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Trinity V – Mary & Martha

Life is all about decisions. The choices that we make can have a massive effect upon our lives. We often think of decisions as ‘either/or’ alternatives. However, we may be making a false distinction. Living the Christian life is often much more a case of ‘both/and’ rather than ‘either/or’. Nowhere is this shown with greater clarity than through the question of faith and action. These two concepts are not in opposition: they are two sides of the same coin. To make the Kingdom of God a reality we need both contemplation and practical application. If work and prayer are kept in balance, then our duties towards God and our neighbour can be fulfilled, and we can grow in faith and love. As Christians we need to demonstrate our faith by being hospitable and welcoming, as well as prayerful. 

Hospitality is the focus of this morning’s first reading from the Book of Genesis. God appears to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre near the town of Hebron, nineteen miles south of Jerusalem. Abraham is visited by three angels and looks after them, offering them hospitality, and taking care of them. In return the Patriarch is blessed with the promise of a son. From early times, biblical interpreters understand these three angels as symbolising the Trinitarian nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, revealing their nature to Abraham, our father in faith. This view became particularly relevant during the fourth-century debate on the nature of God, which led to the formation of the Creed we will soon recite together. In this passage from Genesis, we see both what God is like and how we should respond to God: with generous hospitality, care and attention.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is still travelling. As there were no hotels or service stations, the only way to eat, drink, and rest was through hospitality. Our Lord is welcomed into her home by a woman named Martha: 

‘Yr oedd ganddi hi chwaer a elwid Mair; eisteddodd hi wrth draed yr Arglwydd a gwrando ar ei air.’

‘And she had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching’ (Lk 10:39)

These sisters, Mary and Mary, may well be the same women who appear in John’s Gospel as the sisters of Lazarus, and who live in Bethany. There they are described as friends of Jesus who regularly provide hospitality for Him and His followers. We are told that Mary is giving Jesus her undivided attention, she sits at His feet, as a student would sit at the feet of their teacher. Her sister does not join her as she is so busy looking after the guests:

‘Ond yr oedd Martha mewn dryswch oherwydd yr holl waith gweini, a daeth ato a dweud, “Arglwydd, a wyt ti heb hidio dim fod fy chwaer wedi fy ngadael i weini ar fy mhen fy hun? Dywed wrthi, felly, am fy nghynorthwyo.”’

‘But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (Lk 10:40)

Like the lawyer in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Martha is attempting to justify herself. In order to do this, she blames others — in fact her own sister — to cover up the fact that she is anxious and troubled with the cares of the world. She allows these worries to take precedence over the Gospel. Martha has shown Jesus a hospitable welcome, but then she tries to involve Him in a domestic squabble, which is centred on justifying her own busyness. Jesus is a teacher, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom. While it is important that He and his disciples are fed and cared for, the immediate concern is to give Our Lord their undivided attention, and listen to what He has to say:

‘Atebodd yr Arglwydd hi, “Martha, Martha, yr wyt yn pryderu ac yn trafferthu am lawer o bethau, ond un peth sy’n angenrheidiol. Y mae Mair wedi dewis y rhan orau, ac nis dygir oddi arni.”’

‘But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”’ (Lk 10:41-42)

Jesus does not tell Martha off, rather He is encouraging, calming her down, and showing her a better way of living. Only one thing is necessary: for a host to pay attention to a guest, as Abraham did at the Oak of Mamre in the first reading this morning .

The point is not simply to prefer the contemplative to the practical, or the spiritual to the physical. Instead we need to balance our physical needs with our spiritual ones. Martha is too wrapped up in her own affairs and has forgotten what is really important. Jesus does not want special treatment, or a lavish banquet with lots of dishes. What He wants are people who pay attention to what He has to say. Martha has not chosen a bad portion, service and hospitality are important. However, attention — staying close to Jesus, listening to what He says, and not being distracted — is how we grow as Christians. This is the good portion that Christ speaks of. 

