Scripture: Gen 1; Psalm 8; Matthew 28:16-20
Sermon Title: Let Us Make
Holy Trinity Sunday
Peace Lutheran Church
5/31/2026
Innovation—creation is filled with fascinating stories that are worth exploring.
For example, Alfred Fielding and Marc Shavannes were trying to create a textured 3D plastic wallpaper when they ended up with a completely new product—bubble wrap.
(The kids love it, especially the sound it makes under their feet.) Speaking of kids, before it was a favorite hands-on toy to make endless creations, Play-Doh was originally made as a cleaning agent to remove coal soot and dirt from wallpaper. After noticing a forgotten petri dish had grown mold, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming developed a life-saving antibiotic—penicillin—when the surrounding bacteria around the mold died off. Who doesn’t get a kick out of a slinky “walking down” stairs? It’s a fun competition too! Kids, I recommend it at grandma and grandpa’s house. While working in a shipyard in Philadelphia, naval engineer Richard James wanted to develop tension springs that could keep marine equipment secure on warships, but while working on them, he knocked a prototype off a shelf. Instead of coming down with a crash, James watched the spring “walk” onto the floor and landed upright. Could it be something more? While Richard and his wife, Betty, struggled to sell the slinky initially—they secured a retailer in Philadelphia at Gimbel’s department store in November 1945. After that Richard and Betty 1 founded “James Industries” to mass produce the fun, coiled springs, and over many years, they’ve sold hundreds of millions of slinkies worldwide. Unlike the stories we heard earlier about some innovations being a mistake (while interesting) the everlasting, awesome Creator-Savior-Lord loves to create. And best of all, the Lord doesn’t make any mistakes. Did you catch the promises in today’s Scripture lessons? “Let us make.” “Let us create,” to Whom the Psalmist praises the same Creator-Savior-Lord saying, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—not 3 gods—rather 1 God in three persons—3 in 1—loves to say, “Let us make” for God’s eternal glory. Let’s marvel for a moment about how glorious God’s creation is. Starting with the universe—the solar system, planets, stars, moons, the sun, etc.—God placed the sun exactly where it needed to be…approximately 93 million miles away from the earth. If the sun was positioned any further away—we would be in a constant ice age. If the sun were any closer—we would fry to a crisp. (Being a redhead—I still need to wear a hat, sunglasses, and SPF 70 sunscreen, even with the sun being 93 million miles away!)
Do you see where I’m going with this?
God said, “Let there be light,” and through the Light of the world—the living Word of God—all creation—visible and invisible—was/is made through the Living Word—God the Son—Jesus Christ! 2
The book of Psalms is packed with Holy Spirit-filled prayers about the splendor of the Living Word’s Creation. We will get to the one in Psalm 8 in a moment, but I love this one in Psalm 147, “You placed the stars in the sky, and you call each one by name.”
In the Milky Way alone—there are approximately 100-400 billion stars!
Following this profound idea, there’s an amazing prayer written in the book, “Every Moment Holy.”
Listen to this.
You are the Lord of the harvest. The Grain King, the Wine King, the God of Plenty, the God of Hearth and Home, you are the Hill King, the Wildflower King (approaching the month of June—take some time to relish the wildflowers that the Big Sky state has to offer—praise the Lord!), the King of the Canyons.
The Monarch of Meadows, The Lord of Lava Fields, The Ruler of Desert Wastes, The Polar King, The Rainbow King, The King of the Southern Cross.
Seen in the southern hemisphere this beautiful constellation makes the form of a cross—is that a coincidence?
Not a chance!
It reflects the same Lord of heaven and earth who says, “Let us make”.
Let me share a little more from the book, “Every Moment Holy”.
You are The Lord of Tall Trees—think of Sequoias, Redwoods, Cedars—just marvelous!
God of youth…praise the Lord for the youth here!
God of age (to have multiple generations in worship together?! It’s awesome!) 3
The Acorn King, The River God, The Swamp King, King of glades, King of dells, Ruler of all hummingbirds…those fascinating little creatures can flap their speedy little wings 50-80 times per second while hovering to get nectar.
By chance? Not a chance with this “Let us create” God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
The same everlasting Creator of all things visible and invisible—created you and me—male and female—in His image—to worship, think, and get this—to create—to be creative stewards of His creation—just as today’s Psalmist prays:
LORD, our Lord.
(King David, the psalmist, prayed to his Divine Savior—LORD, our Lord– How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established strength Because of Your enemies, to do away with the enemy and the revengeful.
