Trinity Sunday May 31, 2015
Baptism of Emily Ann Seawell
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
I. Holy, holy, holy!
 “Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early
our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the
Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great
Name we praise.” And this: “Holy God, we
praise thy Name, Lord of all, we bow before
thee; all on earth thy scepter claim, all in
in the morning our song shall rise to thee: Holy,
heaven above adore thee; infinite thy vast
holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three
domain, everlasting is thy reign.”
Persons, blessed Trinity.” At the beginning of
 What are we saying, what are we doing, when
our worship today, we sang this, one of the
we sing these hymns? We are expressing in the
beloved hymns of the church.
best way we know our sense of the magnitude
 And there are others like it we have sung and
and majesty of God. We are singing along, as
will sing this morning: “Immortal, invisible,
we do every Sunday in the Eucharistic Prayer,
God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from
with the seraphs in Isaiah’s vision: “Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full
to us because of our own lack of attention and
of his glory.” Perhaps singing is our best hope
perception.
in approaching the triune nature of God; we can
 Art may be our only portal into approaching the
speak the words, carry the tune, and later, after
the moment we sing, these stay with us in a
meditative and recurring (and largely
Trinity.
II. Art as the Portal to Contemplating Mystery

The artwork that appears at the beginning of
unconscious) way that may allow glimmers of
this week’s email blast is a compelling
insight to come to us about this God—
evocation of the unity of God’s triune nature.
enthroned in majesty with saints and angels
Masaccio executed this painting, located in the
surrounding and also present with us in the
Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella in
mundane round of our daily lives. Even there,
Florence, Italy, around 1426-27. At the foot of
God is often (usually) hidden and inaccessible
the cross stand Mary and the Beloved Disciple.
Kneeling on the ground are two members of the
Lenzi family, who commissioned the painting.
 Similarly, our stained glass window, one of our
Our attention is drawn to Jesus, who hangs on
Tiffany artworks, here on the south wall, offers
the cross. God the Father stands behind and
us a portal into the mystery that Jesus
slightly above him (not distant and high above
introduces to the incredulous Nicodemus: “no
in the heavens) and holds the cross; God is
one can see the kingdom of God without being
powerful and loving, supporting suffering and
born from above […] no one can enter the
sacrifice. The Holy Spirit appears as a dove-like
kingdom of God without being born of water
shape, descending from the Father’s chest to the
and the Spirit.” Look at the consternation on
head of Jesus—uniting them. The association
Nicodemus’ face. Here is a Pharisee, a leader of
here of the “throne of grace” with the
the Jews, a teacher of Israel, who does not
crucifixion reflects the profound mystery of the
understand these things. But he senses the
Trinity: in this moment the full unity of the
presence of God in Jesus, and he comes with
Trinity is revealed.
the dim lamp of his understanding to try to
Water sanctified by the Holy Spirit will be
come closer to understanding.
poured on her “in the name of the Father, and
 What Jesus offers him is himself, his touch, his
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and with oil
real presence as the Son of God, sent into the
of chrism she will be “sealed by the Holy Spirit
world to be the portal to the kingdom of God.
[…] and marked as Christ’s own forever.” With
III. Baptism as the Portal to Our Adoption
 We will welcome Emily Ann Seawell into the
these signs and words, we attempt to evoke the
unseen and mysterious “adoption” that we all
household of God this Sunday in the sacrament
have received as children of God, the heirs of
of baptism, the portal that Jesus established for
the promises God made to Abraham so long
as a means of adoption into God’s household.
ago. In the sacred moments of the sacrament of
At the font, she will be “born from above,” by
baptism and Eucharist we are united to Christ in
“water and the Holy Spirit,” as Jesus explains
his baptism, his death, and his resurrection.
to Nicodemus in our gospel lesson from John 3.
Like Nicodemus listening to Jesus in the
darkness illumined by the lamp of his
receive. And we offer ourselves, our promises
understanding, we struggle to understand this
to be faithful and worthy of what we receive.
mysterious unity, and our limited capacities fail
us.
 Ultimately, we rely on the grace Jesus
 This morning I received an email sent to me by
a fellow General Convention deputy, a wise and
gracious person who always remembers
expresses in John 3:16-17: God loved the world
anniversaries—of birth, of ordination, of
so much that he sent his Son to us, not to
marriage. So, because today is the 28th
condemn us for our failings and shortcomings
anniversary of my marriage to Mike Gibson, I
and sin, but to save us by his mercy and grace.
was sent this message: “we wish for you the
IV. The Sacraments as Our Portal to Grace
blessings we have so abundantly received, that
 The sacraments are our portal to grace; through
you may ever experience the inward and
them we realize that we don’t do anything. We
spiritual grace that makes the two of you
together far more complete and whole than you
would ever be apart.” He then goes on to
outward sign of our promises, our passing
recount the counsel offered to marrying couples
through that portal. In the prayers and words of
by Dr. Albert D. Perkins III, Rector of St.
institution, in the breaking of bread and taking
John’s, Montgomery, Alabama from 1984 to
of the cup, we receive the grace to continue in
1994. “I don’t matter,” Dr. Perkins would tell
our fellowship as God’s household.
them, wedding occurs when two people
 This morning we will pass through the portals
exchange their vows in the presence of God and
of baptism and communion, and then go out
God’s people. In those promises, they receive
through those doors to give to the world an
the grace to be married. The rings are the
account of the hope that is in us because of
outward signs of their vows, their passing
what we have received. What joy is in that
through that portal.
hope! AMEN
 In the promises of baptism, we receive the
grace to be God’s people. The water is the