may 2010 trinity topics newsletter, trinity toledo episcopal church

8/8/2019 May 2010 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church

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Trinity Topics The Newsletter of Trinity Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio

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Breathe in the Holy Spirit. Speak your truth in your own language. Listen to people whose story is different. Get inspired to use your gifts. Turn the world upside down.

experience

pentecost

u p s i d e d o w n .



I have always been a little hesitant about Pentecost. Call it lack of understanding, or a discomfort withthe Holy Spirit working in such a noisy way. As I grow older, I retreat even more from noisy shows ofreligion, and most trust those who are filled with God’s holy listening. How long it has taken me tounderstand that Pentecost is much more about hearing than it is about talking!

The gift of Pentecost was not so much for those who

counted themselves closest to Jesus; the gift was forthose who needed to hear the good news in languagethey could recognize. They could also understand eachother, even as they were saying to one another, “Whatdoes this mean?”

I believe it means, with the embodiment of Christand through the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we arecalled to be compassionate so that we may hear eachother as God hears us. The Holy Spirit arrives when we

least expect her, carrying moments of clarity, of new understanding of the other, with the invitation to take aHoly “do-over” for all of the times when we refused to listen. Those moments are often uncomfortable. Amonth flat on my back with a herniated disc taught me understanding and compassion for people who live with

constant pain. Ten years ago, when I turned the same age my stepmother was when she married my dad, Irealized I would never have had the courage to take on two teenagers and an eight year old.

The Holy Spirit still calls on us to undo the tower of Babel, to stop a culture where misunderstanding withoutreconciliation makes good TV. Our sons and daughters still prophesy, our young still see visions and our old stilldream dreams. But can we hear them?

God calls on us to accept the Spirit’s gift of listening, and of speaking in ways that others can appreciate. WithGod’s help, we can have a world where Christians hear Muslims, where Republicans and Democrats listen to eachother, where parents and children alike put down their I-Phones and pay attention to those who are in the roomwith them. May we heed the call not to speak but to listen to the language of the other. This Pentecost, may wehave the wisdom to pray for the spirit of understanding.

Liddy Liddy Liddy Liddy

3

Do You Hear What I Hear?

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaventhere came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now therewere devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gatheredand was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed andastonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us,in our own native language? …..in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said,"They are filled with new wine." (Acts 2:1-13)

f r om t h er e c t

or



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c o n g

r e g a t i o n / w o r l d

May 4............. ...........Frederick YoungMay 5............. ...........Lois NelsonMay 9............. ...........Wendy SteinmanMay 12........... ...........Bonnie LossMay 13........... ...........Butch HeiderMay 15........... ...........Ben Bueche........................ ...........Margo TennantMay 17........... ...........Donald Mulkey........................ ...........Wes SnyderMay 21........... ….......Reuben Bueche........................ ...........Alexis Bueche-Hall........................ ...........Richard Schuster

May 22........... ...........Kimberly ChandlerMay 23........... ...........Ginny ShaferMay 24........... ...........Sherre Owens SmithMay 26........... ...........Liddy HosterMay 27........... ...........Kenneth KroppMay 31........... ...........Joan Armitage........................ ...........Robert Elliott........................ ...........Becky Roth........................ ...........Suzanne Sherman........................ ...........John Woellner

Birthday Blessings

Vestry Meeting Minutes

The April 16, 2010 meeting opened with abrief Bible study. Minutes of the last meetingwere approved.

The latest finance report was reviewed.

Those who have not returned pledge cardsfor 2010 will be contacted by Cathy Johns.

Topics discussed: Bishop Williams’ visit on May 9. Ves-

try will meet with him after worship. 2010 Ohio Episcopal Celebration at

Kenyon in June This fall’s Diocesan Convention on

November 12-13 in Toledo Church Health Team efforts Committee oversight and liaison

The next scheduled meeting of the vestryis Tuesday, May 25, at 5:45pm in the Wal-bridge Room. All parishioners are invited toattend. Members of the congregation are alsoencouraged to share comments and concernswith vestry members.

