Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church
An Independent Lutheran Congregation
“Holding Fast the Word of Life”
2305 S. Dixieland Road/P.O. Box 2335
Rogers, AR 72757
479-310-5501
www.goodshepherdrogers.org
Trinity Sunday – June 7, 2020
Pastor Randy Moll 479-233-0081 / Deacon Marty Jackson 479-899-2807
Ron Wellander – Music Director / Lois Wellander – Choir Director
Lee Allen and Wolfgang McKenzie – Acolytes
Prelude and Lighting of the Altar Candles
The congregation is seated and quietly prepares for worship.
Liturgy: LSB 184 “Divine Service, Setting Three”
Hymns:
LSB #507 “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”
LSB #505 (1-3) “God the Father Be Our Stay”
LSB #623 “Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray”
LSB #506 “Glory Be to God the Father”
Creed: Athanasian Creed, Page 319
Introit Psalm 8:1–2a, 3–5; antiphon: Liturgical Text
Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided | Unity. * Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mer- | cy to us. O | LORD, our Lord, * how majestic is your name in | all the earth! You have set your glory above the | heavens. * Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have es- | tablished strength. When I look at your heavens, the work of your | fingers, * the moon and the stars, which you have | set in place, what is man that you are mind- | ful of him, * and the son of man that you | care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly | beings * and crowned him with glory and | honor. Glory be to the Father and | to the Son * and to the Holy | Spirit; as it was in the be- | ginning, * is now, and will be forever. | Amen. Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided | Unity. * Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mer- | cy to us.
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Catechism Lesson: The Apostles’ Creed (Article 1)
105. Who is the true God? The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct Persons in one divine Essence.
180) Deut. 6:4. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
181) Matt. 28:19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….
182) 2 Cor. 13:14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Num. 6:24-26. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
B.H. Matt. 3:16-17. The baptism of Jesus.
106. How are these divine Persons distinguished from each other? The Father has begotten the Son from eternity; the Son is begotten of the Father from eternity; the Holy Ghost from eternity proceeds from the Father and the Son. — To the Father especially is ascribed the work of Creation; to the Son, the work of Redemption; to the Holy Ghost, the work of Sanctification. (Internal and external difference.)
183) Ps. 2:7. The Lord has said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”
184) John 15:26. But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
185) Gal. 4:6. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-7
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”
Epistle Lesson: Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Gospel Lesson: John 3:1-17
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Sermon: “The Holy Trinity” John 3
1. What do we confess in the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds and Why?
• Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19
2. Who is the God that created the heavens and the earth?
• Genesis 1:1
• Elohim, bara, Heb. 11:3
• Jehovah, Jehuvah, Jahweh, YHWH, LORD, Gen. 2:4
• Spirit – Gen. 1:2, Psalm 33:6
• Son – John 1:1-4; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:2-3
• Three/One God – Gen. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 8:6; Neh. 9:6; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:3; 1 John 5:7
3. Who is the God who provided salvation for us and how?
• The Father – John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10
• The Son – John 3:14-15; 1 John 2:1-2
• The Spirit – John 3:3-8; Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5-7
• The Trinity – Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:2
ANNOUNCEMENTS
We welcome you and pray that you are built up and strengthened in your faith through the hearing of God’s Word among us and invite you to join us again. If you would like one of our pastors to call or visit, please speak to him after the service, or call, or contact him by email at pastor@goodshepherdrogers.org. We ask our visitors to fill out a guest information card at the table near the door.
Holy Communion will be administered during our worship today. Since Christ Jesus offers and gives us to partake of His body and blood, given and shed for us upon the cross for the remission of sins, since the Bible calls upon us to examine ourselves before partaking of Christ’s Supper and since partaking of the altar is a profession of agreement with the doctrine proclaimed among us, we practice “closed communion” and ask that only communicant members of this congregation who have examined themselves come forward to partake of the Lord’s Supper (cf. 1 Cor. 11:23ff.; 10:16ff.). Any others desiring to commune with us are asked to speak to the pastor about receiving instruction and becoming a member of the congregation by a public profession of faith.
Upcoming Events: Wednesday evening Bible Study meets at the church, or online via Google Meet, at 7 p.m. each Wednesday. The link is posted in the church Calendar on the church website. For other scheduled events and cancelations, check the church website at https://goodshepherdrogers.org and click on the Calendar tab.
Online Services will continue via Facebook Live and recorded YouTube videos each week. Our Sunday bulletin will be emailed to members and made available online. Since our Sunday services at the church use the Lutheran Service Book and many of the hymns and the liturgy are subject to copyright protections, we suggest that members and guests order a copy of the hymnal on Amazon or at CPH.org to follow along with hymn verses and the liturgy. If members or guests need assistance in obtaining a copy, please call Pastor Moll at 479-233-0081 or email him at pastor@goodshepherdrogers.org. Copies may also be borrowed from the church.
Holy Communion — Members desiring the Lord’s Supper but not comfortable attending services during the COVID-19 pandemic may call Pastor Moll at 479-233-0081 or email him at pastor@goodshepherdrogers.org and he will arrange a time to bring the Sacrament to them (to the front porch or to a suitable location at members’ homes, or at the church when no one else is there).
Who is the Creator?
Who is the Creator? The Bible, which is God’s inspired account, tells us that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
And, who is this God? The Hebrew word Elohim, which is the plural form of God, is the name used to describe the Creator (cf. Gen. 1:26-27). He is also called by the name Jehovah (some pronounce it Yahweh or Yehuvah), often translated LORD. “This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens” (Gen. 2:4).
The Bible further defines God, when it says: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Cor. 8:6). Thus, we see that all things were created by God the Father through Jesus Christ.
God’s creation account also tells us that, in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). And so we see that the Holy Spirit, too, was active in the creation of all things.
The opening verses of John’s Gospel tell us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). And so, we learn that the Word, Jesus Christ, identified in verse 14 as God Himself in the flesh and the only-begotten Son of the Father, created all things and is the giver of life, both physical and spiritual.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the inspired Scriptures say of Christ Jesus, that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:15-17).
So, who is the Creator? It is God, the God the Scriptures identify for us as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Though God is one – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6:4) – God is also three – thus, the command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
This is why the God of the Bible is often called the Triune (three/one) God, because He is one God and yet three distinct Persons. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. Yet, there are not three Gods, but one God.
The Bible also tells us “there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).
Though beyond our ability to comprehend, this is how God has revealed Himself to us – it is His account and His word. And it is this God who has created all things and given us life.
[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]