Dr. Meg Harper, our Director of Music, recently played a recital at Blackburn Cathedral, where she met up with John Bertalot - Director of Music at Trinity Church from 1983-1998. Here are two pieces from that recital to start your morning:
J.S. Bach, Prelude and Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2u2NmFhrU0
Arvo Pärt, Mein Weg Hat Gipfel Und Wellentäler
I don’t know how I became a “news junkie,” but I suppose it was the same way that anyone becomes addicted to anything: I got a taste of something that made me feel good and informed and excited (and smugly superior), and so I gradually needed more and more of it to satiate my desire, and before I knew it I would go into withdrawal unless I got my daily dosage.
The problem for many of us who grew up with the seemingly limited selection of only 3 news channels (CBS, ABC, NBC) is the overwhelming choice, the sheer volume of information coming at us, in amounts that our brains may not be designed to absorb. Naval Ravikant, American entrepreneur and investor warns, “The human brain is not designed to absorb all the world’s breaking news, 24/7 emergencies injected straight into your skull with clickbait headline news. If you pay attention to that stuff, even if you’re well-meaning, even if you’re of sound mind and body, it will eventually drive you insane.”
The renowned theologian Karl Barth said that pastors should “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”
I think some of us do quite the opposite and “interpret the Bible from our newspapers.” I wonder what Barth would have made of our endless 24/7 news cycle, clamoring for attention with seductive clickbait. I wonder what he would’ve said about my reaching for my phone and NY Times updates, before I reached for my Book of Common Prayer and before doing my morning prayers. It seems that we (I) have put the cart before the horse.
How can we see Louisiana’s recent law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools through the lens of scripture? What does the Bible have to say about Oklahoma‘s new law requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools? And does the Bible have anything to say about the Presidential debates?
One of the most dangerous phrases in history is “The Bible is clear..” and so I’m certainly not going to proscribe specific biblical passages that speak to our current political landscape.
But what I will invite us to do, is before we gorge ourselves on the non-stop toxic smorgasbord that is the news, we spend some time with scripture and in prayer and meditation.
Our Old Testament lectionary reading this week could be a good start:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
As Episcopalians, we are called, commanded even, every week to “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” and our ecstatic response is “Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!”
With God as our guide, with love as our song, the news of the world is an opportunity for us to serve. And I think then we can heed Barth’s call and actually change the world through a Christocentric lens. And what could that change look like for us? For the world?
Yesterday, the House of Bishops meeting at General Convention elected the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York, to serve as the 28th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. Presiding Bishop-Elect Rowe will be seated at the Washington National Cathedral on November 2.
You can read more information about him here:
https://livingchurch.org/news/news-episcopal-church/sean-w-rowe-elected-as-28th-presiding-bishop/
On a more personal note, I’m particularly excited because he’s the first Presiding Bishop from my generation - he’s only 49 years old. Bishop Rowe is known as a steady bishop with expertise in fixing broken church structures. He isn’t a larger-than-life presence like Presiding Bishop Curry, but I think his expertise in administration makes him the right choice for our particular moment as a Church. He’s a theological moderate, and I wouldn’t expect him to make any shocking statements to either the left or the right. His election on the first ballot was overwhelming, which shows that the bishops who know him best thought he was the man for the moment.
Here’s a fun church fact. For most of the Episcopal Church’s history, the Presiding Bishop wasn’t a national figure; it wasn’t even a separate job. The democratizing impulse of the Revolutionary War period very intentionally moved away from archbishops as much as it rejected kings. The Presiding Bishop was the senior bishop in the Church who presided at General Convention and participated in the consecrations of other bishops - and that was it. In the 20th century, with the advent of radio, television, and faster travel, the Presiding Bishop became a spokesman for the Episcopal Church on the national and global stage. In addition, as the Anglican Communion took on structural shape in the 20th century, the Presiding Bishop was called upon to represent us at meetings of Archbishops and Presiding Bishops from other countries.
I ask you to join me in praying for Presiding Bishop-Elect Rowe and his family, and in giving thanks for the ministry of Presiding Bishop Curry and his wife Sharon.
Yours in Christ,
Kara
As you may well have heard, it is an exciting time for the Trinity Church community as we explore a potential multifaceted campaign to raise funds to strengthen the church, now and in the future. The campaign will be focused on how we Remember all that was, Reflect on all that is, and Renew for all that will be.
The crucial first steps are underway in partnership with a nonprofit consulting firm, The Munshine Group, which is leading one-on-one and group conversations for a Campaign Planning Study. As part of the study, many members of the church family representing various roles have been or will be interviewed to get a broad cross-section of input. Approximately four dozen interviews and a few focus groups are anticipated in what will be a process lasting some three to four months. If you would like to participate in one of the individual interviews or a focus group that is scheduled for July 9th, please reach out directly to Annie Bryson at brysona@trinityprinceton.org.
