A Sermon for Trinity Sunday

May 31, 2026

The Rev. Robin Teasley

 

 

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:16-20

 

 

 

Can you think of a better way to start a summer of rest and fun than to hear a sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity? It’s a hard sell, I know, but let’s try.

 

There are all kinds of people in the world but let’s consider two kinds of people for a moment.

There are those people who have a great need to jump in and answer every question, explain every detail, and protect what is believed to be right at all costs. 

I have been that person.

 

Then, there are those people who are…. more laid back, who want to observe things awhile, ask some “I wonder” questions, and go with the flow, trusting that things will work out in the end. 

I have been that person.

 

Which one of these are you? And do you live with the opposite type? Do you have a mix of these folks in your family? 

Or… are you someone who falls somewhere in between these two extremes?

 

What if, for the sake of comparison, we look at the doctrine of the Trinity through the eyes of these two kinds of people.

 

The first kind …who need to get everything figured out, explained, and into the spreadsheet 

have always been with us. The earliest Christians  (way before spreadsheets) needed a way to explain who God was - to each other, and to those outside of the Church. 

 

However, this resulted in a great deal of heresy. So they began to argue with one another about what exactly God wanted and how scripture ought to be interpreted… 

and this caused a good bit of division in the Church. (The church still does this)

 

To respond to this division, the first ecumenical council was called in the year 325 at Nicaea. 

Think of this as a giant Vestry meeting that lasted a really long time –about 3 months! 

And this meeting was called, not by the Church, but by the Emperor Constantine. You see, Constantine was sure that God had given him his huge empire, and so he was determined to keep this generous God happy. He wanted to end the arguments that were beginning to cause division in his empire. This first council, and a number of others which followed it, resulted in the Nicene Creed and a doctrine of the Trinity. 

 

Even then, it was not a complete description, because everyone knew something different- 

about God, about Jesus, and about the Holy Spirit. 

 

Isn’t it the same for us? What is it that we know of God? 

 

We have learned some things from scripture, and things written in theology books. We have learned what has been taught to us by our parents, or in Sunday School. Perhaps most impactful though, is what we have learned as we have experienced God’s presence in our lives. 

 

And those second kind of people? They have been among us all this time as well. 

They have been watching and sensing and experiencing God in creation. They sensed holiness everywhere and delighted in the mystery! God became present to them in prayer, in quiet walks, 

in the pounding surf, in the way the light scatters through the trees. Present in the empathy shown to those who suffer, and the acceptance of those who were different.

 

They imagined the Trinity as a fountain of overflowing love, the three persons of the Trinity emptying themselves and pouring themselves out into each other. 

 

At the very core of theological explanations of the Trinity is the idea that Father, Son, and Spirit are, in essence, a community. Although each is distinct, they move as one, always connected, always complementing each other.

 

We can read about this, and hear sermons about this, but to experience this mystery of love 

we need to stand in its flow and participate in it. 

 

God as Trinity shows us how we are called to live in community, in relationship, emptying our egos, pouring out ourselves for others. We can do this because we trust, because we have faith that we will be refilled by God in this mystery of love. 

 

When we put both kinds of people together, and then add in all the rest of us who are somewhere in between, it can get exciting! And this is where the Trinity comes into the picture, 

because the triune God is present 

in the spreadsheets and in the quiet walks, 

in children’s chapel and in the centering prayer group, 

each one of us giving and receiving with love.

 

We experience so much isolation and self-preservation in the world. So many focusing on getting ahead, being first, winning at all costs, trusting no one…

 

This is not of God … and it is exhausting. It is not life-giving. 

 

We have forgotten that we are made in the image of the triune God, created to exist in the mutual giving and receiving of love in community.

  

In today’s reading from the last chapter of Matthew, Jesus has gathered his disciples together on a mountain to say his final words to them before his ascension. 

 

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, 

to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 

When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.” 

 

Notice Jesus does not appear to judge them for their doubt, or think that in their doubt they are any less a part of the community. Instead, Jesus simply says to these two kinds of disciples 

and all the others in between, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (not to you, to me). Go therefore and make disciples of all nations – of every kind of person -  baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

 

When we gather to worship the triune God, do we have doubts? Do we approach life differently? 

Yes, and we gather to worship anyway. 

 

We need one another, those of us who are zealous for details and the foundations of faith, 

and those of us who are more laid back and open to seeing things in different ways. 

 

Together we are a community of love, unceasingly flowing back and forth between the Trinity, the Church, and the world. As community living in the power of the Trinity, sharing the love and offering our gifts to help one another, we are called and sent out to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. 

 

This summer, find some time to sit near the water – 

a garden hose, a bird bath or a fountain, 

a lake, river, or the ocean. 

And be on the lookout for glimpses of the Trinity among us.