Come, Holy Spirit

Dear friends,

As we approach the feast of Pentecost this Sunday, I’m reminded of one of my favorite vignettes in Anglican history, the 1739 conversations between Bishop Joseph Butler and a young priest named John Wesley. Wesley, with his revivalist outdoor preaching, was accused of spreading “enthusiasm” among the people. Bishop Butler told Wesley, “Sir, the pretending to extraordinary revelations and gifts of the Holy Ghost is a horrid thing, a very horrid thing.” Wesley responded, “I pretend to no extraordinary revelations, or gifts of the Holy Ghost: none but what every Christian may receive, and ought to expect and pray for.”

Having attended a Methodist seminary, I confess that I have a soft spot in my heart for John Wesley. In a time when the predominant strain of Anglicanism was heady and philosophical, Wesley called the church to be attentive to the real, powerful work of the Holy Spirit today, not just in history. He reminds Anglicans, and indeed all Christians, that the Holy Spirit is alive and active, changing hearts and transforming minds.

Edgardo Colon-Emeric, Duke’s current Dean of the Divinity School, writes,

When John Wesley first stepped out of the walls of the church in order to reach people working in fields, mines and markets, he preached from the passage from Jesus’ inaugural sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). This textual choice was not free from controversy. The 18th century dismissed those who talked about the ongoing work of the Spirit as ignorant and irresponsible. 

Against the theological currents of his day, John Wesley refused to limit the Spirit’s presence and power to the age of the apostles or the institutions of the church. The rise of Methodism was for him proof that the power of Pentecost was still at work in the world. The Spirit was still active in history, particularly among the marginalized.

According to Scripture, the love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 5:5). For Wesley, the social dimension of this love is made visible through works of mercy. Pentecost’s power is at work when we feed the hungry, visit the sick and welcome the stranger. It is also at work when we call sinners to repentance and encourage Christians in the way to holiness.

As we look to Pentecost this Sunday, I invite you to pray with me that perilously life-giving prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to enliven and empower our parish for ministry, and set us on fire with love for the God who has given us this Good News to proclaim. 

Yours in Christ,

Let it Shine

Two weeks ago I attended The Metropolitan Opera premiere of ‘El Niño,” by the contemporary American composer John Adams. The opera is a retelling of the Nativity story through the eyes of the Virgin Mary. It is a mighty work, and worthy of its own reflection, but today I want to focus on one of the stars of the production, bass-baritone Davóne Tines.

Tines is a Juilliard graduate and is one of the most exciting, singular artists on the classical music scene today. He can interpret a Bach aria and match the mighty work with equal aplomb. Tines and his band Davóne Tines & The Truth just released their first recording, ‘Let it Shine,’ and I have been listening to it nonstop for the past week.

‘Let it Shine’ is a reimagining of the familiar spiritual ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ and the way it builds on a simple motif is powerful and overwhelming. The structure brings to mind Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and the layering techniques of Phillip Glass. Tines also filters his artistry through his very personal lens of Blackness and queerness, resulting in an output that is quite unique.

I invite you to listen to the recording, several times at full volume (link here), and explore with me — as well as your friends and family and community — the following questions:

Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:1). What does it mean for Christians to let our lives shine before others? In which ways are we doing or not doing this in our daily lives? And how can we apply it more fully in our lives?

Davóne Tines’s rendition almost bursts at the seams with exuberance, but the musical structure is scrupulously maintained. How do we exist within God’s structure (protection might be a better word here) and still “let it shine?”

Albert Camus wrote, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion,” and the Apostle Paul declares,“For freedom Christ has set us free!” (Galatians 5:1). How is letting your light at its fullest and brightest revolutionary? What are the things of this world that try to limit the brightness and freedom of children of God living into their most authentic selves? How do we as Christians lift others to freedom?

Sabbatical

IN GRATITUDE: REMEMBER, REFLECT, AND RENEW

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life with Christ and One Another

Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.
Give us inquiring and discerning hearts,

 the courage to will and to persevere,

 a spirit to know and to love you,

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. 

Amen.

Dear Good People of Trinity,

Tomorrow, I will drive to Kentucky and spend a few days with my mother before heading to the Abbey of Gethsemane for a week-long silent retreat.  Upon my return, there will be a couple of days to prepare before my family and I embark on our exciting adventure to Kenya.  

