Dear Friends,
Welcome to the first Sunday after Pentecost which is also known as Trinity Sunday when we celebrate the Trinitarian Nature of God. Last week we celebrated Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. This week we look at how all three persons of our God come together as one.
If you would like a home visit, conversation, or home communion, please call me at 573-437-2779 (church) or 573-832-2475 (cell).
Announcements:
- Bring items for Helping Hands this Sunday.
- Meeting to discuss Vacation Bible School after worship.
- Confirmation Bible Class Sunday after worship.
- Church Council Meeting on Monday at 6:30pm. Please note that the Church Newsletter is wrong. Sorry.
- Signup Sheets for Lay Readers and Greeters are in the back of the sanctuary.
- St. Peter’s UCC and St. John’s BEM Confirmands will be traveling to St. Louis to visit Eden Seminary, the Missouri Mid-south Conference office and the Cardinals Game on Wednesday, June 29 when the OES Choir will be singing. We won’t be spending the night in St. Louis. If you would like to join us at the Cardinals Game, please let me know by Wednesday, June 15 as we will be buying tickets at the group rate.
Prayers and Blessings,
Pastor Stephanie DeLong
Scripture Lessons: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Psalm 8, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15
Sermon: Spirit of Truth and Wisdom
God is multifaceted and is filled with truth and wisdom for our lives. As God is multifaceted so is the Church. Today is Trinity Sunday and we speak of God as being in three persons. We have a God who is a community. Which tells something about how our faith is to be lived. Christian faith is a faith which needs to be lived in community. There is both wisdom and truth in living lives of faith as a community.
There is a myth of rugged individualism. That one person can go it alone and accomplish everything by themselves. This myth is neither true nor wise. Human beings were created to be in community with one another and with God. Let’s examine the lack of truth and wisdom in the “I did it alone” myth.
No human being is born alone. A baby needs to be cared for and nurtured. Children are raised in a family and in a community. It is the community that joins together to build schools, roads, hospitals, stores and more. We need each other to provide what we cannot obtain for ourselves.
The National Park Service always warns hikers to file a plan with the park office and with a friend. Even those who choose to live off the grid need to come into town for supplies and medical care sometime. Human beings need each other. This is true and it is wise.
God models this for us. Think of all the ways we think of God. Take a moment to write them down. What did you come up with? For many our first thoughts are of God the Creator, Father, or Ruler. Maybe you wrote down Christ, Savior, or Redeemer. Or perhaps you wrote Holy Spirit, Comforter and Sustainer. Some people refer to God as Friend, Healer, Source of Wisdom, Guide and so much more. The early Christian theologians summed God up as three persons. A God living together in community. A community of love for God is love.
Romans 5:1-5 speaks of God giving us grace and peace through Jesus. We share in the glory of God by making the presence of God visible in this world. Even when making God’s presence known in the world causes suffering for the faithful, Paul offers the wisdom that suffering produces character that lives in hope. That hope is sustained because God’s love is poured out over us through the Holy Spirit. That is my summation of the passage, and you might have your own, but think about how this is lived out in our lives.
We have all had times in our lives when we have suffered. Unlike Paul, our suffering usually is not being persecuted for sharing the Gospel. However, we may have had to take difficult stands on issues at work or at school. Such as being honest when the work culture is a dishonest one or standing up to bullies at school. Maybe our action of faithfulness creates some suffering in our lives such as loss of a job or unpopularity. These times in our lives are difficult.
However, if we seek to glorify God by being a sign of the presence of Christ in the world, God will pour out love in our lives through the Holy Spirit. This will change our suffering to endurance, our endurance will produce character and our character will produce hope. That hope will not disappoint because it will be filled with God’s love. Has this ever happened to you? When things became tough did you find new sources of love in your life? I know that I have.
In difficult times we may feel alone, but God is with us. The Holy Spirit will guide us to be in community with those who do love and care. There is a saying that in troubled times you find out who your friends are. God is our friend. There are unexpected people out who will be our friends. There are tough times in my life when the help I needed came from unexpected people and places. Even when I tried to go it alone, help came. God and community sustained me. God and the community of the faithful will sustain you too, these words are wise and true.
Prayer: God your name is majestic in all the earth. Help us to praise you and to know you in all your ways. You are our Creator, Christ, and Comforter. You sustain us when we are troubled. You pour out your love on us when we need it. You guide us when we are lost. Be with us and all whom we pray for this day. Amen.
Prayer list: All who have been on our list in the past and Elizabeth, Cheryl, Mindy, Dave, David, Ken and Evelyn, Jason, Paulette, Jaqueline, Friends of Shelby, Bobby, Kevin, Jim, Darryl, Eva who will be having surgery, Beverly for safe moving experience and for peace in the world in Ukraine and other war-torn places.
- The family and friends of Roger Monroe Collier who passed away.
- The family and friends of Karen Larson who passed away last week.
- The Texas School shooting and other shootings around the country.
