Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Old Testament lesson (Deuteronomy 6, the Great Shema, "Hear O Israel"). ����������������

Whenever we become involved in an important new relationship with another person, we grow to understand them by asking them questions and answering their questions. If this relationship is a close one, perhaps one leading to romance and marriage, the questions and their answers are critically important. I propose to you that every important, intimate relationship has three crucial questions, regardless if the relationship is just a long time confidant or fianc�e or spouse. These three questions may be asked directly, but in many relationships they may only be asked implicitly, embedded within the framework of the relationship itself. These questions, even if not asked explicitly, are always answered. These three questions are:

1. Do you know me, that is do you really know who I am and understand me?

2. Do you love me? In friendships this love may not be a romantic love as it is in marriage, but regardless of the type of close relationship, the question 'Do you care for and love me?' is always there, expressed or unexpressed.

3. Will you admit to others you know and love me? Will you proudly introduce me to those you know?

Let's explore the questions a bit further. The first one: "Do you know me?" For those who are or have been married, you know very well that your spouse is a unique and distinct person. As you came to know them, as you came to be able to say "Yes" to that first question 'Do you know me?', you were beginning to realize how unique they were. No one marries a generic spouse and then forms them into their own personal mold. Some may try to do that, but no one truly succeeds.

A 'Yes' answer to the second question (Do you love me?) often develops while we are still learning the answers to the first question. Do I realize that my care and concern and emotions are strengthening for this person? Am I learning to trust them with intimate details about my life? Do I desire to have them present in my life, often, even continually? Do I want to care for them even when times are difficult? The answer to the 3rd question also may develop overtime. In a developing romantic relationship, people will ask you "Who is this with you?" Early in the process, we may express our relationship as "This is my date" or "This is my good friend" or "This is my boyfriend/girlfriend." As the relationship becomes more committed, we begin to say "This is my fianc�e", then "This is my wife/husband." Remember those first few times that you professed to someone "We're engaged. This is my fiancee" or "We're newlyweds. This is my wife." Remember how odd and thrilling at the same time those words first sounded? These same three relationship questions are the intimate questions our Lord, the Triune God, asks of us. In His Word, given to us in Scripture, He implicitly and explicitly comes to each one of us individually and asks: Do you know me? Do you love me? Will you tell others of the relationship we have? ��

Will you tell them that I am your God? He asks each question hoping for emphatic "Yes" answers to each. The answers to these embedded questions are what we hear in our Deuteronomy lesson. Let's look at each question.

Do you know me? Our Lord is not some generic, anonymous God that we can shape into whatever form we desire. He has revealed himself as a particular personality, and actually as three distinct persons who are together one God. Our Deuteronomy lesson emphasizes the 'Oneness' the 'Unity' characteristic of the Lord "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one." But our other two lessons emphasize the 'Threeness' characteristic of our Lord "baptizing them in the name (not names) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." In our Romans lesson we again heard of those three distinct persons (8: 15-17) "you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. �

Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." ����������������

This mystery of three in one and one in three can never be fully comprehended by our limited human minds. Neither can God becoming man in Christ Jesus be fully understood. But yet we can KNOW God, this Triune God because He has revealed Himself to us through His very own Words. Each person of the Trinity has visited our world and played an integral role in our creation and, most importantly, our ransom from sin and death. The Son of God visited our world most tangibly. He took on human flesh and became Jesus, our Messiah. ����������������

The Lord's second embedded relationship question then follows. The Lord asks each of us: "Do you love me?" He first tells us that He is one in trustworthiness and love himself, then invites us to trust and love him in return. He doesn't manipulate us into loving Him. There is no coercion on God's part. He first gave of himself. The Father gave us the Son, and the Son gave up His very own life on the cross. Through the cross he showed more love for you, for me than we can ever imagine. Through the Holy Spirit we learn of that great love and its is impressed upon us time and time again. But then he does ask for a response. He doesn't ask for a half-hearted or fleeting love, but He requests, implores us to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength. He asked Peter three times "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" (John 21). This love is not just a feeling, because feelings ebb and flow from day to day. This love is a commitment, first from God to us in the Gospel and then from us to God to trust and follow Him every day of our lives. ����������������

God's third question embedded within our text and present in all Scripture is this: Will you express to others that you know and love me? Will they know you know and love me by how you act towards me and how you speak about me? Will you introduce them to me? ����������������

Could you imagine going through life accompanied by your child or spouse, but never introducing them to others? People expect that we will introduce our family members without being asked. Today is Father's Day. Could you imagine going out to eat with your father today and one of your friends who had never met your dad comes up to you and asks "Who is this with you?" Would you say "Oh this is a friend I've had for a long time?" No, you'd say this is my dad! I doubt that too many fathers expect their children to stand up on a table in the restaurant and shout, "This is my dad!" But when the private opportunity arises to introduce those we love to others, we always find polite and enthusiastic ways to introduce one to the other. If we love our father and love our friends, we hope that they will develop a relationship with each other as well. ����������������

In our Deuteronomy lesson our saving, loving Lord instructs that his words, his teachings about Himself and his love for us are to be passed on to others. We are to "impress" these words on our children. These words are not just to be shared as an opinion, a personal preference we hope they will respect. These words are to be shared for what they are, the loving, persistently asking words of God Himself, pressing us to say "Yes" again and again to the 3 questions he is asking. Whoever we share them with might not say "Yes, I believe" immediately after hearing these words the first or second time. But the Lord and His Word works through us, introducing and inviting others to have this most wondrous relationship with Him as well. ����������������

This week we had the wondrous opportunity again to impress these words upon our children in our VBS. There were over 60 of us here, 30 adults and youth sharing the word of the Lord about Jesus as our Good shepherd to some 30 children who warmed our hearts by sharing that word back with us. Their presence allowed we here at Immanuel to again partially fulfill his Great Commission expressed in our Gospel lesson: "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey (follow, closely guard) everything I have commanded you" Three questions our God asks of us: Do you know me? Do you love me? Will you introduce me to others? In his wisdom He even gives us the answers he wants to these questions and we spend a lifetime here on earth answering "Yes" to each. We look forward to an eternal life in heaven with Him growing to know and love him even more for his great love.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)