I am deeply grateful for the gift of this time away. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked so hard to prepare the grant proposal and the subsequent planning and preparation that made this opportunity possible. 

I was profoundly moved on Sunday by your kind words and gestures, sending forth me and my family with great love and support. What a blessing it is to serve as your rector! 

With gratitude and love,

God Speaks in the Silences

Last week, I had the pleasure of going with a group of folks from Trinity Church to Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY, for two and a half days of prayer and renewal. On the second day, our Trinity group gathered for Bible study to discuss this passage:

1 Kings 19:4-16
[Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.* When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

*In other translations, this is “a still, small voice.”

I chose this text because of the important role that silence plays in the life of the community at Holy Cross. The monks (and their guests) observe the Great Silence each night from about 8 PM to 8 AM, when no talking is allowed at all. At noonday prayer, 10 minutes of silent prayer are included in the liturgy – something I struggled with mightily! The most striking experience for me, however, was singing the Psalms at each service. 

As someone who prays the Daily Office every day, the Psalms are a significant part of my prayer life. If you look at the Prayer Book, or at the bulletin next Sunday, you’ll see an asterisk at the halfway point of each verse. In monastic communities, it’s a common practice to pause at the asterisk for around 3 to 5 seconds before continuing to the next part of the verse. Every time we paused at the asterisk, something anxious within me wanted to leap forward, to continue speaking, to fill the silence with words. But as we read in 1 Kings, God speaks to us in the silences, in the pauses, in the times in-between. 

We live in a time of anxiety, when our culture surrounds us with noise 24/7. But beyond that, it’s hard to stay silent - to listen for the still, small voice - when stillness means being present to our own thoughts as well as to God. The temptation to flee towards distraction is always there. This summer, as we pause to remember, reflect, renew, and dream a future for Trinity Church, I pray that we will always be ready to hear God’s voice, speaking to us in the silences of our lives. 

Yours faithfully in Christ,

The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara Slade

Associate Rector 

PS We have another retreat scheduled for November 22-24 (the weekend before Thanksgiving). Mark your calendars and join us if you can!

Sabbatical: Comprehensive Campaign

In Gratitude: Remember, Reflect, and Renew

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life with Christ and One Another

Dear Good People of Trinity, 

This Sunday will be my last Sunday before I embark on my sabbatical.  As I shared in our two recent forums, during my time away I will be inviting you to join me for a period of remembering, reflection, and renewal. Together, we will spend time in sacred remembering, as we recall seasons past and how God has been present in the realities of our lives. We will then spend time reflecting on how God is at work in our hearts and souls in this present season. Finally, we will open ourselves to the renewing of our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits to prepare us for the path and purpose that God will set before us.

In the months ahead, let us embrace the interconnectedness of our lives and faith as fellow pilgrims on the way.  To guide us during this time, I offer a prayer adapted from our baptismal liturgy.

“Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.  Give us inquiring and discerning hearts, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen.”

I extend my sincere thanks for your loving and faithful support these past 16 years and for the gift of this Sabbath time with my family. It is with great anticipation and promise that we enter this time to see how God will work in all of us to prepare us for what is yet to come. Indeed, what a blessing it is journeying through the seasons of life with Christ and one another!

Peace and Blessings to all,

Paul

P.S. Please review the attached materials, which will explain in more detail what will be happening over the summer during the sabbatical. There is also a video/audio of our Sunday morning forum which will offer much greater detail about my plans during the sabbatical and my invitation to the parish to join me in a season of prayerful discernment. This video/audio will also speak to the role of the Munshine Group which is helping us understand and access our current reality, as we chart our course for the future.

Invitation to Parish Conversation

Dear Good People of Trinity,  

As mentioned at the Annual Meeting, Trinity Church is the recipient of a grant from the  2023 National Clergy Renewal Program. Trinity was selected as part of a competitive grant  submission process, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and administered by Christian  Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Established by the Endowment in 2000, the program’s  grants allow Christian congregations to support their pastors with the gift of extended time  away from their ministerial duties and responsibilities.  

The last Sunday before the sabbatical begins will be April 28th. David Schneider, our Senior  Warden, and I would like to invite you to a conversation to discuss what will happen over  the course of the next few months as we move into the fall and then begin to form and  implement a comprehensive plan for the future of Trinity Church. There will be two  gatherings to discuss the exciting possibilities before us. 

