The Triune God Who Loves Us

SG 0401
Todd Milner
March 15, 2015

Who is the Triune God who promises?

The Triune God who promises is revealed to us in many different ways. First and
foremost, our God is love, shown to us through Gods beloved Son. Any Father who
has his Son die for the sake of the world is the ultimate definition of love. In Johns
Gospel, we read the beautiful verse that most Christians have memorized. This is
the Gospel in one sentence, the Gospel in a nutshell. John writes: For God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not
perish but may have eternal life. (3:16, 1820) However, the next verse is just as
important in describing Gods love for us and the world. John continues: Indeed,
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the
world might be saved through him. (3:17, 1820) So Gods love is expressed to me
and all people by the salvation available to all.
In his book Mercy, Cardinal Walter Kasper says this about how Gods love works
amongst us. He writes: It is fundamentally important that both commandments
are held together; there is no love of God without love of neighbor. Only when they
are together do the two commandments sum up and fulfill the entire law. Together
they are the quintessence, summary, and epitome of Christian experience. (134)
Gods love has been freely given to us so that we can serve others by showing
Gods love. As one of my small group members said, this love is such that it flows
two ways. It flows from God to us. This love then flows back to God by Gods
people serving those in need. This love is only reciprocal. It cannot be held
selfishly by Gods people. Rather, we joyfully honor and love God by showing Gods
love to others in need. We do so not to try to gain brownie points with God, for we

have gained all the points we will ever need. The tomb is empty, and Christ lives
forever. We joyfully serve others because of the love first shown to us. We are
freed and forgiven to be Gods agents in this broken world.
As one of my classmates said, the Kingdom of God is here and now. This is not
something far off in the cosmos. We have a relational God who lives in us and
among us. God is Emmanuel, who is God with us. Even at our darkest hours, God is
with us to see us through our suffering. God suffers with us when Gods people
suffer. There are many mysteries of this life that we will never understand, and
suffering is at the top of the list. We do not understand all the bad things that
happen on this earth. We do not understand terrorism, war, racism, and the
ugliness of human behavior. But what we do know for certain is this: We have a
relational God who loves us and is with us always. Our God hears our prayers and
cries with the suffering of Gods people. Despite all the mysteries we will never
understand, we hold on to the rock of Gods love and mercy.
In my favorite Bible verse, St. Paul tells us about the power of Gods love. In
Romans 8: 31-39, Paul writes this: What then are we to say about these things? If
God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave
him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring
any charge against Gods elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is
Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who
indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will
hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I
am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all

creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(1921-1922)
As a funeral director, I have heard this beautiful passage read hundreds of times at
funeral services. Gods promises of love are given succinctly and forcefully in Pauls
letter. Nothing can ever separate us from Gods love. There is nothing more
powerful than this promise of God. Gods love and mercy are summed up in a few
sentences. During my CPE unit, while working at an intercity hospital, I often used
these beautiful words from Paul to console those who were suffering. And now,
while I am serving my two year part time internship, I once again find myself using
Pauls beloved words when I meet with those who are ill or dying. For those who are
hurting in any way, this promise that nothing will ever separate them from Gods
love, is the ultimate in Christian theology. Our God is with us always, even when we
cannot sense Gods presence. If nothing can ever separate us from Gods love, then
we have nothing to worry about. We know that everything will turn out OK in the
end, even when we are going through the fiery ordeals of this troubled world.
Gods promise of abundant life is for now and forever. Since God has chosen us
through Gods beloved Son, we have the promise of life forever in Gods eternal
kingdom. Yes, we will all endure suffering and hardship throughout this life. This is
a mystery which we will not understand this side of the grave. This mystery causes
much stress and strain, and even alienates people from believing in our Triune God.
But, we know that Christs blood has ensured the victory for us. Death has been
defeated, and God will host us forever in Gods mansion. We will be with all of our
loved ones, and all the saints of all times and all places. Every tear will be dried,
and suffering will be no more. We will then know the complete fulfillment of Gods
love.

Who is the God we worship in Jesus?

Jesus is God in human form, who came to this earth to dwell among Gods people.
Jesus came humbly, born to a virgin and the man she was going to marry. Mary and
Joseph were peasants who God selected to be the parents of Jesus. When Joseph
found out that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to leave her. Matthew tells us how
this all unfolded when an angel spoke to Joseph. Matthew writes: Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is
from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
save people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by
the Lord through the prophet: Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
they shall call him Emmanuel, which means, God is with us. (Matthew 1: 20-23
1669) Since Jesus is God with us, we have Gods promise that God is with us always
through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus grew, he performed many miracles which showed people he was the Son of
God. Many questioned that Jesus was the Son of God, but he persevered. One of
my favorite stories about Jesus is when he healed a paralyzed man who was
lowered into a room from the roof of a house. This beautiful story tells us about the
unwavering faith that some people in the ancient world had in Jesus. They went to
tremendous lengths to make sure that this paralyzed man would be seen by Jesus.
We live today by this same unwavering faith shown to us from this story. Luke tells
the story this way: Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed.
They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to
bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with

his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw
their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven you. Then the scribes and the
Pharisees began to question, Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can
forgive sins but God alone? When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered
them, Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say,
Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Stand up and walk? But so you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to the one who
was paralyzed I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.
Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to
his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and
were filled with awe, saying, We have seen strange things today. (Luke 5: 18-26,
1771-1772)
Jesus performed miracles so all would know he was the Son of God. However, these
miracles caused the enemies of Jesus to be suspicious of him, which ultimately led
to his death. Jesus died a criminals death so that all the sins of humankind would
be borne by Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Walter Casper speaks to the substitutionary atonement that Jesus has provided for
all people. Kasper writes this in his book Mercy: Jesus substitutionary
atonement is exclusive insofar as he is the one and only mediator of salvation; on
the other hand, his substitutionary atonement is inclusive insofar as it includes us
in his self-sacrifice. Substitutionary atonement is not an action that replaces what
we ourselves can do and must do. It does not replace the individual responsibility of
each person, but rather it really sets us free again. It reestablishes responsibility
after it was squandered because of sin; it enables responsibility anew and