Bishop Williams Visits May 9

Assisting Bishop ArthurWilliams will visit Trinityon Sunday, May 9, whichis also Mother’s Day.This is our regularly-scheduled episcopal visit.

Be sure to attend worshipon this day to welcomeBishop Williams, and tothank God for all themothers you know!

Community Care

We say we're a faith community… now we needto help each other out!

Trinity members

sometimes need supporton short notice. We wanthands and hearts ready torespond. If you can cook(or even order out), call, ordrive, we could use your help.

Talk to vestry members Solveig Barnes, PeggyHeider or Karen Wabeke if you’d like to participate inthis important ministry.

Two Ways to Celebrate Pentecost

Pentecost, celebrated this year on May 23, is con-

sidered the birthday of the Christian church. It’s atraditional day for welcoming new members into thechurch through baptism. If you are interested inbaptism for yourself or your child, talk with Liddyimmediately.

We’ll also mark the church’sbirthday with a Pentecostcookout on the plaza after theliturgy. We’ll provide ham-burgers, hot dogs, buns,beverages, and tableware.You’re encouraged to bring side dishes and desserts toshare.



MEMBER MATTERS

Destinie LeBlanc, the sister of Butch Heider , enterednew life on Thursday, April 22. May Destinie and all thesaints, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Christopher Nejvara’s new business in Parkway Plaza,Parkway Florist and Formal Wear, celebrates its grandopening on Friday, May 7 (just in time for Mother’s Day).

If you’re graduating this spring, please call the Trinityoffice and let us know, so we can offer appropriatekudos!

5

Budget Update

In March, we didn't have to use as much Invest-ment Income as we had budgeted, due in large part tothe cash carryover from 2009.

On the expense side, we saw the last of our snow

removal invoices. That, and some other buildingmaintenance costs, drove our diocesan assessment overbudget. Revised diocesan canons specify that ourdiocesan assessment is now based on our expensesrather than our income.

Respectfully submitted, Jane BuecheParish Accountant

The financial health of our community is a sharedresponsibility, and we welcome your questions or

comments. Contact Jane Bueche, Parish Accountant, at [email protected].

2010 Budget

MarchYTD

Actual Difference

Revenue

Plate Offering 394 (281)

Pledge Payments 27,463 (9,109)

Combined Investment

Income 52,450 (10,050)

Other Operating Income 1 (249)

Total Revenues 80,308 (19,689)

Expenditures

Personnel 51,458 2,943

Buildings & Grounds 48,262 6,711

Total Expenditures 130,884 14,414

MarchYTD

Budget

675

36,572

62,500

250

99,997

48,515

41,551

116,470

Operations 5,838 6,374 536

Diocesan Assessment 10,068 17,100 7,032

Local Outreach 1,155 1,560 405

Programs 6,844 4,114 (2,731)

Loan Interest Payment 2,500 2,017 (483)

Net Surplus/(Deficit) (16,473) (50,576) (34,103)

UTO Ingathering May 16

So we send you this funky blue envelope twice ayear. Or you have a little blue cardboard box on yourdesk or dresser, and can’t remember how or when itgot there. Each can be a powerful tool for good.

They’re for the Episcopal Church’s UTO--United

Thank Offering--which has been around for 130years, and awards $2 million in grants around thecountry and around the world every year. Like these:

In the Diocese of Chicago, a $10,000 grant isoutfitting 20-25 supportive living apartments withkitchen tables, chairs and small appliances forwomen newly released from prison.

In the Diocese of Jerusalem, a $40,000 grant ispaying for the installation of an elevator on the 3 rd

floor of the St. Peter Elderly Home.

Smells just like our mission statement, doesn’t it?So here’s what to do with the fresh envelope en-closed or the blue box you’ve got hanging around:

Option 1: Between now and May 16, at the end ofeach day, remember the blessings of the day. Put $1in the envelope/box for every blessing. On May 16,bring the envelope/box to church. Begin again.

Option 2: You got that little blue box quite sometime ago. How much less did you weigh back then?Estimate the number of pounds you’ve gained overthose years, then put a ten or twenty in the box forevery pound you’ve picked up. On May 16, movethat money to the envelope, and bring it to church.

