Trinity Sunday
“Keep on Singing”
June 15, 2014
Today is Trinity Sunday. It is a day in which we hold up the doctrine that God is one God and yet three
in one, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Our confession in both the Apostles’
Creed and Nicene Creed gives witness to this orthodox belief.
Orthodox simply means a commonly held belief, an accepted doctrine. Orthodox also can mean to give
praise; holding a belief about God is to give praise (songs and hymns) to God. In fact, one of the best
ways in which we as a faith community, be it Hill Avenue Grace Lutheran Church or any church for that
matter, has been through the singing of hymns. People of faith give witness to their faith through song
and through hymns. When believers go through difficult times it is often through the singing of hymns
that a believer is able to keep on singing God’s praise.
I remember reading about a marine who had been wounded by a terrorist attack on a marine base.
The story goes on to tell that a few days after the attack, a commander was visiting the wounded in a
hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. Among the wounded was this marine, so severely wounded, that, due
to all the tubes in him, he looked more like a machine than a man.
As the commander approached, the wounded soldier struggling due to pain, motioned for a piece of
paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the commander. On the slip of paper
were but two words: “Semper Fi”, the Latin motto of the Marine Corps meaning “Forever Faithful”.
With those two words, “Semper Fi”, the soldier spoke for millions of Americans who have sacrificed life
and limb for their country. They have remained “forever faithful”. In like manner, I mean in a greater
manner, God has lived out that same motto – “Semper Fi”, forever faithful.
From the call of Abraham to the blood stained cross, from the march into exile to live in foreign soil, to
the sending out of disciples to all nations teaching all that Jesus commanded, God has been forever
faithful. Because of God’s unyielding commitment, because of God’s continued presence, because of
God being unwilling to hold anything back from restoring our lives we can keep on singing!
Louis Albert Banks tells of a story of an elderly Christian man who was a fine singer. This man learned
he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready
for the operation, the man asked his doctor, “Are you sure I will never sing again?” The doctor had
trouble answering this difficult question. The doctor simply shook his head no. The patient then asked
if he could sit up for a moment. He then said, “I have had many good times singing the praises of God.
And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have but one song that will be my last. It will be a song of
gratitude and praise to God. The man then sang Isaac Watts’ hymn, “I’ll Praise My Maker While I Have
Breath”. In his own way he was able to keep on singing.
Pastor Greg Uthus
73 N. Hill Avenue ● Pasadena, CA 91106 ● 626 792-4169 ● www.hillavenuegrace.org
While the nation of Israel had their backs against the wall, when they were in exile and facing the idea
that God has lost power, the words from Genesis, our first lesson, became for Israel a statement of
faith. They were not just about creation, but they were about the power of God. In a foreign land,
sometimes wondering if they would ever be the children of God again (much less return to their
homeland), it was incredible that they found in God’s actions, in this case the creation of the world, a
word of commitment, of “semper fi”, forever faithful. What God had done in their past became their
song. It helped them to keep on singing.
Not too long ago a movie came out starring Ben Affleck and its title was “Argo”. If you saw it or heard
about it then you knew it was about the few who escaped the American embassy in Iran before it was
taken over and those who remained were held hostage for 444 days. This was late 1979. When they
finally secured their freedom and returned home there were many stories about their time in captivity.
One that captured my mind and heart came from Kathryn Koob. She was among the many who were
held hostage. Her story was printed in the Lutheran magazine after their release. You see Kathryn is a
Lutheran. But that isn’t important. What is important is that she told her story, a story that while being
held hostage, she and others sang hymns to help them face the challenges of captivity. The hymns of
praise were sung to remind them of all that God had done and continues to do. They were hymns that
told the story of God, a story rich in God’s faithfulness and commitment. It is a common experience of
people of faith that when faced with adversity to sing with confidence. This confidence grew out of
personal experience that reveals both human weakness and God’s strength.
When Israel faced trial she sang hymns of faith (we know them as Psalms). For Kathryn Koob it was her
church hymns. What is common to both – they were able to keep on singing! It is so important to keep
on singing regardless of what we are facing. As we keep on singing we keep looking to God and
trusting in God’s Word of promise.
St. Augustine once wrote, “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore we seek not to understand
that we may believe, but believe that we may understand.” In other words, we keep on singing!
I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I don’t know what this year will bring. What I do know is the
God, the Holy Trinity, three in one, who created the heavens and earth, is still God! That means God is
still in command. So whether life unfolds as planned or not, whether this year is filled with heartache
or joy, we can keep on singing!
We keep on singing because we believe in God and in God’s word of promise. We keep on singing
because we believe in God. Who knows, maybe one day, we will all understand. Until that day, let us
keep on singing!
AMEN
Pastor Greg Uthus
73 N. Hill Avenue ● Pasadena, CA 91106 ● 626 792-4169 ● www.hillavenuegrace.org