11/6/06 Trinity Sunday B.C.P. Evensong : Mark 1:1-13

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you,  who will prepare your way" -- :3 "a voice of one calling in the desert,  `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Use "names" list for meaning of people's names

The names used to describe Jesus indicate who He is and what He will do.

- His name is "Jesus", which means God saves. He would save people from the consequences of their sins.

- He is called the Christ which is Greek and has the same meaning as Messiah, in Hebrew, which means "anointed one". Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to mark the start of his ministry that would culminate in His death, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

- He is called the Son of God. This implies that he is God with a unique, intimate relationship with God the Father

If you were interviewing someone for a job what credentials would you look at before appointing someone? You would look at someone's C.V., references, academic or professional qualifications, and how someone came across during an interview.

In today's New Testament reading Mark establishes the credentials of Jesus.

1] His coming was prophesied by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1) announced by John the Baptist.

"I will send my messenger ahead of you,  who will prepare your way" -- :3 "a voice of one calling in the desert,  `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "

When a V.I.P. Was expected in those days road building teams were sent out to repair or establish roads to make the journey easier. John the Baptist was given this role of preparation by God

2] The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. Jesus always had the Holy Spirit, but this was a special anointing to prepare and equip Jesus for his public, earthly ministry.

Jesus received the power of the Holy Spirit. How much more do we need God's Spirit to live for him? We need to ask God the Holy Spirit to descend upon us and fill us again and again so we can become more like Jesus and tell others about him.

3] The words of God the Father; "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Jesus was 100% human and 100% God.

Today is Trinity Sunday when we remember that we have one God and three persons of the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In this reading we have references to all of them.

We cannot hope to understand the unfathomable, especially in a few minutes. To help us I would like to read two passages about the Trinity.

"The term Trinity is not the best one because it emphasizes only the three persons but not the unity within the Trinity. A proper definition then must include the distinctness and equality of the three persons within the Trinity as well as the unity within the Trinity. The word Triunity may better express the doctrine. A proper definition of the Trinity states: "the Trinity is composed of three united Persons without separate existence - so completely united as to form one God. The divine nature subsists in three distinctions - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

It might be helpful to look at the way that the Trinity works together by quoting;

"the Father initiating, the Son complying, and the Spirit executing the will of both, which is his will also."

We have been looking at the first thirteen verses of Mark's gospel.

It is breathless. It is not a biography for we have no record of Jesus life until he is about thirty years of age.  It is the shortest of the gospels, written to establish why Jesus came; 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

When Mark wrote this "gospel" was not a word that referred to a type of literature. It just meant "good news". It was written as a way of sharing the good news. Good news that had been passed on by word of mouth for at least thirty years before.

We are called to continue that tradition of passing on the good news of Jesus. By our words, our deeds, our whole lives which are to be an act of worship visible to the world.

We do not have to do this in our own strength because the Holy Spirit will give us the power, strength, guidance and gist that we need. He will also be at work in the people that we meet with, convicting them of their sin and turning them to Christ. Uniting them with God.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887); "If you want your neighbour to know what Christ will do for him, let the neighbour see what Christ has done for you."

We have received the good news of Jesus. If we truly believe it is such good news let us share it with others.