• Sunday, April 21st at 9:30 am in Pierce-Bishop Hall 

• Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:30 pm in Pierce-Bishop Hall 

This is a most exciting time in the life of our Church. Your prayers, presence, and  participation are of utmost importance as we embark on this journey together. Forward in  faith! We are Trinity Church! 

Peace and Blessings to all, 

Paul

The Faith of Thomas

Last Sunday we heard the story of Thomas’ encounter with the risen Jesus. Recall that back in John 11, Thomas was ready to follow Jesus back to Judea and into danger. “Let us also go, that we may die with him,” he says. Thomas is ready to run towards death, but in his meeting with Jesus in that fateful room after the resurrection, he needs to hear an invitation to new life. He needs to hear the word of peace for himself, and not second hand. 

We know all too much about death. We know all too much about preparing for the worst. But it can be a terrifying thing to trust that things might just work out better than we expected. It can be a terrifying thing to believe that in Jesus, it actually can’t work out any better than we trust it will. 

Thomas responds to that invitation to life with worship: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas ascribes to Jesus the name that is also the name of the God of Israel, making a bold confession of Jesus’ divinity. Only God can bring that kind of life, hope, and peace, and Thomas would be so compelled by it that he would become the messenger of the Gospel far outside the Roman Empire - as tradition has it, as the apostle to the people of India and south Asia. 

In each of our lives, we find there are times when we struggle to trust that Jesus is there, alive and active. Yet we still believe for each other until we can see and trust again. That’s one reason that we say the creed on Sunday: we believe – and we believe together. 

In the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter, Jesus says “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This is how we come to faith, 2000 years after the risen Jesus met his disciples. At the same time, we do have the chance to see, to touch, to taste Jesus. We have that chance to encounter him face to face at the altar, every time we come to Trinity Church where Jesus shows up in word and in sacrament. He shows up because he promised to do so, and because he is faithful to the promise. Every time we come to church, Jesus invites us once again to hear the word of life and peace, to feel the breath of the Holy Spirit, and in response to exclaim in worship – “my Lord and my God.”

I AM the Alpha and the Omega

Dear Beloved Ones,

Earlier this week, I had the chance to be in New York for the morning, and I took the opportunity to go by The General Theological Seminary. I sat in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and turned back the clock 28 years. As the weeks draw ever closer to the beginning of my sabbatical, I found those few moments in the Chapel to be profoundly meaningful. I sat in the same spot where I would sit for Morning and Evening Prayer during my Anglican Studies year in the fall of ’96 and spring of ’97. I walked up and stood in the pulpit where I preached my “Senior Sermon” and sat in the officiant’s seat, where I led Evening Prayer for the first time.

As I was sitting there, I couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone. I remember as if it were yesterday, the day that Christina and I drove into the city in a U-Haul truck that was much larger than we needed, but it was the only truck they had. I remember our excitement as new friends helped us move our belongings into the apartment on a scorching day in August. 

On our first night, we slept on a futon in the front room because we wanted to look at the Empire State Building, which we could see clearly from the window. We couldn’t believe that we were living in New York. What an amazing year it was!

During the spring term, I was tired and needed a break. A friend who had studied at Princeton Theological Seminary invited me to “get out of town for an excursion to Princeton.” I had never been and immediately took her up on the offer. We got off the Dinky and walked up Alexander, and our first stop was Trinity Church. The doors to the church were open for all to enter, just as they are today. We walked in and sat for a time of quiet and prayer. After looking around a bit, we stood before the central altar and then left for a walk around town. I had no idea that 11 years later, I would have the sacred gift and privilege of being your rector. What an amazing and blessed journey it has been. I still can’t believe it. 

All of this is merely an introduction to what may seem like a rather insignificant insight. As I sat in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, I looked to the wall above the altar and saw what I had seen a thousand times before - Λ and Ω with a beautiful stained-glass window in between. 

All of our lives, all of our beginnings and all of our endings, and everything in between are held within the embrace of the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Every second, every breath, all of our days and nights, all of the seasons, and all of the years of our lives are part of the ongoing story of God and God’s people. We are a part of the sacred tapestry, song, poem, painting, sculpture, and story that is the artistry of the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End of all that was and all that ever will be. How fast it goes! How fragile it can be. How precious it is! How sacred a gift!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 22:13)

Easter Blessings to all!

Paul