This Sunday's Readings

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May 18, 2008
Trinity Sunday – A

Revised Common Lectionary
Genesis 1:1–2:4a
Psalm 8
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

Book of Common Prayer Lectionary
Genesis 1:1–2:4a
Psalm 150
2 Corinthians 13:(5-10) 11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

Reflection and Response
Prayer Starter

Today’s readings affirm the sufficiency of our Triune God. In Genesis, God’s Spirit moves—and creation comes into being. Alluding to all three Persons of the Trinity, Paul concludes his letter to the Corinthians with a familiar blessing. Jesus commissions his disciples to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

First Reading: Genesis 1:1–2:4a
Today’s reading is the first of the two creation accounts. In solemn liturgical cadences, the writer shows how darkness and chaos give way to light and order as the waters part at God’s command. In contrast to the strongly dualistic interpretation of this world view in other traditions, where chaos always threatens to overwhelm the world again, here God’s sovereignty over creation is affirmed.
God says, “Let us make humankind” (v. 26). The “us” was taken by early Christian writers to be an allusion to the Trinity. The writer, however, may be referring refer to a heavenly court. “Humankind,” a collective singular noun without indication of number or gender, is created in God’s image and likeness, to enter into relationship with God and to be God’s representative on earth, especially to share in God’s dominion.

Genesis 1:1–2:4a
In the beginning
when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless void
and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God
swept over the face of the waters.
Then God said,
“Let there be light”; and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good;
and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said,
“Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters,
and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
So God made the dome and separated the waters
that were under the dome
from the waters that were above the dome.
And it was so.
God called the dome Sky.
And there was evening and there was morning,
the second day.
And God said,
“Let the waters under the sky
be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear.”
And it was so.
God called the dry land Earth,
and the waters that were gathered together
he called Seas.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said,
“Let the earth put forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed,
and fruit trees of every kind on earth
that bear fruit with the seed in it.”
And it was so.
The earth brought forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed of every kind,
and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said,
“Let there be lights in the dome of the sky
to separate the day from the night;
and let them be for signs and for seasons
and for days and years,
and let them be lights in the dome of the sky
to give light upon the earth.”
And it was so.
God made the two great lights
—the greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky
to give light upon the earth,
to rule over the day and over the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said,
“Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth
across the dome of the sky.”
So God created the great sea monsters
and every living creature that moves,
of every kind, with which the waters swarm,
and every winged bird of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
God blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply
and fill the waters in the seas,
and let birds multiply on the earth.”
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said,
“Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
cattle and creeping things
and wild animals of the earth of every kind.”
And it was so.
God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind,
and the cattle of every kind,
and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said,
“Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle,
and over all the wild animals of the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
God said,
“See, I have given you every plant yielding seed
that is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree with seed in its fruit;
you shall have them for food.
And to every beast of the earth,
and to every bird of the air,
and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life,
I have given every green plant for food.”
And it was so.
God saw everything that he had made,
and indeed,
it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,
and all their multitude.
And on the seventh day
God finished the work that he had done,
and he rested on the seventh day
from all the work that he had done.
So God blessed the seventh day
and hallowed it,
because on it God rested from all the work
that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth
when they were created.

Psalm: Psalm 8 (RCL)
This psalm is a hymn to God’s glory and the God-given dignity of humans. The psalmist marvels at God’s sovereignty, is awestruck at God’s handiwork and humbled by humanity’s place within God’s creation. As humanity fulfills this unexpected gift and privilege, God’s glory is revealed.

Psalm 8
O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!
You have set your majesty above the heavens!
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have drawn a defense against your foes,
to silence enemy and avenger.
When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place—
What are humans that you are mindful of them,
mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them little less than a god,
crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them rule over the works of your hands,
put all things at their feet:
All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!

Psalm: Psalm 150 (BCP)
This call to universal praise is the concluding psalm of the songs of Israel. God’s majesty and mighty deeds are to be praised on earth and in heaven. The temple musicians lead the chorus using the whole variety of familiar instruments.

