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Sermon: Trinity Sunday

Rev. David Robins

 

Our Evensong service takes place on Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday following Pentecost. Pentecost comes to us from the Jewish tradition called the Festival of Weeks, or Shavuot. It celebrates the covenant of the Jewish people with God through their acceptance of the Ten Commandments brought to them by Moses. The Festival of Weeks is based upon a pre-Israelite Festival of the Harvest celebrated by the Canaanites.

In the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse one, the disciples, who were Jewish, had gathered to celebrate Shavuot. While gathered together, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. They were accused of being intoxicated with wine. Peter, in a triumph of spin control, denies that they are intoxicated, and asserts that they are filled with the Holy Spirit because they have repented and been baptized as followers of Jesus. Peter was so convincing that 3000 people were baptized that day.

Adrian may have mentioned this morning that Thomas Becket was consecrated as the Archbishop of Canterbury on this Sunday, and his first act as Archbishop was to set aside this festival in honor of the Holy Trinity. As an ongoing example of how dangerous it can be to be a member of the clergy, Becket was killed by 4 of the King