Worship on the Lord’s Day
04 June 2023 10:00 am Trinity Sunday
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev. Brad Childs
Music Director: Binu Kapadia Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan
Elder: Jane de Caen
We gather to worship God
Music prelude
Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.
Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship
Call to Worship
L: Holy are you, Source and Creator of all things;
P: We praise you for your gift of life.
L: Holy are you, Son and Redeemer of all things;
P: We thank you for your gift of new life.
L: Holy are you, Spirit and Sustainer of all things;
P: We bear witness to your truth and worship your holy name, ever three and ever one.
Opening praise: Forever God is faithful
Prayers of approach and confession
Holy God, you are Three in One and One in Three.
Praise to you, Source of life, maker of Heaven and Earth, who created us in your image and called us good.
Praise to you, Jesus Christ, born in our flesh to teach us how to love and offer us grace and mercy.
Praise to you, Holy Spirit, for the energy you bring us to greet each day as a gift.
Holy God, Three in One and One in Three,
We praise you for your mystery and mercy.
Reveal to us how to live as your people and witness to your wonder and grace. Amen.
God of mystery and mercy, you know the details of our lives.
You see the sin and the sorrow we bear; you see the problems and the possibilities we face.
You see how we fit into the world around us and how we rub each other the wrong way.
We confess we do not always see what you see.
Open our eyes to the truth of our lives and touch us with your grace.
Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O Lord
Assurance of God’s forgiveness
The Apostle Paul reminds us that from now on we regard no one from a human point of view. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new! Thanks be to God that we can all make a new start through God’s gift of forgiveness and peace!
We listen for the voice of God
Hymn: God, we praise you for the morning vss. 1, 3, 4, 5 (436)
Scripture readings (NRSV): 2 Corinthians 13:11–13 and Matthew 28:16–20
Response: Behold the Lamb of God
Message: “Quantum Physics”
Today is Trinity Sunday and that makes it an interesting day. The Trinity is the core of Christianity. It is the idea that God has come in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all different and yet also all the same. To believe this is to be a part of the “church catholic” meaning unified.
It’s rare but in Matthew 28:19, the 3 persons of the trinity are presented, not argued, but assumed. Mark 1:9-11 does the same thing. The opening to John’s gospel also does it though not as clearly. The trinity is not something that must be understood to be saved or go to heaven; rather, it is something that cannot be denied.
Those who do are known as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness’s Scientologists, Christian Scientist and Oneness Pentecostals all essentially deny the Deity of Jesus as they overemphasize his humanity. The opposite mistake is just as bad, to over emphasize his Deity to the exclusion of his humanity. But it’s a delicate balance.
I have an acquaintance who did a PhD at Kings College in London on the trinity and what it is. But he couldn’t do it. So instead, he did three books on what the Trinity isn’t. That was easier. It’s far easier to say what is heretical than what is orthodoxy. And it’s always been a problem – for basically everyone.
To the Jews, the single most important verse in the entire bible is the Shema: “Shema yisriel adonie, elihenue, adonie achad.” (Listen all Israel, the Lord our God is One; the Lord our God is ours.) It is the most definitive monotheistic statement and is most foundational to Judaism.
And yet we Christians believe the One is also Three and the Three are also just One. And just so everyone is clear – I don’t really get it either. But I believe it. Jesus was only a man. True. Jesus was fully God. True. Not half God, not half of the time. All God all the time, but also not!!!
According to the Church, each Person of the Trinity is Eternal, Creator, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and has a free will. Each acts alone, and together; gives life and strength to believers. They appear together in many places in the Bible: Genesis 18; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 3:22 just to mention a few. But they aren’t always clear and aren’t always what we first think they are.
To be fair, people always struggled with this. It took the Church nearly 400 years to decide about Trinitarian orthodoxy. While the Trinity isn’t always explicit (just as with infant baptism), it is present and often. After 400 years it became important to produce the Nicene Creed. Still many people foolishly believe that they created the idea. Not true. Not even close. The Trinity was a well-established tenet of the faith and it was very rarely challenged. Constantine was little more than a rubber stamp on an already extremely long held position. Now, the internet often disagrees but also the internet is full of people who are louder than they are informed.
It’s interesting that my PhD friend felt he had to write a three-volume set on what the “Trinity is not”, while all these random folks online in their parents’ basement seem to think they know everything. Well, I don’t know. I believe, but I don’t know. Perhaps we should heed the advice of Brother Elric, a 12th century monk, who, after badly botching a sermon on the Holy Trinity, decided to take a vow of silence for the rest of his life rather than mess it up again.
Someone asked the statesman Daniel Webster, who happened to be a fervent Christian, “How can a man of your intellect believe in the Trinity?” I like the response. Webster responded with, “I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now.”