Jesus of Nazareth frequently breaks down cultural barriers. Last week we saw a Samaritan, a complete outcast held up as a model of neighbourly love and compassion. This week Mary sits at Christ’s feet, breaking a cultural taboo regarding women. She wants to be taught, and therefore displays both love and attention. Jesus tells us that, like Mary, we too should be attentive to God and His message for us in the Gospel. In doing this we emulate Mary, and choose the better part. This is a choice which has a moral dimension. When we truly listen attentively to what God says to us, our actions and our character are formed, helping our growth in holiness. Nourished by Word and Sacrament, we can progress in living out the graces which we received in our baptism, and prepare for our inheritance with the Saints in glory. We do not achieve this through prayer and contemplation alone, but by making our prayer and our work, all that we do, and all that we are, a response to God and to our neighbour. By responding in this way we are truly living out lives of Christian love. Such love is the nature of God and binds together the persons of the Trinity. This is a powerful catalyst which transforms both us and our world.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, through practising both prayer and action, may we be agents of God’s love and grace in the world. May we transform our homes, our communities, and the whole world. Filled with God’s love, and compassion, let us give glory to God, Duw Dad, Duw y Mab, a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I’r hwn y priodoler pob gogoniant, arglwyddiaeth, a gallu, yn awr, ac yn oes oesoedd. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion and power, now and forever. Amen.

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Trinity Sunday 2025

In the Science fiction film, ‘The Matrix’ and its sequels there is a character called ‘Trinity’, played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The name comes from her handle as a computer hacker. She, apparently, chose this moniker to give the impression that she is as mysterious and enigmatic as the concept of a Three-in-one being (God the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). So what do Christians believe about the Trinity?

In today’s Gospel Jesus promises His disciples that,

“Ond pan ddaw ef, Ysbryd y Gwirionedd, fe’ch arwain chwi yn yr holl wirionedd. Oherwydd nid ohono’i hun y bydd yn llefaru; ond yr hyn a glyw y bydd yn ei lefaru, a’r hyn sy’n dod y bydd yn ei fynegi i chwi.”

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (Jn 16:13)

God gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us in our lives. We are invited into a relationship and journey of faith, which enables us to grow and develop. As Christians, we worship One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are not three Gods, but one God. That the three persons of the Trinity are one God is itself a mystery. It is the enigma of God’s very self: a Trinity of Persons, consubstantial, co-equal, and co-eternal. ‘Consubstantial’ means ‘of one being’, i.e. they are One. ‘Co-equal’ means that the persons of the Trinity are equal to one another, none is greater or lesser than another. ‘Co-eternal’ means that they all have no beginning in time all three are eternal. We know God most fully in the person of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary, died upon the Cross for our sins, was raised to New Life at Easter, and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In Christ, God discloses who and what He is. We know Him through His outpouring of love into our lives.

All Christians are baptised in the name of the Trinity. Our worship is Trinitarian. The service this morning began with the words ‘Yn enw’r Tad, a’r Mab, a’r Ysbryd Glân, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’ Eucharistic Services have begun by invoking the name of the Trinity, and making the sign of the Cross, for as long as we have descriptions of them, going back almost 1900 years. And 1700 years ago just before the Council of Nicaea, this morning’s first reading was one of the most controversial passages in Scripture: 

“Lluniodd yr Arglwydd fi ar ddechrau ei waith, yn gyntaf o’i weithredoedd gynt.”

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.” (Proverbs 8:22)

In the Greek text of Proverbs, used widely around the Mediterranean at that time, the verb translated as ‘possessed’ was one that meant ‘created’. This lead some people — the followers of Arius — to argue that this passage means that Jesus Christ was created and not begotten. This would therefore mean that Jesus had a beginning in time, and was not eternal. He was therefore somewhat lesser than God the Father. To discuss this theological issue Church Councils were called at Nicaea in ad325, and Constantinople in ad381. These meetings of bishops rejected the Arian ideas and gave us the doctrinal statement known as the Nicene Creed, which we will say together in a few minutes time. Our faith, as Christians, is rooted in our belief in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, consubstantial, co-equal, and co-eternal. This is why the Creed is made up of three sections. It begins by stating what we believe about God the Father. The text then moves on to what we believe about Jesus the Son. The statement of faith then finishes with the Christian beliefs concerning the Holy Spirit. What we believe and how we worship God matters.