Psalm 150
Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:5-13
Paul exhorts the rebellious Corinthian community to test itself. The Corinthian believers should be able to evaluate their own situation if they don’t want to take Paul’s word for it.
Although they only damage their own standing by rejecting Paul, since it was through him that they came to faith, nonetheless Paul’s concern is for them and their eventual perfection, not for his reputation in their eyes. He is glad to be weak in their eyes if they are strong in faith. He prefers them to recognize the truth themselves and not force him to exercise his authority.
The exchange of the “holy kiss” (v. 12), the customary Eastern embrace, became a regular feature of the early liturgy, signaling the reconciliation of the community members. The closing triadic formula expresses a three-fold understanding of Christian experience: grace received through Jesus leads one to the Father’s love, which is expressed through the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:5-13
Examine yourselves
to see whether you are living in the faith.
Test yourselves.
Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?
—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!
I hope you will find out
that we have not failed.
But we pray to God
that you may not do anything wrong
—not that we may appear to have met the test,
but that you may do what is right,
though we may seem to have failed.
For we cannot do anything against the truth,
but only for the truth.
For we rejoice when we are weak
and you are strong.
This is what we pray for,
that you may become perfect.
So I write these things
while I am away from you,
so that when I come,
I may not have to be severe
in using the authority
that the Lord has given me
for building up and not for tearing down.
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell.
Put things in order,
listen to my appeal,
agree with one another,
live in peace;
and the God of love and peace
will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the saints greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with all of you.

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20
This Great Commission gathers up the themes that Matthew has woven throughout his work. Jesus’ ministry begins and ends on a mountain in Galilee, the place of revelation. There he inaugurates the mission of the Church.
Jesus makes a declaration, delivers a command and gives a promise. He has now received the authority of the exalted Son of Man and gives it to his disciples. He commands them to make disciples of “all nations,” removing the geographical and ethnic restriction of Jesus’ own ministry and of the disciples’ previous mission.
The earliest accounts of baptism mention only baptism in Jesus’ name, but the living experience of the baptized assembly led to the trinitarian formula as expressing the full reality of the new life.
To the disciples, Jesus now extends the full range of his ministry to them. Before they had been commissioned only to preach and heal, now they are to teach all that Jesus commanded them. Finally Jesus promises to the disciples his ongoing presence. The pledge of his name, Emmanuel, “God-with-us,” is now fulfilled for his gathered people.

Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain
to which Jesus had directed them.
When they saw him,
they worshiped him;
but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them,
“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.
Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them
to obey everything
that I have commanded you.
And remember,
I am with you always,
to the end of the age.”

Reflection and Response
We might measure our routine greetings—”How are you?” “Have a nice day!”— against those of today’s scripture passages: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13). “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Granted, that may be a mouthful to toss off as the bus pulls away or the car engine roars. It’s not a fitting conclusion to most phone conversations, and probably won’t catch on as a slogan for news reporters signing off. But it gives the members of liturgical traditions a reason to be thankful.
In church we can often hear words that are profound and soul-stirring, that call us to a vision of what we are about. A constant diet of committee meetings and shopping malls, tax forms and junk mail might reduce us to the mindless level of stolid workhorses or industrious ants. But then Paul interrupts: “Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
We need that reminder. We need to know our heritage. We are the spiritual descendants of the little band of eleven who gathered on a mountain in Galilee. Doubt was there too, but its presence did not shadow the magnificent mandate of Jesus. Once before he had taught the Beatitudes from a mountain, and once before he had blinded the disciples with his glory on a mountain. It does not bother Jesus that his audience is small and scruffy. To them he entrusts a mission that reaches beyond Israel to all the nations of the earth.
Matthew begins by naming Jesus Emmanuel, “God with us” (1:23). He ends with an echo of that abiding presence: “I am with you always” (28:20). “Always?” the cynic might ask. To which a firm believer like Malcolm Muggeridge might answer: “Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.”
Quietly consider:
St. Benedict advises: “Say alleluia always, no matter the time of day, no matter the season of life.”

Prayer Starter
God the Three in One, show me my place in the marvels of your creation...