Rochester, MN UCC - "Celebrating the Gift of God's Love " - Romans 5:1-5

We finally got COVID last week. Thanks to vaccines, and boosters, and the grace of God, we both had mild cases and we’re recovering well.  In the short time of our illness however, we were blessed to experience an outpouring of love from our congregation.  We received calls checking in on us, meals prepared for us, and oh so many prayers.  Experiencing the love of God through your care and concern has been an incredible blessing.  Thank you.

At its best, the doctrine of the trinity that we celebrate this week on Trinity Sunday, speaks of the overflowing love of God.  The desire to share the dynamic love of the three persons of the trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- is what leads God to create and redeem the world.  Our very life and our capacity to love others are gifts that come to us from the overflowing love of Triune God.  As Paul says in the fifth chapter of Romans- it is through Jesus Christ that we have peace with God and through the Holy Spirit that God’s love has been poured into our hearts.

 For all its history the Christian Church has recognized the loving commitment between married couples as an expression of this divine love made possible through the outpouring of the Triune God.  My capacity to love my wife Shannon is a gift from God; one that I cherish.  In our Open and Affirming Covenant of 2015 our congregation made the bold declaration that we recognize the loving commitment between LGBTQI people as being a gift from God as well.  We participated in Rochester’s Pridefest this year to celebrate the gift of God’s love in the relationships of our LGBTQI siblings.  While there are many in our world who disagree with us, we believe that celebrating these relationships and proclaiming their love as divinely inspired is sharing the very gospel of the triune God.  May God bless our efforts to share this good news!

Rev. Andrew Greenhaw