challenges it anew. Jesus substitutionary atonement liberates us for a new life and
makes us a new creation. (76)
Since Christ has made us a new creation, we are freed to serve others in this
troubled world. As Martin Luther once said, we are to live in this world as the Little
Christs. We have this solemn responsibility to serve others, especially the least
amongst us, to make Christ known. We do so not to climb a ladder to try to gain
Gods favor. We have already gained all of Gods favor through the blood of Jesus
Christ. We joyfully serve others as a reflection of the love of Christ first shown to us
at Calvary. Since death has been defeated, we live daily with hope and joy of the
resurrection to eternal life. When we are baptized, we are washed and cleansed by
Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. We are united with Christ, in his death,
through the waters of baptism. When we eat Christs body and drink his blood at
the Holy Eucharist, we proclaim Christs death and resurrection until he comes
again. We are sustained and forgiven by Christs body and blood. This Holy Supper
sees us through the journey of this life, to gladly serve others with the love of God,
until we reach Christs promise of eternal life. Then, there will be no more suffering,
and no more pain, for we will live forever with Christ and all the saints of all times
and all places.

Who is the God we worship in the power of the Holy Spirit?

I once preached a sermon about the Holy Spirit. I said that the Holy Spirit can be
compared to a parrot who constantly sits on our shoulder. This parrot speaks to us
throughout our day. This parrot is our constant friend, always with us, no matter
what we may face in this life. I realize that this metaphor is just one image of the

Holy Spirit. But as an animal lover who sees Gods good creation through the
affection of animals, I have always liked this image.
However, the Holy Spirit comes to us in many ways. Since the Spirit lives within us,
we hear constant whispers from the Spirit in our thoughts. When I write a sermon, I
am always amazed when I go back later and read it. I cannot believe what has
come out of my mind and is transferred onto the paper. I firmly believe that this is
not my writing, but rather the writing of the Holy Spirit. I am merely the vessel for
which the Spirit uses to proclaim Gods Word. The Spirit speaks to me, and I put the
words on paper through my computer. This is a good example of Gods power
through the Holy Spirit, working through the disciples of Christ.
The Holy Spirit also speaks to us through other people. When we are hurting and
suffering, we receive God through the love of other people. When I was diagnosed
with papillary carcinoma (thyroid cancer) in 1998, I remember how tears flowed
down my face in front of my surgeon. He assured me that this was a good cancer
to get, for its success rate was 98% surgical cure. The Holy Spirit comforted me
through the kind words of my surgeon. After surgery, I remember lying in my bed at
St. Vincent Medical Center. I was not in a real good place, for my wife and I had
separated three months earlier after a difficult marriage. I was visited by a hospital
chaplain, who happened to be a Lutheran pastor. I shared with him my marital
separation and likely divorce. He comforted me by letting me know he had also
been through a divorce, and that God loved me, and everything would be OK. The
Holy Spirit spoke to me and comforted me through this hospital chaplain.
This third person of the Trinity many find mysterious, but I do not. Since God lives in
us, God is directing us through the Spirit. This is not to say that we will always

make good decisions. I have made more than my share of bad decisions throughout
my life. But we live in a broken humanity, and God gives us free will to live our lives
as we see fit. So we will make plenty of mistakes. However, the blood of Christ has
made us anew, and continues to make us anew on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit is
our constant comforter as we muddle our way through this life. The Spirit is always
present with us, particularly at our darkest hours. The light of Christ shines through
the Holy Spirit, and shines through us as Gods people in this world. The Spirit leads
us to love and serve our neighbors, so that Gods love through Christ will be known
to all in this broken world.

Conclusion
Our Triune God promises to be with us, no matter what happens in this life. Some
will question Gods whereabouts during the trials and tribulations of this life. These
can be difficult questions for which answers are elusive. These trials and
tribulations are mysteries which cannot be fully explained during our time on earth.
However, the Good News for us is that we live daily as resurrection people. We are
the baptized and forgiven children of God, and NOTHING can ever separate us from
Gods love. The tomb is empty. We know that Jesus lives forever, and Christ gives
us the gift of eternal life. We know that Jesus lives in us through the power of the
Holy Spirit. Since we are freed and forgiven as the disciples of Jesus Christ, we have
a solemn responsibility to serve others and love others, especially the least
amongst us. We joyfully do so for Christ has defeated death and sin forever. The
victory has been won for us, so that we can reflect Christs light and love throughout
the world. We cannot selfishly retain this love, for God has loved us so that we may

show Gods love to others. God is known to us through this love, a love so bold
which is defined by the empty tomb and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This love is aptly expressed by one of the churchs great hymn writers, Charles
Wesley, in the hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. Wesley writes this: Love
divine, all loves excelling, joy of Heaven, to earth come down! Fix in us thy humble
dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure,
unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart.
(#631, ELW)
Thanks be to God for the love and mercy shown to all Gods people, through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who lives forever and dwells in us through
the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen.

Bibliography

Attridge, Harold W.; The Harper Collins Study Bible; Harper One; San Francisco; 2006

Evangelical Lutheran Worship; Augsburg Fortress; Minneapolis; 2006

Kasper, Walter; Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life;
Paulist Press; New York; 2014