THE HOLY TRINITY
The Holy Trinity Just Works!
June 15, 2025
AS WE GATHER
The Holy Trinity presents profound complexities. The church wrestles to dissect and sync together the identities and the activities of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Athanasian Creed is the treatise that sews together the equality and uniqueness of the three persons of the Trinity. With faith’s assurance, the church confesses trinitarian substance, coeternal majesty, and seemingly unattainable mystery. The Uncreated, the Infinite, the Almighty are One in Three. The Holy Trinity is vested in working in our midst today, every day, and eternally. In faith, the church and its members forge ahead in life because the Holy Trinity just works! We may not understand fully, and yet, by faith we believe the Father works—creating; the Son works—redeeming; and the Spirit works—sanctifying. Our entire life of frailty and faith is only possible because the Holy Trinity just works—all the time—with us, for us, and alongside us!
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Joyful, Joyful We adore Thee LSB 803
Joyful, joyful we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love!
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee, Praising Thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the gloom of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day.
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird, and flowing fountain Call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living, Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Fountainhead of love divine:
Joyful, we Thy heav'n inherit! Joyful, we by grace are Thine!
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES based on Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31
Pastor: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess all wisdom before the very work of creation.
People: Praise be to the Holy Trinity.
Pastor: Wisdom, begotten of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals the incarnate Christ—the appointed Messiah, working out our salvation’s story.
People: Praise be to the Holy Trinity.
Pastor: Eternal wisdom delights, rejoices, and is the workman of all things created and redeemed.
People: Praise be to the Holy Trinity. Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Acts 2:38–39
Pastor: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.
By God’s work of mercy, we are granted forgiveness. By Christ’s work of suffering, crucifixion, and death, we are granted eternal life. By the work of the Spirit, we are continually sanctified in the glory of God’s holy triune name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are forgiven by the work of the Holy Trinity. As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
+ WORD +
SONG OF PRAISE I Sing Praises CH 5
I sing praises to Your name, O Lord, praises to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
I sing praises to Your name, O Lord, praises to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
I give glory to Your name, O Lord, glory to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great, and greatly to be praised!
I give glory to Your name, O Lord, glory to Your name, O Lord,
For Your name is great and greatly to be praised!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting triune God, grant us abiding faith that we may steadfastly believe and confess Your divine work as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Throughout our temporal and eternal living, be our constant companion—creating and renewing, redeeming and forgiving, calling and sanctifying us. In all suffering and service, grant that we be mindful that You are the one true God, undivided, uncreated, infinite, and almighty, in whose triune name we pray.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31 (Wisdom, personified, reveals the presence and work of Jesus even before the creation of the world.)
Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? 2 On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: 4 “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.
22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, 26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
EPISTLE Acts 2:14a, 22–36 (God richly supplies Jesus with the credentials to accomplish all divine works, wonders, and signs.)
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them:
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
HOLY GOSPEL John 8:48–59 (Jesus reveals His eternal identity with God the Father before the time of Abraham.)
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty TLH 246
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
SERMON
ATHANASIAN CREED
Pastor: Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.
People: Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally.
Pastor: And the catholic faith is this,
People: that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.
Pastor: For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.
People: But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Pastor: Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit:
People: the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated;
Pastor: the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite;
People: the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal.
Pastor: And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal,
People: just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.
Pastor: In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty;
People: and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
Pastor: So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God;
People: and yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
Pastor: So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;
People: and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
Pastor: Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
People: The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone.
Pastor: The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone.
People: The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.
Pastor: Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
People: And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another;
Pastor: but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped.
People: Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity.
Pastor: But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
People: Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man.
Pastor: He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age:
People: perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh;
Pastor: equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.
People: Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ:
Pastor: one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God;
People: one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
Pastor: For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ,
People: who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead,
Pastor: ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
People: At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds.
Pastor: And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.
People: This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Holy Trinity, grant us truth, wisdom, companionship, and Your fatherly care. Remind us daily of our Baptism, drowning our minds and sprits in the waters of repentance and Word of forgiveness. Rejuvenate our wearied and wounded spirits, that we may be refreshed with Your wisdom of forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Holy Trinty, grant us truth, wisdom, and companionship with Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Envelope us in the gruesome wisdom of the cross, the senseless turmoil of Calvary; but also, the glorified wisdom of the empty grave, and the unimaginable glory of the heavens, yet to come.
Holy Trinity, grant us clarity of thoughts in the innumerable injuries of mind and body, through the companionship of Your Spirit. By Your wisdom, transform our groans of misery into creeds of faith, our broken minds into vessels of clarity and blessed realities.
Today we especially pray for. . .
Into Your hands, O Holy Trinity, we place all those for whom we pray.
People: Amen.