WORSHIP RESOURCES
First Sunday after Pentecost
Trinity Sunday (Ordinary Time)
Romans 8:12-17
Led by the Spirit
Additional Scriptures
Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; John 3:1-17;
Doctrine and Covenants 85:36b; 162:7c-d
Preparation
Prior to the worship, put together a gingerbread house. These can be made from scratch or pre-packaged. Place the gingerbread house toward the front of the worship space where all can see. This will be part of the Focus Moment later in the worship. Alternatives to gingerbread houses could be children’s construction blocks/toys, stones found your neighborhood, or sticks. The main thing you want is to have a house-like structure for the lesson. Plan accordingly.
Prelude
Hymns of Gathering
“All Are Welcome” Choose two stanzas.
CCS 276
OR “God of All Time"
CCS 270
OR “Alleluia! Hear God’s Story"
CCS 271
Welcome
Responsive Reading
Leader: The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
People: And God’s people all say, “Glory!”
Leader: The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
People: And God’s people all say, “Glory!”
Leader: The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
People: And God’s people all say, “Glory!”
Leader: The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare;
People: And God’s people all say, “Glory!”
Leader: May the Lord bless all people with peace!
People: “And God’s people all say, ‘Glory!’”
—Psalm 29:7-11, adapted
Hymn of Response
“Kanisa Litajengwa/Oh, Who Will Build the Church Now?"
CCS 338
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “Weave”
CCS 327
OR “Creator God, Creating Still”
CCS 60
Invocation
Prayer for Peace
Hymn for Peace
“The Peace of Jesus Christ”
CCS 317
OR “Peace of Jesus”
CCS 318
Light the Peace Candle.
Prayer
O Lord,
Lovingly incline your ear and hear our prayers
—as you are our loving creator.
Deliver us from evil
—as did your Son.
Inspire us to comfort those who mourn
—as does your Spirit.
Break our stony hearts of indifference
—as you are our loving Creator.
Give us courage to speak truth to powers that consume and manipulate
—as did your Son.
Encourage us bear witness to what is right
—as does your Spirit.
Guide us home
—the home you created, the home your son tended,
the home the Spirit leads us toward. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-17
Focus Moment: “Let Us Build a Spiritual Home”
In her book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson uses the image of an old house to define a caste system. An old house with a story, work that never is completed, and weathers the storms of life and human upheaval. A house with cracks, mold, and damage in its foundation.
She wrote:
We in the developed world are like homeowners who inherited a house on a piece of land that is beautiful on the outside, but whose soil is unstable loam and rock, heaving and contracting over generations, cracks patched but the deeper ruptures waved away for decades, centuries even.
Many people may rightly say, “I had nothing to do with
how this all started. I have nothing to do with the sins of the past. My ancestors never attacked indigenous people, never owned slaves.” And, yes. Not one of us was here when the house was built.
Our immediate ancestors may have had nothing to do with it, but here we are, the current occupants of a property with stress cracks and bowed walls and fissures built into the foundation. We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now. And any further deterioration is, in fact, on our hands…
Live with it long enough, and the unthinkable becomes normal.
Here on the table is our beautiful “inherited house.”
Point to the Gingerbread house or block structure.
It is aesthetically pleasing and for those interested after our worship, likely delicious. No promises! But if we do not care for our house, we do not care for the people who live in it. If we let toxins like racism, prejudice, and delusional supremacy warp our home, we risk our demise. It is our collective responsibility to take care of our home, so that it remains a safe, strong, welcoming space for all people and all generations.
For in their welfare, resides our collective welfare.
Invite the congregation into discussion/reflection. This can be in pairs, small groups or stay together. If streaming online, breakout rooms work well for this activity.
Project or print the questions for all to see.
Discussion/Reflection Questions
- Without using specific examples, how has the “house deterioration” influenced your life?
- How did it make you feel?
- Does Wilkerson’s image of the “inherited house” make sense to you?
- How does it make you feel?
If discussion occurred in pairs or small groups, spend a few moments debriefing in the whole group about their conversations.
Hymn of Hospitality
“Draw the Circle Wide”
CCS 273
OR “Leftover People in Leftover Places”
CCS 275
OR “There’s a Church within Us”
CCS 278
Morning Message
Based on Romans 8:12-17
Hymn of Response
“God, Renew Us by Your Spirit”
CCS 237
OR “Nada te turbe” Sing three times.
CCS 241
OR “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
CCS 248
Disciples’ Generous Response
Statement
We have been given frequent counsel about the need to be generous disciples. But we are not the only ones to hear that message.
Many centuries ago, God’s people were given these words:
The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
—Exodus 23:19a
We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of our soil and the first fruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord.
