According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
God (YHWH, Elohim, or whichever other name one prefers to use; a Christian term is God the Father) is one. God is sovereign. God is just. These characteristics come from the assigned readings from the Hebrew Bible, before I turn to Romans 8 and John 3.
The readings from Romans 8 and John 3 add Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the mix. Thus, we have all the ingredients for the formula of the Trinity. The word “Trinity” never appears in the New Testament. The ingredients of it do, however. The current, orthodox form of that doctrine is the result of successive councils and rebuttals against heresies during the first few centuries of Christianity.
I have read enough books and portions of books to know that every Trinitarian heresy began as a well-meaning attempt to explain the Trinity. So, I choose not to play that game. No, I embrace the mystery and focus on its meanings. One meaning is that, although God is one, God is complex, not simple.
In Christian terms, spiritual birth via the Holy Spirit is essential. This may be quiet or dramatic. Itay include an event one can mark as the time of spiritual renewal or it may sneak up on someone. I belong the company of people who have, within their active memory, always known God via Jesus. The dates I can mark on a timeline are mostly sacramental. They include one baptism, one confirmation, and three reaffirmations, with each of the last four occurring in the presence of a bishop in Apostolic Succession.
Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher tells us that Trinity Sunday is:
not the feast of a doctrine but…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now-completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father thorugh the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
So, on Trinity Sunday, as well as all other days, may we thank God for the
now-completed mystery of salvation.
And, with the author of Psalm 96, may we ascribe glory and might to God. May our words, thoughts, and actions glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 27, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF CHARLES HENRY BRENT, EPISCOPAL MISSIONARY BISHOP OF THE PHILIPPINES, BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW YORK, AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS NICHOLAS OWEN, THOMAS GARNET, MARK BARKWORTH, EDWARD OLDCORNE, AND RALPH ASHLEY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1601-1608
THE FEAST OF PETER LUTKIN, EPISCOPAL COMPOSER, LITURGIST, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF ROBERT HALL BAYNES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF MADAGASCAR
THE FEAST OF SAINT RUPERT OF SALZBURG, APOSTLE OF BAVARIA AND AUSTRIA
THE FEAST OF STANLEY ROTHER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY, AND MARTYR IN GUATEMALA, 1981
I aspire never to diminish the glorious mystery of God, or to attempt to do so. The doctrine of the Trinity, which the Church developed over centuries via debates, interpretation, and ecumenical councils, is the best explanation for which I can hope. However, the Trinity still makes no logical sense. For example, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-eternal. Yet the Son proceeds from the Father. And, depending on one’s theology, vis-à-vis the filoque clause, the Spirit proceeds either from the Father or from the Father and the Son. Huh?
No, the Trinity is illogical. So be it. I frolic in the illogical, glorious mystery of God, who adopts us as sons (literally, in the Greek text), and therefore as heirs. I frolic in the mystery of the Holy Spirit, in whom is new new life. I frolic in the mystery and worship the unity.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 29, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
Merciful Lord God, we do not presume to come before you
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your great and abundant mercies.
Revive our faith, we pray; heal our bodies, and mend our communities,
that we may evermore dwell in your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 38
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 6:23-38 (Thursday)
1 Kings 8:14-21 (Friday)
1 Kings 8:31-40 (Saturday)
Psalm 96:1-9 (All Days)
2 Corinthians 5:11-17 (Thursday)
2 Corinthians 11:1-6 (Friday)
Luke 4:31-37 (Saturday)
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Great is Yahweh, worthy of all praise,
more awesome than any of the gods.
All the gods of the nations are idols.
–Psalm 96:4-5a, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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King Solomon presided over the construction of the first Temple at Yahweh. That process entailed forced labor, unfortunately. That structure functioned both religiously, housing the Ark of the Covenant, and politically, boosting the monarchy. The crown controlled the place where God dwelt, according to the orthodoxy of the day. How convenient was that?
Jesus engaged in conflicts with people attached to the successor of Solomon’s Temple. The Second Temple, expanded by the order of King Herod the Great as a political and self-serving policy, was the seat of collaboration with the occupying Roman forces. Yes, much of the Jewish populace of Palestine had great respect for the Temple, but the fact of the exploitative system rooted in that place remained. That Jesus competed with the Temple and the priesthood, healing people and offering reconciliation with God, contributed to animosity between him and people invested in the Temple system financially.
Christ became the new Temple, the figure via whom people can become new creations. He was the figure whom St. Paul the Apostle proclaimed jealously, defending his version of the Christian gospel. Christ became the timeless Temple free of corruption, the Temple no power can control or destroy.
May all nations worship God at that Temple.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 28, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR C
THE FEAST OF THOMAS BINNEY, ENGLISH CONFORMIST MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND “ARCHBISHOP OF NONCONFORMITY”
THE FEAST OF ANDREW REED, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HUMANITARIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER AND ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATORS
THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH C. CLEPHANE, SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIAN HYMN WRITER
Psalm 29 or Canticle 13 from The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Trinity Sunday is a potentially awkward time, one at which a person might feel the temptation to try to explain the Holy Trinity. This temptation has given rise to a host of heresies, including Adoptionism and Arianism. The Trinity is a mystery; may we be content with that. As far as I am concerned, the concept of the Holy Trinity, as we have it, comes as close as any human idea can to summarizing God. Yet there must be far more than what we can possibly imagine.
Yet we can make some statements confidently. As Paul reminds us, God has adopted us into the family. And, as the Johannine Gospel tells us, God seeks to redeem, not condemn,us. We occupy a seat of privilege because God has placed us in it. This status brings with it certain responsibilities. We need, for example, to love one another, not fear, hate, and loathe each other. We need to treat others as fellow members of the family of God. Obeying this mandate will reform us and our societies, challenge mores (and perhaps laws), and maybe place us in harm’s way. There are, unfortunately, those who find simple compassion threatening–sometimes to the extent of being willing to commit or condone violence.
God loves even those who find love so baffling that they are willing to kill to resist it. And we must love and bless them too, by grace. Jesus did no less. And, if we are to follow our Lord, we must do as he did.
Adoption into the family of God can be a joy, but it can also lead to much grief in this life. Such is the world as it is, but not as it needs to remain. We can make this world a better place simply by being better people in it. This is part of of our call from God. Redeeming the world is God’s task, for which we are not equipped. Yet the inability to do everything is no excuse to do nothing, so may we do what God commands us; may we love one another and act accordingly. May we be salt and light.
Here I share with everyone a proposed form of the Prayers of the People, for congregational use, for the Season After Pentecost. Anyone may modify this form to fit local needs and update it as people leave or enter office.
The congregational response to “We pray to you, O God” is “Hear our prayer.”
As God’s people, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we ask that our lives may become prayer pleasing to you, and that all people and institutions which profess to follow our Lord, may express God’s love and grace to others.
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That
Barack, our President;
Nathan, our Governor;
Nancy, our Mayor;
And all other government officials and all influential persons
may exercise their power and authority wisely and for the common good, so that all people everywhere may be treated with dignity and respect, dwell in safety, and have everything they need,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That we may love you with our whole heart and life and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That we may be good stewards of Mother Earth,
we pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
We intercede for
(first names here);
And our men and women in the armed forces, especially (names here);
And all people struggling with vocational and career issues.
I invite your prayers, silent or aloud.
(Pause)
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
We thank you for
(names here), who celebrate their birthdays this week;
And (names here), who celebrate their wedding anniversaries this week.
I invite your thanksgivings, silent or aloud.
(Pause)
We pray to you, O God,
Hear our prayer.
That all who have passed from this life to the next will know the boundless joy and peace of eternal rest,
ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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