Last Sunday we celebrated Whitsun, Y Sulgwyn, the Feast of Pentecost: the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the Upper Room, fifty days after Easter, and ten days after Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, we see the fullness of who God is. As St Paul puts it in his Letter to the Romans:

“oherwydd y mae cariad Duw wedi ei dywallt yn ein calonnau trwy’r Ysbryd Glân y mae ef wedi ei roi i ni.”

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

As Christians, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit — a spirit of love and joy. This allows us to experience God as He is: the Father who created all that exists; the Son who redeemed humanity; and the Spirit who sanctifies and encourages God’s people. God calls us into a relationship and we respond with worship which honours our Creator and Sustainer. We do this not because God requires our worship, but because of our own need to acknowledge our dependance upon Him. God loves us, and because we know that we are loved, we respond with love and praise. 

The wonderful thing about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is that it enables us to encounter and experience God in a deeper way. We can know Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. He speaks to us in Scripture, and He comes to us in the Eucharist, so that we may be nourished by God. In our prayer and worship, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who transforms us. The Trinity is not an abstract philosophical concept, but rather the manifestation of a generous and loving God. The Christian understanding of God is not of a remote being. God makes His home with us. He gives us His life, and He transforms and heals us in love. This is all possible through the relationship God has with us, through His Son and His Spirit, which is personal to each and every one of us. That is why we celebrate the Trinity today.

In Christ God becomes human, allowing Him to understand us from the inside, so to speak. This is not a distant, impersonal divinity, but one who lives a human life. One who understands our frailty, and who loves us. God sends His Spirit so that we may be encouraged and live out our true potential. We will face difficulties and hardships. Christ promises us no less, as does St Paul in our second reading. But the point is that these experiences, while difficult to endure, can also be positive: we grow and develop through them. It is often through the experience of suffering that we become more loving and forgiving.

God makes us new by his redeeming love and transforms us into what He wants us to be. God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — offers us all the opportunity to be something different, something more than we are. If we let Him change us. If we co-operate with His grace. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and nourished by Word and Sacrament, God is at work in us, transforming us into His likeness.

So, as we celebrate the mystery of the Holy and Life-giving Trinity, let us pray that we may be changed by God’s love, and share this love with others. Let us give thanks for the mystery and wonder that is God, Duw Dad, Duw y Mab, a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I’r hwn y priodoler pob gogoniant, arglwyddiaeth, a gallu, yn awr, ac yn oes oesoedd. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion and power, now and forever. Amen.

The Trinity Lance McNeel 2009

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The Baptism of the Lord 2025

TWO of the most important days of our lives are ones that many of us cannot remember. The first is the day of our birth, and the second is the day of our baptism. While people are often baptised when they are children or adults, many people in this country are baptised as infants. We may have photos of our baptism, and we may remember it or have been told about it by our families. People usually know where and when their baptism took place. Also, having been to other baptisms we know what will have happened on this significant day of our life, when we were welcomed as a member of the Christian community. Jesus’ baptism was in many ways similar to our own, and in some ways it was significantly different.

Early in Luke’s Gospel we hear about John the Baptist, a holy man who has been proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Lk 2:3). John has been calling people to turn away from their sins, and to turn back to God, and live holy lives. This has a significant effect on the people of Judea. There is an increase in religious observance; something like a religious revival. This, in turn, leads to speculation:

‘Gan fod y bobl yn disgwyl, a phawb yn ystyried yn ei galon tybed ai Ioan oedd y Meseia,’

‘As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,’ (Lk 3:15)

The people of Israel were longing for the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. The prophesied Messiah is a charismatic King figure, anointed by God, and descended from David, who will make Israel flourish and re-establish the Kingdom of God. 

