June 4, 2023

Confirmation on Holy Trinity Sunday

Today we celebrate Confirmation on Holy Trinity Sunday under the theme God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity. In the first half of the Church Year (Advent through Pentecost) we look at the life of Christ—his birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. In the second half of the year, we look at the teachings of Christ. We begin by looking at one of the most mind-blowing truths: that God is triune.


Already in the very first chapter of the Bible we read, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image…” (Genesis 1:26). Note the singular “God” and the plural “us.” Scripture teaches us that there is only one God but that he exists as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is triune (three-in-one). This teaching is not some logical exercise or philosophical excursion. The doctrine of the Trinity is central to our salvation. The triune God is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Lose this doctrine, and as the Athanasian Creed says, you lose it all. A Jesus who is less than God is also less than a Savior. 


So often, when life gets hard, we get frustrated. We don’t understand how God is working always for our good. But the doctrine of the Trinity teaches us we cannot even comprehend God’s existence. How then, could we ever comprehend all his workings? On this Holy Trinity Sunday, let it be enough to know that all three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—love us with an everlasting love.

Sainthood/Stamina

By Pastor Quinn • November 2, 2025
This week Jesus’ sharp words expose our desire to pursue comfort and avoid pain at all costs. Jesus explains that following him will be hard. Jesus’ disciples will be called to let go of things they love and embrace things we naturally loathe. Jesus promises that discipleship comes with crosses—a unique type of pain. So, Jesus tells us that we must count the cost of following him. He wants us to do that now, ahead of time, rather than waiting until we are in the heat of the moment and emotions are running high. However, our calculations must not only consider what we might give up for Jesus. They also entail calculating what we get through him! When we perceive the infinite blessings we find in Christ, the decisions we just make, while difficult, will be clear. Whatever is lost as we follow Jesus pales in comparison to what we gain.

Promises/Prayer

By Pastor Quinn • October 19, 2025
Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. And learning to pray is not like many of the other things we learn to do in our lives. Once we know how to write our name, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, the learning is done. There is virtually no danger we will forget how to do those things. Not so with prayer. Learning to pray consists of a lifetime of persistence. So, what is the cause of persistent prayer? The precious promises of God. “God is not human, that he should lie. . . . Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). God cannot lie. So, we know every promise he makes us—to forgive, to provide, to help, to be with us—he must keep. When we persistently go to God in prayer and press him to keep his promises, God does not view that as nagging. He loves it! Because it demonstrates that our faith grasps not only that he can do what we ask, but that he will . . . because he promised.

Generosity/Gratitude

By Pastor Quinn • October 12, 2025
Gratitude is the appreciation we feel when someone does something kind to us or for us. There are two factors that effect the intensity of gratitude. First, there is the deservedness factor. Say you do a favor for your neighbor. A month later, your neighbor does a favor for you. You are grateful, but not overwhelmingly so, because you deserved his help to some degree. However, if you have been an unkind or selfish neighbor, and yet your neighbor provides help when you are in need, you are extremely grateful precisely because you know you are undeserving. Second, there is the generosity factor. Imagine you pick up the mail for your neighbor for the three days he is out of town. When he gets back, he gives you a hundred-dollar bill. You might protest, “This is too generous!” He insists, and so you are very grateful. Apply this to God. Deservedness. How deserving are we of his blessing? What does God owe us? Generosity. What has God done for us? What blessings has he given us now? What blessings has he promised us in eternity? As we answer those questions, we are stunned by the undeserved generosity our God has shown us. The effect? We overflow with gratitude.
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