Sample Liturgy for Trinity Sunday

This liturgy is under development.

On the Liturgy

Before using this liturgy, please read the information and instructions throughout “The Service of the Word and Lord’s Supper.”
Trinity Sunday is one of the major feasts of the Christian year. It is always celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost. While Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the Easter season, some churches continue to celebrate the Holy Spirit for eight days (the Pentecost “octave”), with Trinity Sunday as the eighth day. The point is that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and his outpouring marks the final key moment in the revelation of the Holy Trinity. The Church calendar from Christmas to Pentecost focuses on the gospel of God—the sending of the Son to become incarnate and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This leads us to focus on the God of the gospel on Trinity Sunday—the God who eternally existed as Father, Son, and Spirit, even before the Son and the Spirit were sent.
This liturgy is built around the texts in the Revised Common Lectionary.
On Trinity Sunday, it is strongly recommended that churches use the Athanasian Creed. Because of its length, it is presented as a responsive reading in this liturgy.
Hymn numbers correspond to Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (Seedbed, 2022). Chorus numbers correspond to The Chorus Book: Contemporary and Traditional Favorites (Lillenas, 2003). See also “Easter Hymns, Songs, and Metrical Psalms.”

Artwork for Bulletins/Slideshows

The Trinity Shield

The Liturgy

THE PROCESSIONAL

Come, Thou Almighty King — This hymn invites the “Father all-glorious,” the “incarnate Word,” and the “holy Comforter” to come and help the Church to worship properly, then praises the “great One in Three.”

THE ACCLAMATION

Blessed be God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and happy Trinity Sunday!

Over the last few months, we have celebrated how the Father sent the Son to become incarnate, and how the Son ascended to pour out the Holy Spirit from the Father at Pentecost. It is in the missions of the Son and the Spirit that the Trinity is revealed to us. We know that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because the Father sent the Son and the Spirit into the world for us and our salvation. Now, in the season after Pentecost, it is fitting to reflect back on the unity of the divine economy, to acknowledge that the various colors on which we have been focusing are refractions of one brilliant gospel light—the light of the Triune God.

As Charles Wesley penned in his great hymn to the Trinity,

Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord!
whom One in Three we know;
By all Thy heav’nly host adored,
by all Thy church below.

One undivided Trinity
with triumph we proclaim;
Thy universe is full of Thee
and speaks Thy glorious name.

Thee, Holy Father, we confess,
Thee, Holy Son, adore,
Thee, Spirit of truth and holiness,
we worship evermore.

Thee Persons equally divine
we magnify and love;
And both the choirs ere long shall join
to sing Thy praise above.

Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord,
our heavenly song shall be;
Supreme, essential One, adored
in co-eternal Three.

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray.

O God our Father, by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification, you made known to the human race your wondrous mystery. Grant that in professing the true faith, we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory and adore your Unity, powerful in majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

THE GLORIA PATRI

Then is sung:

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

CATECHISM QUESTION

Q. 6. How many persons are there in God?
There are three persons in God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are of one substance, power, and eternity. And this is the catholic faith: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.

HYMN OF PRAISE

O God Almighty Father — “O Most Holy Trinity, Undivided unity, Holy God, mighty God, God immortal be adored!”
Father, We Love You — verses to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

PRAYER BEFORE THE LESSONS

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE FIRST LESSON: Genesis 1:1–2:4a

A reading from the Book of Genesis:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM 8

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

HYMN

Father, in Whom We Live (25) — sing to the tune Diademata (“Crown Him With Many Crowns”); this hymn praises the Father for his creating love, the Son for his redeeming grace, and the Spirit for his renewing pow’r, then concludes by praising the “eternal, Triune God”
Or, Thou, Whose Almighty Word (28) — can also be sung to the tune “Italian Hymn” (Come, Thou Almighty King); highlights the Trinity’s work in creation, with numerous allusions to Genesis 1

THE SECOND LESSON: 2 Corinthians 13:11–14

A reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, at the 11th verse:

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

HYMN

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty (23)
Or, Hail! Holy, Holy, Holy Lord! (24)

THE GOSPEL READING: Matthew 28:16–20

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew .

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

THE SERMON

At the end of the sermon, or elsewhere in the service, the Minister may saw the Trinitarian doxology of John Wesley (below).

Now to God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to God the Holy Spirit, who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts, be all love and all glory in time and to all eternity. Amen.

THE CREED

Note: The Athanasian Creed is 692 in the hymnal Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.

Let us confess our faith in the words of the Athanasian Creed.

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that they hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity; neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian faith to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.
He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
From there He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies; and shall give account of their own works.
And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

THE INVITATION

If you truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from this point forward in his holy ways; draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God.

THE CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; we acknowledge and lament our many sins, which we have, from time to time, most grievously committed, by thought, word, and deed, against your divine majesty. We earnestly repent, and are sincerely sorry for our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous to us. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father. For the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in your great mercy you have promised forgiveness to all who turn to you with sincere repentance and true faith. Have mercy upon us; pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COMFORTING WORDS AND THE PEACE

Our Savior speaks comforting words to all who truly turn to him: Come unto me, all you that are burdened and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Peace be with you.
And also with you.

THE OFFERTORY

THE SURSUM CORDA AND THE SANCTUS

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto our God.
It is fitting and right to do so.

O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, it is very fitting, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto you, who, with your co-eternal Son and Holy Spirit, are one God, one Lord, in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Substance. For that which we believe of your glory, O Father, we believe the same of your Son, and of the Holy Spirit, without any difference or inequality.

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you, and saying,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Glory be to you, O Lord most high. Amen.

HYMN

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (613) — a beautiful Charles Wesley hymn of surrender and consecration to the Triune God; sing to the tune Redhead (Rock of Ages)
Or, How Great Is Our God (31) — “the Godhead, Three in One, Father, Spirit, Son”

THE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Almighty God, our heavenly Father; of your tender mercy, you gave your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. By once offering himself there, he made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, offering, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.

So now, most merciful Father, we humbly ask you to bless and sanctify, with your Word and Spirit, these gifts of bread and wine; and grant that we may receive them according to the holy institution of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, in remembrance of his death and passion, and be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.

In the same night that he was betrayed, he took* bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake* it; and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this* is my Body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise after Supper he took* the Cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink you all of this; for this* is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins: Do this as often as you shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
Christ will come again.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Let us pray.

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE MINISTRATION

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy on us, and grant us your peace.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore, let us keep the feast.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

The Ministers receive the Bread and Cup, and then invite the people to come forward to partake. When delivering the bread to each person, one of the following may be said:

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you.
The body of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
The body of Christ; take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you.
The body of Christ; feed on him in your heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.

When delivering the cup to each person, one of the following may be said:

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you.
The blood of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
The blood of Christ; drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.

THE POST COMMUNION PRAYER

O Lord our God, grant that by receiving this sacrament we may have health of body and soul to confess your eternal holy Trinity and undivided Unity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flowPraise him all creatures here belowPraise him above, you heavenly hostPraise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE BLESSING AND SENDING

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.