John the Baptist goes to great lengths to argue that he is not the Messiah. John is the messenger, preparing the way:

‘Yr wyf fi yn eich bedyddio â dŵr; ond y mae un cryfach na mi yn dod. Nid wyf fi’n deilwng i ddatod carrai ei sandalau ef. Bydd ef yn eich bedyddio â’r Ysbryd Glân ac â thân.’

‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’ (Lk 3:16)

The Baptist sees himself as not even worthy to untie the sandals of the Messiah, something a servant would do for their master. John demonstrates great humility, and his actions point forward to the baptism of the Church, instituted by Jesus in the River Jordan. Whereas John baptizes with water, Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This looks forward to both Our Lord’s death on the Cross, and to Pentecost, when the Apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit.

‘Pan oedd yr holl bobl yn cael eu bedyddio, yr oedd Iesu, ar ôl ei fedydd ef, yn gweddïo. Agorwyd y nef, a disgynnodd yr Ysbryd Glân arno mewn ffurf gorfforol fel colomen; a daeth llais o’r nef: “Ti yw fy Mab, yr Anwylyd; ynot ti yr wyf yn ymhyfrydu.”’

‘Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”’ (Lk 3:21-22)

We then have to ask ourselves why is Jesus being baptized? Jesus is not a sinner. He has no sins from which to repent, and yet He is in the River Jordan, being baptized by John. An explanation is that in His Baptism Jesus is in solidarity with sinful humanity: He does not wish us, His followers, to undergo anything that He would not undergo Himself. Christ is an example of how to come to God and have new life: He shows us the Way. As a sign of divine approval after the Baptism, as Jesus is praying, the heavens open, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove. God then says: ‘Ti yw fy Mab, yr Anwylyd; ynot ti yr wyf yn ymhyfrydu. You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’ (Lk 3:22)

At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus shows humanity the way to the Father, through Himself. The world sees the generous love of God, which heals and restores us to the light and life of the Kingdom of God. As our baptism is a sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus, so His Baptism points to the Cross, where streams of blood and water flow to cleanse and heal the world. We see the love of the Father, the power of the Spirit, and the obedience of Son, all for us — people who need God’s love, forgiveness, and healing.

At the moment of Jesus’ Baptism, the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in glory and the divine presence. In the account of Noah’s Ark God makes his love manifest in the form of a dove. At the end of the Flood a dove brings an olive branch back to the Ark, a sign of peace and new life. So now, the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove to show us the fullness of God, a relationship of love, which is opened up to us in our baptism. Through our baptism we are invited into the embrace of God’s eternal love. 

The Divine Trinity makes itself manifest in recognition of the Son’s obedience to the Father, and looks forward to the Cross, where God’s love is poured out upon the world, and through which we are saved. In our own baptism, we share in Christ’s Death and Resurrection. In His Baptism, as in His Death, Christ shows us the way to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are baptised in the name of the Holy and life-giving Trinity. Similarly, our worship this morning began by invoking the name of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Yn enw’r Tad, a’r Mab, a’r Ysbryd Glân). And so all of our life as Christians is Trinitarian.

As we celebrate Our Lord’s Baptism in the River Jordan, and as we remember our own baptism, we also look forward to His first miracle at the Wedding at Cana. Christ, He who is without sin, shows humanity how to be freed from transgression and to have new life in Him.

So, today and every day, let us all draw strength from our Baptism and grow in faith, hope, and love, nourished by Christ, and with Christ. Let us share that love with others and give praise and honour i’r Duw Dad, Duw y Mab, a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. I’r hwn y priodoler pob gogoniant, arglwyddiaeth a gallu, yn awr ac yn oes oesoedd. Amen.

The Baptism of Christ – Daniel Bonnell
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Trinity Sunday 2024: Transformed by God’s Love: Exploring the Trinitarian Faith and Sacramental Life

WE are all extremely fortunate to live in North Pembrokeshire for many reasons, and especially because we are close to so many hills. Mountains and hills take a lot of effort to climb, but once you have ascended, you can see for miles around. Hilltops are special places, and today’s Gospel takes place on one. Also, many other important and significant moments in Matthew’s Gospel take place on mountains including the Temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration, and the Crucifixion. Our Lord also speaks His final words before his Ascension on a hilltop. 

Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church: a revelation of who God is, and how much God loves us, His people. This week we continue to meditate upon God’s love. This love forms a relationship so intimate that God is closer to us than we are to ourselves — that is something quite hard to get our heads around! Above all, God’s love is something to be experienced, rather than understood. Through this experience God transforms us, so that we can experience that love more fully, and finally enjoy it for eternity, in Heaven.

In today’s Gospel Jesus’ disciples have been told to go to Galilee, to a particular mountain, to meet the Risen Lord. They are obedient, and head north from Jerusalem. When the disciples arrive at the mountain, they see Our Lord and bow down and worship Him — just like the Wise Men did at His birth. Some of the apostles, however, doubt. They have not yet fully grasped the reality of the situation: the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead, is preparing to ascend to His Father, and send the Holy Spirit. Before His Ascension, Jesus comes to them, and speaks to them saying:

‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’

‘Rhoddwyd i mi, bob awdurdod yn y nef ac ar y ddaear’ (Mt 28:18)

This, at one level, is a grand claim to make. But, it is the fulfilment of a prophecy about the Son of Man made by the prophet Daniel:

‘And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.’

‘Rhoddwyd iddo arglwyddiaeth a gogoniant a brenhiniaeth, i’r holl bobloedd o bob cenedl ac iaith ei wasanaethu. Yr oedd ei arglwyddiaeth yn dragwyddol a digyfnewid, ac ni ddinistrir ei frenhiniaeth.’ (Dan 7:14)

Jesus is true God and true man. He fulfils the prophecies of scripture. He also has authority, which He shares with His Church, empowering it to act in His name.

Our Risen Lord tells the disciples to ‘Go therefore’ ‘Ewch, gan hynny’ (Mt 28:19). They are not to stay put, but are called to be active in the world. The Church is given a mission to: ‘make disciples of all nations’ ‘gwnewch ddisgyblion o’r holl genhedloedd’ (Mt 28:19). The disciples, having been taught by Jesus, are empowered to teach the faith to others. The Church has a universal mission. No-one is to be excluded or left out. As well as being proclaimers of the faith, the apostles are also instructed to baptize new converts:

‘baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’

‘gan eu bedyddio hwy yn enw’r Tad a’r Mab a’r Ysbryd Glân’ (Mt 28:19)

This small detail is important. It matters. From the very beginning, the Christian Faith is a Trinitarian Faith. We believe in One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three persons, bound together in love, who invite the world to be in a relationship with Them.

Our Eucharist this morning began, ‘Yn enw’r Tad, a’r Mab, a’r Ysbryd Glân, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’, because this is the God whom we worship. We express our belief in the words that we use, and also in our actions. Our deeds show in a physical way what we believe. As Christians, we are called to live out the faith of our baptism in our lives. God, who is love, has shown that love to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the sending of the Holy Spirit. To be a Christian is to have encountered that love, and been changed by it. We are changed in our baptism, when we are born again to new life in Christ. Also, we are changed each and every time we receive Holy Communion. By God’s grace, Communion, whether physical or spiritual, transforms us. Through this Sacrament we are united with Christ, so that we may become what He is, and share in the love which is the life of God.

Before Our Lord leaves His disciples He makes them a promise:

‘And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

‘Ac yn awr, yr wyf fi gyda chwi bob amser hyd ddiwedd amser.’ (Mt 28:20)

We are not alone. Christ is with us. He hears our prayers, and speaks to us in Scripture. This is very comforting to know. Jesus is with us in three ways. Firstly, through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, by being in the Church, which is His Body, and of which He is the Head. And thirdly, in the Sacraments which are outward signs of inward spiritual Grace. All these things are freely given to transform us into children of God. These blessings allow us, and all Christians, to share in the very life of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all, glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.