The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the 28th chapter:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Thus far the text.
Alexis, Hosanna, Gianna, Layla, and my dear friends in Christ,
A few months ago, a movie came out that has the potential to do more damage to the Christian faith than even the heresies that brought about the need to confess the Athanasian creed. It was based on a book that was published a decade ago. It’s called “The Shack.” You’ve probably heard of it. I’m not going to spend this sermon criticizing each and every point of the book, since I promised you this would be a shorter sermon given all that’s going on here today, and if we really wanted to tear it apart, it would take more than a few hours.
However, this book is so dangerous to the Christian faith because it may lead people to believe something about the Holy Trinity that isn’t true. This matters. It matters that we not think of a god who calls himself “Papa” but shows himself as a large, African-American woman, a holy spirit who calls himself Sarayu and is overly interested in the randomness of creation, and a somewhat-sorta-accurate portrayal of a guy called Jesus. That’s the god of “The Shack,” and that’s no god at all.
You see, our God has revealed Himself to us. He invites us to call Him Father. He invites us to call Him Lord. He invites us to call Him Holy Spirit. But these are not one person, but three. Someone, in some way that we will never understand, the only one true God of the universe, the only God that truly exists, is One God, yet Three Persons.
I can’t understand it. I can’t explain it. I can try. We attempted to explain this in the Athanasian Creed, but it’s hard, isn’t it? That’s because there’s no way for us to actually comprehend something being three and yet one at the same time. Sure, we have analogies. God is like water, where He is solid, liquid, and gas. But that breaks down. Water can’t be all three things at the same time. God is three persons, yet one God. God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit.
And you see, this matters. It matters. It matters because the name of God, which is the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was put on you in Baptism. That specific name, and that name only. That name is your identity. It is your salvation. And if you go around changing that name, changing what the persons are behind that name, what they do under than name, then you change what your Baptism is, what it means for you today.
You see, Jesus says that this is important. We talk about a church having a mission or a vision for the world. But, the only thing that really matters is the mission and the vision that He has given us. And this is the same as it has been through all eternity. We are to make disciples of all nations. How are we to do that? Well, first we Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then we’re going to teach. Baptize and teach. Usually, but not always in that order. Baptize and teach.
That’s what Jesus says to do. We do it in the Triune name of God. Triune, Trinity. Tri, three, unity, one, tri-unity, Trinity. Three in one. We Baptize in the name of the Triune God and then we teach all the doctrines that Jesus gave us to teach. He taught His disciples and they continue to teach us what Jesus said through the words they wrote in the Scriptures.
And you know this is important, because Jesus says that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. That means that whenever He says something, you better believe that you need to be listening to it. When you disregard the authority of someone, when you don’t listen to the police officer, when you disregard the principal, when you won’t listen to mom or dad, when you fall asleep during the sermon, you begin to work against the authority of the person God has placed over you. And it never goes well, does it?
So, when Jesus commands that we believe these things about the Trinity, when He tells us this name of God, even though it seems mysterious to us, even though it seem too difficult to believe, it’s true. And you have to believe it. Because Jesus said so.
We can’t go around changing what Jesus taught just because it’s strange or uncomfortable. That’s really what today is all about. Jesus is with us, even now, even forever, and we continue to teach in His name the things He gave us to pass on. And so today, we had two Baptisms. We had a remembrance of Baptism. We are going to have two young women make confirmation vows. We are going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. We teach and do the things that Jesus taught. He’s exclusive. There’s no other God. There’s no other right belief. There’s no other truth outside of Jesus and what He’s taught us about God.
And what Jesus taught us is too good for words, though we’ll try: All of the Scriptures point to His coming to save all of mankind from their sins. Though many will reject Him, and many will fall away, the Lord is always near to those who all on Him, who call on Him in truth. And Jesus taught us that He is the coming, promised Messiah and that He would lay down His life in our place. He taught us that it was our sin that would send Him to His death. He taught us that, by our sin, yet by His desire to save the lost, we would kill God, and so we did. And He taught us that He rose from the dead, never to die again. He taught us that He, then, will come to raise us from the dead in the same manner and all those who believe in Him will inherit eternal life.
These claims are exclusive. They are true, but no other competing claim can be made. Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu will not save you. Buddha will not save you. Science will not save you. Not everyone will be saved. Yet, you are saved. You have been Baptized and you are welcomed into the Lord’s family through that. And that’s what you will, and many of you already have, confirmed in your Confirmation vows. You will promise that this is the faith you were Baptized into, the faith that is true, and that even though you may not understand it all now or ever, you will seek after the things of Christ, even if they should lead to your own deaths.
We don’t fear death, do we? If the Lord will raise you from your grave, if you have that promise, what can death do to you? Nothing. It brings you to Jesus. And that’s okay. In the one true faith, there is nothing you need to fear. No heresy, no heretic, no shack will keep you from God, for in this place, we will tell you the truth, the truth of Jesus, forever, for He is with us forever and we will forever teach you about Him and His love for you, His forgiveness of sins for you, His eternal life for you. Welcome to the family, the family of Christ, now and always. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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