Brother Elric figured a life of silence was easier than attempting to explain to people how 1 plus 1 plus 1 equal 3.
The mystery of the Hypostatic Union[1] is also at stake: Jesus was both 100% human and 100% God. If Jesus was not fully both, he could not be both our Lord and our Saviour. If Jesus were only Divine, he could be our God, but not our Saviour, Jesus could never have died for our sin. As God, Jesus could never have been the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, or the dying Messiah of Psalm 22. If Jesus were merely human, he could be our example of a good man, as in his baptism, but could not be our Saviour, Jesus could not have been raised from the dead if he were only a man.
What you believe about Jesus, what you believe about the Trinity, affects who you are in Christ. The Bible makes it clear there is only one God. We see the oneness of God in His own statements. “That you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.” (Isaiah 43:10) “Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides Me.” (Isaiah 45:21)
As I said before this oneness is also seen in in the very heart of the Jewish faith. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4) Yet, within this declaration of God’s oneness we see the plurality of the one God. First it is seen in the Hebrew word used for “one.” It is the Hebrew word, “echad.” There are two words in the Hebrew language for the word “one.” They are “echad,” and “yahid.” “Yahid” means absolute oneness or singleness, leaving no room for any meaning other than one and one alone. But “echad” brings with it the idea of many that make up one, or what is referred to as a composite unity or a single group. Like One cluster of grapes! That’s one. The Husband and Wife (Adam and Eve) are called to be “One” flesh, for example, but they are still Two people in One Life together. There are several of these instances seen within the Bible.
St. Patrick (as in St. Patrick’s Day) said that the Trinity was like a three-leaf clover, noting that the three leaves also make up the one clover. The problem is, it’s not accurate at all. It might help us to get closer, but it also moves us further away. The Trinity is not three separate parts of one thing. And they aren’t each 1/3 of it either.
No analogy works, and they never do. All analogies break down – because they aren’t the thing they are compared to. The illustration of the Trinity as an egg also fails; shell, yolk, and whites, are all an egg but they are parts of a larger whole and what’s more they share no attributes among them. In the same way, the three states of water (liquid, steam, and ice) fail for the same reason. The cut apple fails too. All of these lead to a heresy called “Modalism,” which the early church refuted and so do we.
Some views are Partialism they suggest that Jesus is just a part of God. The Heresy of Adoptionism says that the Father “adopted a human son” at Jesus’ baptism. Arianism sees Jesus as a creation of the Father. Nestorianism says Jesus has two natures and isn’t a single being. They started to argue that Jesus was the Son of Mary, but Christ is the son of God as if there were two of him. Monophysites said God joined himself with Jesus. Sabellianism said Son and Spirit were Modes of the Father’s acts rather than unique persons. But it too, has been rejected by the Church universal. Still, while those aren’t right… again, I’ll say, it’s probably easier to say what’s wrong, than it is to say what’s right.
It’s a little muddy. To be fair, it’s also pretty nailed down. After all, we have had 2000 years to figure it out. And yet, have we? Really?
Maybe we don’t have to fully understand it, in order to believe it… know it… trust it.
After Einstein a liniar understanding of time came into question. Until then people almost always thought of time as something that is static and moves forward only in a straight line. But the problem is, that doesn’t fit with what we know today. And while most people (including me) don’t fully comprehend it, Quantum Theory and even Co-Existing Dimensions have become a part of, not just science, but of popular culture and entertainment.
Today, the words “Schrodinger’s Cat” are common to hear. It’s often used in a sort-of pop-philosophy kind of way, to mean “a thing that could be either this or that.” The idea is simple. There is a cat in a box. It is there for some time. And until you open it you don’t know for sure if it is a living cat or a cat that is not living. But where does this idea come from? Well, it’s from Practical and Theoretical Physics. It’s an attempt to explain something that makes no sense. This is one of those places where Hebrews 11:3 finds new meaning. It says, “By faith we know that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” (NLT)
Certainly, trust me as I am, and I am NOT, an authority on theoretical physics. But here’s my best approximation and please feel free to investigate.
In what is called the “double split test.” Scientists developed an odd theory that claimed light behaved differently than anything else. The first of God’s creations doesn’t just come from the sun, is the fastest thing we know to be possible and, lastly, is not a wave or a particle like every-single thing else, but is both and also neither.
Very quickly: Scientists shot light through a sheet with two slits in it and onto a second sheet behind. The idea is that the light shines into the first sheet and as a result blocks most of the light and so two “light lines” appear on the backdrop where the light passed through the two slits. Now would light pass through the slits and leave two lines?” Does light work like a particle (like shooting a bullet through the slit) or like a wave (like a wave of water that emanates out in all directions and so would pass through both slits?)