In addition, we have established a Study Advisory Group to ensure we keep with our role as conscientious stewards of Trinity Church as we do our due diligence each step of the way in discerning next steps. Prior to the start of his sabbatical, Father Paul was instrumental in the conception of the need for a campaign as well as its initial planning phase. And while he is out on sabbatical Father Paul is being updated on a periodic basis. Upon his return, Father Paul will be provided with a full picture regarding how the planning phase has progressed.
We look forward to sharing information along the way, as well as the recommendations that ultimately are formed by this work. If you have any questions or input, please feel free to reach out to David Schneider, Senior Warden at david.c.schneider@outlook.com or at 206.407.8612.
Peace,
David
Jan Pell, a longtime, dedicated member of our community, returned last weeek to the eternal rest of our Lord. Jan always used to bake a Lemon Whiskey cake for the St Nicholas Bazaar. In her honor, her daughter Leslie would like to share Jan’s recipe so the cake can keep on giving. We hope it continues to bring delight to many hearts and taste buds.
Dear friends,
On this day, the United States commemorates the end of slavery in this nation. It was on June 19, 1865 that Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War. While our nation has come a long way since then in the struggle to ensure that justice and equality applies to everyone, we will always have work to do in seeking "a more perfect union."
For Christians, we are called to this work not because of secular ideologies but because God has created all of humanity in his image, redeems us equally at the Cross, and adopts us as heirs of the promise equally. As one of my professors said in a class years ago, if we take baptism and the Eucharist seriously, if we are made members of the household of God together and share the same blood of Christ, are we not called to care for each other - and care about the injuries done to each other - as we would members of our own family? I believe that we are.
Today, I invite each one of us, as members of the Trinity Church family, to pray that God will continue to show us what we may be called to do as Christians to work towards a just society.
Almighty God, who hast created us in thine own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 209)
Yours faithfully in Christ,
The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara Slade
Associate Rector
The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook currently serves as the Bishop of the diocese of San Diego. Before she was elected bishop, she was a church planter in the Diocese of Arizona. In 2006, she planted the Church of the Nativity in Scottsdale, and she describes its beginnings this way:
We began with a group of fourteen people meeting in a living room. Over the next few months, we continued to meet for prayer, Bible study, and visioning about the church we dreamed of planting. The committed core invited others to join our adventure, and our group of fourteen quickly grew to sixty-five enthusiastic members. We spent this visioning period laughing, dreaming, praying, and asking ourselves the three basic questions of ministry: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? Who is God calling us to become?
We began Sunday morning worship services in September 2006 in an elementary school, making music on an electronic keyboard, teaching Godly Play in a portable classroom, taking all our furniture and equipment home with us each Sunday and bringing it back the following week. The work was hard, but we joyously devoted ourselves to the mission of helping God plant a church.
The Church of the Nativity is now worshiping in its own building, with an average Sunday attendance of more than 200.
I’m telling you this story for two reasons. The first is that I think it’s a wonderful example of vitality and new life in the Episcopal Church. And it started with three questions: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? Who is God calling us to become? At Trinity Church, we are reflecting on similar questions this summer, as we discern who God is calling us to become in the years ahead. We can discern this as a congregation, but we can also ask ourselves the same questions as individuals. Who am I - both the best of me and the worst of me? Who are my neighbors and how is God calling me to love them? Who is God calling me to be and how is God calling me to grow? What do I need to leave behind? What do I need to move towards? How do I need to be changed?
The second reason I’m telling you this story is that Bishop Snook is very clear on who is responsible for Nativity’s success. She is the author of a marvelous book on church planting entitled God Gave the Growth, and the title gives the thesis away. There are things that we can do, both as a parish and as individuals, to create fertile soil for seeds to be planted. But ultimately, God is the one who sows the seeds of faith, and God is the one who gives the growth.
This is the crux of our Gospel passage on Sunday. The fruits of the Kingdom grow in accordance with God’s grace, not as the sole result of our efforts. And rather than take credit for ourselves, we can only stand in wonder at what God as done, and respond in love and praise.
Want to know more? Join me this Sunday!
In Christ,
Kara
Want to try singing in the choir? Are you a regular choir member who wants to make music over the summer? Join us in July and August for the Summer Pickup Choir! We'll meet in Ivy Hall on Sundays at 9 AM to practice, then sing during the 10 AM service. Contact Dr. Meg Harper for more information, harperm@trinityprinceton.org.