— Nehemiah 10:35
Or words given in more recent times:
Prepare every needful thing and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of honor, a house of God.
—Doctrine and Covenants 85:36b
That is a challenge that is extended to us. What are the first fruits we can offer individually to the source of all? During this time of Disciples’ Generous Response, we focus on aligning our heart with God’s heart. Our offerings are more than meeting budgets or funding mission. We can tangibly express our gratitude to God through our offerings, who is the giver of all.
As we share our mission tithes either by placing money in the plates or through
eTithing, use this time to thank God for the many gifts received in life. Our hearts grow aligned with God’s when we gratefully receive and faithfully respond by living Christ’s mission.
If your congregation is meeting online, remind participants they can give through
CofChrist.org/give or eTithing.org (consider showing these URLs on screen).
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn of Assurance
“All My Days”
CCS 266
OR “Let My Spirit Always Sing”
CCS 269
OR “Go Now Forth into the World”
CCS 646
Benediction
Sung Response: Doxology
“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”
CCS 53
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Sending Forth: Doctrine and Covenants 162:7c-d
Be led by the Spirit and build that spiritual home!
Postlude
SERMON AND CLASS HELPS
Year B—Letters
First Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday (Ordinary Time)
Romans 8:12–17
Exploring the Scripture
Verse 12 begins by declaring that we are “debtors.” Debt is considered to have negative connotations. However, in this case, it is presented as something to celebrate because our debt is to God. As a way of contrast, Paul noted that we are not in debt to “the flesh.” This might be best explained as living in the way our human nature wants us to live. The message is clear: If we live according to our human nature, we will die, but if we put to death our sinful actions, we will live (v.13).
In the verses that follow, Paul echoes passages from the Hebrew Bible when the children of Israel escaped from slavery to travel through the wilderness towards the promised land. God led the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. At times they wanted to give up and go back to Egypt and a life of slavery.
Despite many struggles, they persevered, placing their hope in the promise of land given them as an inheritance. In Romans 8, the desert wilderness is replaced by the world where the allure of “flesh” remains strong. Instead of pillars of cloud and fire, Christians are led by the Holy Spirit as the personal presence of the living God.
The promise to those who persevere is adoption (v. 15). In Roman culture, the adopted person lost all rights in their old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in their new family. When a person becomes a Christian, that person gains all the privileges and responsibilities of being a child in God’s family. One of these privileges is to be led by the Holy Spirit, an inward presence that reminds us who we are and encourages us with love.
A crucial part of Christian discipleship is to nurture our ability to recognize and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When the spirit of adoption dwells in a person’s heart, they recognize God as parent. The cry of “‘Abba! Father!’” (vv. 15, 16) uses the old Aramaic word Jesus used for God (Mark 14:36). This cry is the Spirit affirming we are children of God.
The children of Israel were promised to inherit the land of Canaan. In Christian terms, our inheritance is the whole world to which we are joint heirs with Jesus (v. 17). Therefore, we are debtors to God, who loves us, saves us, and leads us to the home promised to us. Some may be concerned this compromises a belief in God’s grace, freely given, but that is not the case. Our debt is a joyful acceptance of this gift graciously given. God’s gift and call is not for us alone but for working through us to transform the world.
Paul does not promise that working with God to transform the world will be easy. Paul makes it clear that living a Christian life will include suffering, and at times we may be tempted by an easier life, enslaved to sin once again. Christians suffered economic and social persecution in the first century, and some faced death.
We, too, must be willing to suffer as disciples of Christ. To live as Jesus did—serving others, giving up one’s rights, resisting pressure to conform to the world—comes with a price. But our suffering cannot compare to the price Jesus paid for us, and through such faithful commitment to Christ, we experience hope for the glory to come (v. 17).
Central Ideas
- When a person becomes a Christian, that person gains all the privileges and responsibilities of being a child in God’s family.
- One of those privileges is to be led by the Holy Spirit, an inward presence that reminds us who we are and encourages us with love.
- As children of God, the Holy Spirit works through us to transform the world.
Questions for the Speaker
- What are the challenges of putting aside human nature to live the way God wants us to live?
- Paul responds to the spirit of adoption with the cry, “Abba! Father!” What is your response to being adopted into God’s family?
- Working with God to transform the world will include suffering. What is your experience of this?
- Working with God to transform the world brings joy. What is your experience of this?
SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY
Year B Letters
Trinity Sunday
Romans 8:12–17 NRSVUE
Gathering
Welcome
Trinity Sunday is observed the Sunday following Pentecost. Christian tradition celebrates the doctrine of the Trinity: God experienced in three persons. God is Creator (traditionally identified as the Father), Jesus Christ is the Redeemer (the Son), and the Holy Spirit is the Comforter or Sustainer. In other words, God is one and three. From Community of Christ Basic Beliefs:
We believe in one living God who meets us in the testimony of Israel, is revealed in Jesus Christ, and moves through all creation as the Holy Spirit. We affirm the Trinity—God who is a community of three persons.
