words, the Son has existed with the Father since eternity. That is hard to imagine—impossible, really—but the fact remains that before the beginning of time there was Father and Son, together one God, yet in a relationship to one another like that of Father and Son.
The creeds also express the relationship between the Father and Son together and the Holy Spirit. But in this relationship, the Nicene Creed confesses that the Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Again, it is impossible for us to imagine what this means or looks like. But it does affirm that there is a relationship between each of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.
excerpts from Lutheran Witness The Holy Trinity and Life Together
Christopher Hall pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Enid, Okla.
SERMON TEXT
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
REFLECTION
For Christians, the lesson of the lilies of the field is a call to live a life of faith and reliance on God. It encourages believers to focus on their relationship with God and trust in His provision for their needs. This teaching also invites Christians to reflect on the priorities in their lives, urging them to seek God's kingdom above all else and to find peace in His promises.
Bible Hub The Lilies of the Field
HYMN
The Lilies of the Field
Reginald Heber was born in 1783 into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After his graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns, which include "Holy, Holy, Holy," are still in use today. -- Greg Scheer, 1995
Lo, the lilies of the field!
How their leaves instruction yield!
Hark to nature’s lesson given
By the blessed birds of heaven!
Every bush and tufted tree
Warbles trust and piety:—
Mortals, banish doubt and sorrow,
God provideth for the morrow.
Hear the Sermon on YouTube
(posted shortly after the Service but not live streamed)
youtube.com/@oslcchatham6321
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