MT 28: 16-20 

Matthew in the Margins…Trinity Sunday…Revised 2017 

Today it’s worth pondering that the command, supposedly from the mouth of Jesus Himself, to baptise into the name of the Trinity, has a certain richness about it. Being  baptised, baptising, into the Wholeness of God needs to be valued, seriously.  Alfred Plummer reflects in the early 1900s¹, ‘baptising into the Name of the Trinity may mean immersing in the infinite ocean of the Divine Perfection….into the Divine Essence’. That’s pretty deep stuff! Brendan Byrne² also reminds us how Trinitarian Jesus’ baptism by John is (MT 3:13+) & how connected with that ours is.

I happen to be writing this on my baptismal anniversary. For many years now my wife & I have each lit our own largish ‘baptismal’ candle - we weren’t given candles back in the days we were baptised - & celebrate with great gusto. (Including some from a bottle of red!) More seriously, rediscovering what Plummer says above can give new insight to our celebrating. Let’s encourage others to rediscover their baptism & begin to celebrate it, day by day, not only on the anniversary.  

The meeting in Galilee - somehow the regulation mountain's crept into the scenario, perhaps courtesy of earlier mountain top experiences - sounds a bit like the average congregation: some worship, but some doubt. Perhaps this is a good launching point for a sermon seeking to encourage us to accept people at different stages along the Way. Including celebrating we have honest doubters in our midst. If, that is, we haven’t already squeezed them out into our margins! Part of our ministry to honest doubters is encouraging them to stick with God, as God sticks with us. God still works wonders!

If Jesus were to hold a debriefing (overworked word!) on “Go…Make… Baptise…Teach", how would we report progress? However that process is ongoing,  let’s not make Jesus’ last words here, "Lo, I am with you always..." sound more like a threat than a promise!

While totally valuing the Trinity as Divine Love, rather than cold doctrine, is it fair, or too late, to ask, ‘Where does the Motherhood of God come in? Is it in the Person of the Spirit, as some suggest? Or is that just muddying the waters? Something to ponder - but probably not preach about! The very last words of the passage remind us that all Jesus ever commands is love. Pray the Trinity, All of God, to equip us to love, love, love, on a daily basis to the end of that age Jesus has in mind here. beginning right here & now!

¹  Alfred Plummer, S.Matthew, early 1900s, reprinted Eerdmans, Michigan, 1956, ad loc.  ² Lifting the Burden, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 2004, p.228