—CofChrist.org/basic-beliefs
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
Triune God, how majestic are all of your names, used around the world, as people call upon you! Just as grasping at your greatness leads us beyond simple comprehension, so, too, does grasping at peace. What are the ways that people are struggling in the world today? What are the actions we can offer that would facilitate peace within those struggles? How can we tangibly move toward peace? Over and over in scripture, you call us to be faithful to your many forms, to dig deep into a sense of understanding you. At the same time, you send us to all nations to act and be peace among the people who need it most.
Call us today to three acts of peace, Lord, just as you are the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Call us to walk with you as creators of peace in the broken places. Call us to point others toward you as Redeemer of a world in search of peace. Call us to generate and sustain real change to broken systems that suppress peace.
We pray for blessing in all its many forms. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Darshan
Read the following to the group:
Today’s practice comes for the Hindu tradition. Darshan means to behold the Divine in all things with reverence. In the Christian tradition this also is known as visio divina. Both practices are rooted in the concept of approaching images with openness to God’s presence.
Invite the group to go outside with you and then read:
Choose an image around you that is calling to you. It can be anything, a tree, clouds, the sky, grass.
Pause to allow people to choose their image. Read the following:
We will spend several minutes looking at the image we have chosen.
Look slowly at the image, taking in every detail without critique or judgment. Observe the colors, shapes, shadows, lines, etc. Allow your feelings, memories, and thoughts about the image to arise. Notice and welcome all reactions.
Give the group two to three minutes to meditate on the image. Then read the following questions and allow a discussion to follow:
- How do these feelings, evoked by the image, connect with your life?
- How is the Spirit calling to you through the image?
- What is your response?
After the discussion, say:
May you rest in God’s presence. Amen.
Sharing Around the Table
Romans 8:12–17 NRSVUE
So then, brothers and sisters, we are obligated, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we in fact suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
This passage begins by declaring that we are debtors. Debt, in this case, is presented as something to celebrate because our debt is to God. As a way of contrast, Paul says we are not in debt to “the flesh.” This might be explained best as living in the way our human nature wants us to live.
In the verses that follow, Paul echoes passages from the Hebrew Bible, when the children of Israel escaped from slavery to travel through the wilderness toward the promised land. God led the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. At times they wanted to give up and go back to Egypt and a life of slavery. However, despite many struggles, they persevered.
The promise to those who persevere is adoption. In Roman culture, the adopted person lost all rights in their old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in their new family. When a person becomes a Christian, that person gains all the privileges and responsibilities of being a child in God’s family. One privilege is to be led by the Holy Spirit, an inward presence that reminds us who we are and encourages us with love.
A crucial part of Christian discipleship is to nurture our ability to recognize and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When the spirit of adoption dwells in a person’s heart, she or he recognizes God as parent.
Paul makes it clear that living a Christian life, part of God’s family or community, will include suffering. Christians suffered economic and social persecution in the first century, and some faced death. We, too, must be willing to suffer as disciples of Christ. To live as Jesus did—serving others, giving up one’s rights, resisting pressure to conform to the world—comes with a price. Through such faithful commitment to Christ, we experience hope for what is yet to come.
Questions
- What challenges keep you from putting aside human nature to live the way of Jesus?
- What does “adopted into God’s family” mean to you?
- Working with God to transform the world includes both suffering and joy. How have you experienced this?
Sending
Generosity Statement
Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed.
—Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response.
Pray with me:
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Three that are one, may we offer our resources to you that they may be used to share loving community with those seeking respite, connection, purpose, and love. May our generosity bring blessing and further the mission of Christ. Amen.
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
Community of Christ Sings 56, “The Play of the Godhead”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
- Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
- Thoughts for Children
Thoughts for Children
God wants us to be one with each other in community, just as God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one. We call this community of three the Trinity.
Let’s try an experiment to better understand what it means to be three in one.
Think of a word or image. Hold your hands in front of your mouth and speak the word into your hands. Could you feel your breath in your hands as you spoke the word aloud?
Your “thought” is like God, where the idea begins.
The “spoken word” is Jesus Christ.
The breath you felt in your hands is like the Holy Spirit that breathes as God’s presence in the world.
Let’s try again. Think of another word or image—something God would share with the world, such as peace, hope, or love. Think the word. Say the word aloud. Feel the breath that carries your word into the world.
God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit are different ways we can understand God as our Creator, Jesus as our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.
Offer a brief prayer of thanks for God as Trinity, a community of three. Thank the children for participating.