How many times do we see God speaking/acting profoundly through infants, sons/daughters who are fearfully, wonderfully made in the secret, innermost place—the sacred womb—to desire their Creator, Savior, Lord?!
No other creature does this!
Through the Same Holy Spirit—the prophet Jeremiah responded to God’s sovereign calling, “From your mother’s womb, I called you, I set you apart.”
Did you know that the same Holy Spirit-filled calling applies in your life today, “Here as it is in heaven”?
Folks, we’re not even in the New Testament yet! And I’ve hardly scratched the surface in Genesis 1 and Psalm 8.
Isn’t this fun?!
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Think about the godly wonder, amazement of the human body. Your liver alone has trillions of cells that God designed to accomplish what your liver was meant to do—to primarily filter toxins from the body—but it also regulates blood sugar, produces bile to digest fats, and manufactures vital blood proteins, including albumin that maintains healthy fluids and proper clotting to prevent excessive bleeding.
Folks, while I’m clearly not a scientist or doctor—I marvel at how little we actually know (and thank God for the many scientific discoveries we do have)—that boast of the Sovereign Creator, Savior, Lord who loves to say, “Let us make”.
Listen to David’s Spirit-filled prayer again in Psalm 8.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have set in place; 4 What is man that You think of him, And the son of man that You are concerned about him?
Hold on! David was praying about Jesus’ faithful, creative intentions in his, your life…again.
Are you an artist? A number’s person? A builder? A teacher? A musician? A scientist? A husband, wife? A dad, mom?
Jesus loves to create you as a number’s person for His majesty!
Jesus loves to create you as a musician—strings, brass, keys, voices—for His majesty!
Jesus loves to create you as a forgiven, faithful, creative mom-dad-child-sibling–for His majesty!
Speaking of forgiveness—the same Majesty—to whom the Psalmist pledges his allegiance—God the Son—creates forgiveness and faith in you and me through Him, “Who knew no sin—he became sin for us,” so that through Jesus’ sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection—we shall become “new creations”—in the eternal image of Jesus Christ. 5
Like play doh or jars of clay—re-shaped in the Potter’s hands—the same Maker, Savior, Lord–transforms you and me into new, Holy Spirit-filled vessels of His salvation.
Take it from David again. During an awful period in his life, family’s lives, neighbors’…from Psalm 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit.
I enjoy watching the Bob Ross show. Specifically, I’m thinking about two key points in any episode. First, Ross begins with a blank canvas, takes his brush, uses various colors, and explains what he’s doing with calmness and poise in each breath. The gorgeous outdoor setting that follows on the canvas—mountains, rivers, trees, reflections of the sun, shadows, etc.—are marvelous like you’re standing in that setting.
Then, in the second part, when he’s finished, Ross signs his name in the bottom left-hand corner—satisfied with his new creation—he steps back and leaves it alone for his viewers to enjoy.
My friends, in the same way, when God says, “Let us make,” imagine His paintbrush in each sunset—His design of you—knit into the salvation of His Son Jesus Christ—believe God’s Living Word—it is good—really good!
Even when the awful reality of sin entered the world and brought disease, blight, mildew, lust, dissension, betrayal, hatred, wars and rumors of wars, decay, and death—the “new creation” of Jesus Christ——crucified, buried, and raised from the dead “for you” and “in you” paints new, Spirit-filled men and women of His salvation.
Trusting in His forgiveness, His enduring faith, Jesus loves to tell you, “You’re my son, my daughter,” … “I delight in you,” with His signature, His Holy Spirit’s seal of approval (make a 6
cross) in your life. Son, daughter of the Living Word of God Jesus Christ, can you picture your new, Spirit-filled life painted on the Lord’s heavenly canvas?
For this reason, Jesus promised to His disciples/you and me (imagine the Savior’s paintbrush):
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples (did you hear that?) make/create disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
There will come a day in Jesus’ heavenly kingdom that shall have no end, “Where the lion and lamb shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them.” Eternal light. No sickness, no pain, no wars, no death through the One faith, One hope, One baptism through Heaven’s Master Artist—where your forgiven, Holy Spirit-filled life is painted on His heavenly portrait of His disciples of all nations. Do we believe that such a kingdom exists?
What if I told you that it all goes back to what the same Creator, Savior, Lord promised from the very beginning?
“Let us make.”
Let’s pray.
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