Trinity Sunday

Andrej Rublev 1410

It's Trinity Sunday unrolling yet another conundrum about faith in a seemingly and at times invisible God and the 'counter empire' claims of Jesus Christ. No illusions of water, steam and ice here... It's also the closest Sunday to the birthday of the incredibly movement which is the Uniting Church. The three year lectionary cycle brings us to Mathew 28 and the so called 'great commission' to 'go and make disciples of all the nations' given 'all authority in heaven and on earth.'

Resources for

Contemporary worship

Worship House Media Matthew 28

The Work of the People Make Disciples

The Text This Week various resources

Mustard Seeds here

Movies

The Matrix and 'Trinity' 01 02 03

Babette's Feast 01

and about discipleship....

'Amelie' helping the blind man

'The Adjustment Bureau'

'Spiderman' ht to Jon Sargeant where Spidey and Dr Oc are fighting and he's just about spent and the crowd from the train saving step in saying 'you'll have to go through us first'

'Evan Almighty' the scene where 'God' talks about changing the world, one random act of kindness at a time

Children and Youth

See post about Digestives, white icing and red icing to make biscuit UCA Logos

and other ideas

Alt.worship

Use a series of 'stations' around a breakdown of the UCA logo:

1. Black circle

Write words with white or silver texta on the cardboard as your hopes for a world and it's dark places, absence of compassion and grace. Trace a prayer in the bowl of sand alongside.

Maybe using looped 'Fragile' by Sting

2. White cross

The symbol of Jesus 'solidarity' with us as 'one of us' and staying true to the truth despite the risks involved. You could do something around the vertical and horizontal with the discipleship passage on a poster asking how you might build on your vertical relationship with God and the horizontal outworking of that in the world

3. White 'U'

What do you celebrate about the Uniting Church, what's a question, what's a hope and/or a way this U can become more like a completed circle...

4. White dove, red wings...

Peace... prayers for the world.... tealight candles and world map

Red wings, the spirit of God, fire...

Use red cards to write on with white textas/pens and adhere to a black cloth

Pictures of people inviting reflection on who/what how God is active in the world and how we might be invited to join in.

More traditional worship*

I agree with Bill Loader that this passage is significant where consistently Matthew highlights the women [or those who are often discounted] do not doubt in their encountering Jesus contrasted with the male followers who 'ought to know.'

Jesus claims authority from his resurrection [or his ministry in Q] and relates a connection with God which speaks to who has authority and where power is sourced in the battle for hearts and minds in an occupied land. Matthew links God's wisdom but in some ways doesn't keep the threads around 'trinity' despite lots of OT links... Jesus speaks and acts for God and in this story passes on the authority to others... BUT what the heck does that have to do with today...

What the story means is that the followers were 'sent' to teach what they had been taught' and they had been taught about 'relationship' and engaging your whole self in God's activity in the world... and the values of God [God's will some would say].... but still what is that.... it's the challenge of the people of God to be people of compassion and grace, holding judgement, being careful to take the role of servant and building communities based on these values... who or what is God calling us to be at this time in this place?

It's outworking today comes in:

- inclusion [genuinely seeing the face of God in others]

- fair trade and social justice action

- seeking to hear and respond to people's own stories

- asking who we include, what we create and reflecting that in how we gather

- joining the campaign for action on climate change

- opening property up to the community

- etc etc

Making disciples is relational, counter cultural, and begs the gathered group to be asked for their stories so I'd have invited three people from different age groups to share a story with the group about their discipleship with a couple of possible angles... And 'in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit' fits and gives a shape for reflection to this day!!

Choose a traditional selected prayer and handout a sheet breaking open some of the phrases and ask people to reflect on what the words mean for them... who are the communities or people they think of... and what is it they'd 'share' with others and who it is they believe they're sharing!!

Songs/Music

Wherever I Go Robin Mann

God Version 1.0 Robin Mann

Praise with Joy the World's Creator TiS 179

Send Me Jesus TiS 749

Billabongs AHB and TiS suggestions

David Beswick's liturgy and music