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Text: Matthew 28:16-20

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          What happens at the end is what really matters. We have plenty of real-life experiences that remind us that this is true. The winner of the Monopoly game isn’t the one who rolls the dice first, or the one who makes it around the board before the other players, or even the one who lands on Boardwalk and buys it. The winner is the one who at the end has all the houses and hotels and the most money. The point here isn’t that winning at life is all about accumulating stuff, but that the final outcome isn’t determined until the very end.

Or as Yogi Berra would say, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Which isn’t exactly what he said, but it does capture the spirit of the actual quote which was spoken in response to a reporter’s question about the Mets, who he was managing, being 9 games out of first place in July of 1973. What he actually said was, “You’re not out of it until you’re out of it.” Which means that there’s always hope, even to the bitter end. And that’s good news for a Red Sox fan this year as they’re currently 13 games back before the end of May.

And that’s good news for all of us who have ever failed to start strong. Things can turn around. I saw it last week in Isaac’s baseball game. Granted, when 8-year-olds are pitching and fielding, anything can, and will, happen, but giving up four runs in the top of the first inning isn’t generally a good start. But they came back to win that game, proving that “it ain’t over til its over.” But generally it’s a good idea to get a strong start. Because comebacks are few and far between and oh how much easier it is when you get off to a good start. Not just in baseball, but in life.

How You Start Makes a Huge Difference in What Happens to Your Life.

That was certainly true for Jesus’ life. How he began as a human being made a huge difference in what happened in his life. He didn’t begin on his own, but with the unity and activity of the whole Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son right from conception. He’s conceived by the Holy Spirit and sent by the Father to us.

That same triune God who was working together at his incarnation continues to do so throughout his life. As Jesus begins his public ministry at His Baptism the Holy Spirit comes down as a dove and the Father declares that Jesus is His beloved Son with whom He is well pleased. Jesus began his mission of salvation together with the Father and Holy Spirit, and each is active in completing our salvation. We see Him regularly in prayer with his Father, and the Spirit is with him every step of the way.

Even in the final days of his life. On the cross Jesus is alone because even his Father has abandoned Him, but you can still see the Father at work in that suffering as Jesus is carrying out his Father’s will. And then on Easter morning, the Father raises Him from the dead. Later, when Jesus ascends into heaven, he sends his Holy Spirit into the Church, which we celebrated last week at Pentecost.

I’ve just recounted how Jesus began, continued, and ended his earthly life in the unity of all persons of the Trinity, but it doesn’t end there. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit continue to work together on our behalf. Read through the Bible, and you don’t find a hint of jealousy, resentment, anger, bitterness, or strife in the Trinity. There is perfect unity because the three persons are wonderfully and mysteriously one God.

I watched the movie National Treasure with Betsy the other night and was reminded of one of the more powerful images of the Trinity. The treasure hunters find themselves in Manhattan where they’ve followed clues that lead them to Trinity Church at the southern end of Wall Street. On the sign for the church it has a picture of a Celtic knot. If you saw one it would be familiar to you. It’s a little different version of the image that’s on the front of your bulletin for today. Three circles endlessly woven together in perfect unity. Sometimes a circle is made through the knot to emphasize how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God. How Jesus began his earthly life made a huge difference in what happened in his life. And it all reminds us that from beginning to the end, the Trinity was wonderfully united in action for us.

The same is true for our lives. How we start makes a huge difference. And for us in the Church, the triune God is our starting place. We begin by being baptized into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And beginning with Baptism makes a huge difference in how we see the world we live in. The earth, stars, animals, and plants aren’t just nature or an product of evolution, but all are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Each day we believe that God the Father is Creator of heaven and earth. That He created us exactly as He wanted us to be and that He recreated us in the waters of baptism to live as His children.

We also believe God still cares for His creation. He doesn’t watch from a distance but keeps and protects it. Of course, we see the effects of sin on the world such as wars and natural disasters, hatred and violence that might make us doubt. But when you begin by being baptized into God the Father, Son, and Spirit, you can believe that His creation is still for our good. That a tree bearing fruit is a gift from God so that we have something to eat. And then you look around and can see all the things that are gifts from God that are around us every single day.  As a baptized child of God, recognizing His creation and control over all things, it becomes easy to recognize “that He has given me body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home,” and so on, and that He “still takes care of them.”

Beginning in the Trinity at Baptism also makes a huge difference in our relationship with God. We recognize that it’s all grace. It’s all a gift. We begin every worship service with confession where we admit that we’re poor, miserable sinners. We confess that we deserve only temporal and eternal punishment. We know we’ve sinned against God and each other by thought, word, and deed. But before you say all that the sign of the cross is made over you, reminding you of your identity as a baptized child who carries the name of your Triune God.

You live with that name on you and the sign of the cross is a reminder that Jesus came not for the adulation of the crowds, but to suffer all on a cross. He came not only to be born in a manger but also to be placed in a tomb. He came with not just a star to guide Wise Men, but also with an early morning rising sun as he rose from the dead. With all Jesus has done, we are forgiven. In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die and rise for us. For His sake, God forgives us all our sin. And He’s given us the privilege to be his children. Our Baptism places us into God’s loving and forgiving hands right from the very start of our lives.

No wonder that in Matthew 28, Jesus says we’re to go and make disciples of all nations. We’re to go and tell others what Jesus has done for us. We’re to go and bring others to Jesus so he can give to them what we have received: that loving and forgiven relationship with God. Because that’s what’s important. To believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. And because we believe, we go, make disciples, teach, and baptize, all because what Jesus has done for us makes all the difference in our relationship with God. When you begin with Baptism into the name of the triune God, it makes a huge difference in your life.

It also makes a huge difference in the kind of people we become. We believe the Holy Spirit has brought us together into the Church to become different people, people who listen to what Jesus says and become his disciples in this troubled world, people who want to do what is right and good and helpful.

Every time a family loses a loved one, the church is to be the ones who offer the hope that can only come from God. Every time a brother or sister is suffering we console them by reminding them what a precious gif from God this life is. When you begin with Baptism, it makes a huge difference in the people we become. The Holy Spirit brings us together to support, encourage, teach, and build each other up. All because the Holy Spirit gathers us together in the name of the triune God.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, and I can think of no better way to celebrate this Church festival than by thanking our triune God for getting us off to a great start. In the waters of Baptism, we began our lives of faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. When you begin like that, it makes a huge difference in your life. But we also remember that what happens at the end is what really matters. For those who didn’t have a great start, there’s still time. For those who did, and then gave up in the middle innings, as long as there’s still breath, there’s still hope. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. And when it is, may the faith instilled in you at your baptism still be strong as the Heavenly Father looks at you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified and sustained by the loving work of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.