Trinity Sunday — May 31, 2026

What this episode covers

Immanuel Lutheran Church Trinity Sunday — May 31, 2026 On the Festival of the Holy Trinity, the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin, Missouri gathered in a white-draped sanctuary to worship the triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In a sermon titled “Signature Style: God’s Unique Flair,” Pastor Christopher Ramstad opened the first pages of Holy Scripture and asked a compelling question: what does God’s creation tell us about who he is? The answer, drawn from Genesis 1 and 2, is as stunning as the world he made. Trinity Sunday — Worship Service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Joplin, Missouri (10:30 AM) Festival of the Holy Trinity — Stained glass in the sanctuary of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Joplin, Missouri, depicting Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Festival of the Holy Trinity: God’s Signature on All Creation The Festival of the Holy Trinity is one of the most distinctive days in the church year. The paraments return to white. The Athanasian Creed is spoken — the ancient, full-voiced declaration of who our God is: Father Almighty, Son eternally begotten of the Father, Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son. Three persons, co-eternal, co-equal. One God. Pastor Ramstad opened with a reflection on signature styles — how an artist leaves a mark on a canvas, how a composer like Stephen Schwartz fills a musical like Children of Eden with an unmistakable sound, how a great director’s name in the credits tells you something about what you’re about to see. “Can you see his signature style in the things of creation?” he asked. And then: Genesis 1. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV) Scripture Readings for the Festival of the Holy Trinity The lectionary for the Festival of the Holy Trinity draws from across Scripture to show the triune God at work. The First Reading from Genesis 1:1–2:3 recounts the six days of creation, concluding with God’s rest on the seventh. Psalm 8 — “What is man that you are mindful of him?” — invited the congregation into a meditation on human dignity within the vastness of God’s creation. The Epistle from Acts 2:14a, 22–36 placed the voice of St. Peter on Pentecost, proclaiming that the crucified and risen Jesus has been exalted to the Father’s right hand and now pours out the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Gospel from Matthew 28:16–20 brought us to the mountain in Galilee, where the risen Christ commissions his disciples with the words that have marked every Christian baptism ever since: “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.” Order Out of Chaos: What Genesis 1 Reveals About Our God Pastor Ramstad walked through the creation account carefully, pointing out a structure that’s easy to miss. Days one through three establish spaces — light and dark, sky and sea, land and vegetation. Days four through six fill those spaces — sun, moon, and stars; birds and fish; animals and humanity. This is not chaos. This is a God who creates with order, pattern, and purpose. And right from the opening lines, the Trinity is present. “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). Later: “Let us make man in our image.” The Son was there — John 1:3 tells us that nothing was made without him. Father, Son, and Spirit, creating together from the very beginning. This is God’s signature style: three persons, one God, together making and sustaining all things. The crown jewel of that creation? You. When God makes human beings, he doesn’t simply speak them into existence from a distance. He gets hands-on. He puts his fingerprints on us. And his verdict — “very good” — is different from everything else. You are made in the image of God, and you matter to him. Sin, of course, fractures t