If it’s a particle it will shoot through like a bullet in a straight line, if it’s a wave it will radiate through both slits. But it does both.
So what’s the big deal? Well anytime they attempt to record the experiment, the light works as expected. When they don’t observe it, it does a different thing. It is in fact, as if both happen at once or rather more than both. They updated the experiment with electron microscopes in 1999 but received the same results. It can’t be observed. In 2004 and then 2017 they tried again and used a vacuum and still – same results. It’s insane. More recently people have been playing around with similar thought experiments with time and finding similar conclusions. As a result, many see both space and time as existing in a braid or loop but not linear. Many see that a single molecule can occupy two spaces at once and wonder what else! Many believe what exists are worlds within worlds, within times, within times. Almost like what the prophet Ezekiel said about wheels within the wheels, within wheels.[2]
The founder of the original study once wrote that this “double slit test” is a phenomenon which is impossible … to explain in any classical way and which is at the very heart of all quantum mechanics.
Honestly Trinity Sunday (much like Ascension Sunday) is difficult for me. It’s not because I don’t believe it. It’s because nobody understands it.
But I have to say, I feel a lot better knowing that Quantum Physics is in the same boat. We are tangled together on this one.
And it’s true, I don’t fully understand how 1 plus 1, plus 1 equal 3. But I believe.
How about you?
Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy vss.1, 3, 4 (299)
We respond to serve God
Reflection on giving: We have been giving faithfully since the beginning of the pandemic and we are committed to continuing the ministry and mission that define Dayspring – using the ways described below. Thank you all for your support of our shared vision and mission.
Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
Lord, our God, whose glory is beyond compare; whose mercy is boundless, and love for us is endless; look upon us now in your compassion.
For peace that calms our hearts and saves our souls, and for peace in the whole world and throughout creation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the stability of the church and the unity of this congregation, for the ministries of your church around the world in these challenging times, and for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada meeting this week in Halifax, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our country, our leaders, and all those in public service; for this community, and for every neighbourhood and nation, and for all who offer themselves in service for the common good, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the whole of God’s creation in its beauty and bounty, for the wellbeing of every creature and their habitats, for a willingness to change our ways to protect places and people at risk, and for generations yet unborn that they too may thrive, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the safety of those who must travel by land, sea, and air, for those who long to travel but cannot, and for all those who are separated from those they love, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the sick, the suffering, and the isolated, for victims of violence, refugees and captives, and for our protection against all affliction, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
To you, Holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, belongs all glory, honour, and worship, now and forever, and to the ages of ages.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
Come to the Lord’s Table,all you who love him.
Come to the Lord’s Table, confess your sin.
Come to the Lord’s Table be at peace.
Hymn: All who hunger, gather gladly (534):
We affirm our faith: The Apostles Creed (539)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (sung 469)
Communion Prayer
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
Always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Holy Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is praised among all peoples.
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
who for ever sing this hymn to the glory of your name:
You are holy, Almighty One!
Blessed are you, Jesus Christ!
In the power of the Spirit
you created all things, blessed them, and called them good.
You called to yourself a people
To make your mercy and truth known in all the world.
We betrayed your calling;
You were faithful.
We wandered from the way;
You called us to return, and led us home.
And still we turned from your ways,
abused your creatures,
and made ourselves slaves to sin and death.
At the right time
you came and dwelt among us,
as one of us,
bringing good news to the poor,
healing the sick, raising the dead,
sharing table with the unrighteous,
and teaching the way that leads to life.
By your incarnation, life, suffering, execution and resurrection
You gave birth to your church,
delivered us from slavery
and made a new covenant with us
by water and the Spirit.
Pour out your Spirit on us
Pour out your Spirit on these gifts
Make these gifts the body and blood of Christ
Make us, through them, Christ’s body alive in the world. Amen.
Sharing of the bread and wine
On the night of your betrayal, Lord Jesus, you took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to your disciples and said, “This is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
You did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out is the new covenant in my blood.”
Music Interlude: Let all mortal flesh keep silence (542)
Song: One bread, one body (540)
The prayer after Communion
Loving God, we thank you that you have fed us in this sacrament, united us with Christ, and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in your eternal realm.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: This is my Father’s word (328)
Sending out with God’s blessing
Trinity celebrates the overflowing love within God’s very nature, a dance of unity and diversity in the heart of God. So join the dance and let God’s love flow through you each day.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion in the Holy Spirit fill you with joy and lead you onward, now and evermore.
Response: The blessing
Music postlude
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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One Licence (3095377) and CLC (A735555). The Communion liturgy is based on the 1991 Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2023) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.
[1] – “the combination of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ”
[2] Ezekiel 10:10