Option 3: On May 16, write out an extra check toTrinity and write UTO on the memo line.

Whatever you give, we’ll send it to United ThankOffering, who will send it back out into the world.And lots of people will thank God for you.



6

May 4th Vote Will DecideStewart Academy’s Future

Voters in the city of Toledo will decide the fate ofTrinity’s partner school, the Ella P. Stewart Academyfor Girls, on May 4. Two tax issues will be on the bal-lot that day. Issue 3 is a request from the ToledoBoard of Education for a new 0.75-percent tax on in-dividuals' earned income. It would apply only to resi-dents living in the Toledo Public School district. Thenew tax is part of a plan to overcome a projected $30

million deficit in the 2010-11 TPS budget.

School board members have already made anumber of system-wide cuts aimed at shrinking nextyear’s budget gap. But if Issue 3 fails, school officialshave promised more cuts and other changes, includ-ing merging single-gender Lincoln Academy for Boysand Stewart Academy for Girls. Through Partners inEducation, Trinity has been a partner and long-timesupporter of Stewart Academy.

Dental Care for Stewart Students

During May we’ll be collecting funds to buy atoothbrush and a tube of toothpaste for each student atStewart Academy for Girls. We buy these in bulk from

a local dentist so that each

student receives comparableitems.

If you would like to contrib-ute, the suggested amount is$5, but all donations are wel-

come. Please place your gift in one of the special enve-lopes you’ll find on the curved wall. The students willreceive the toothbrushes and toothpaste to take homewith them at the end of the school year.

o u t r e a c

h i n g s

If you’ve signed up at anytime in the past to benefit Trinitythrough the Kroger CommunityRewards program, you need tore-enroll.

Kroger deleted all Commu-nity Rewards designations effec-tive April 1, 2010. Until eachKroger Plus Card holder goes tothe Kroger Community Rewardswebsite and designates Trinity astheir charitable organization ofchoice again, their purchases willnot generate any rewards forTrinity.

To rename Trinity as yourKroger Rewards recipient, go towww.KrogerCommunityRewards.com. Sign in andupdate your CommunityRewards designation,

linking your card to TrinityEpiscopal Church. Trinity’sorganization number is 84767 .

Within 7-10 businessdays of successfullyre-linking your PlusCard to the church,you should see this note at thebottom of your receipts: “At your

request, Kroger is donating toTrinity Episcopal Church.” You’llbegin again to earn contributionsto our parish every time you

shop.

Please take advantage ofthis simple way to letTrinity benefit from thetrips you make to the

grocery. If youhave questions,or need helpwith enrollment ,

contact Jason Rahe or JaneBueche.

Time to Re-Enroll in Kroger Community Rewards

Serving Lunch at St. Paul’s on May 16Trinity commits to feeding the hungry in our midst on two Sundays each year. The next scheduled

date for us to provide lunch at St. Paul’s Community Center is Sunday, May 16. This is a simple butvaluable ministry for both those who prepare the food and those who serve it.

St. Paul’s provides transitional housing and many other services to those on the streets of our city.On Sundays, they open their doors to anyone who is hungry, and they often serve lunch to nearly 200people. If you can help as a cook or server, stay tuned during Sunday announcements for more de-tails, or contact anyone on the Outreach Committee.

what’s your

ministry?



7

“All creation groans, as if in travail…” As I read thePsalms and sometimes the New Testament, this sectionof Romans 8 really relates to some of where I have trav-eled over the last several years. On vacation the pastfew years, I couldn’t help hearing the crying of the trees– the cedars not reaching old age in

Alaska due to global warming; prayingfor the trees obviously sick and dying inmid-summer two years ago as I droveDavid to Maine for a short vacation withcollege friends; having to cut down theash trees in our front yard; the pine treein the back has yellow needles, mostlikely due to “environmental stress,” i.e.,air pollution… And yet, last summer atleast the deciduous trees in northernMinnesota looked healthy; the starsoverhead most nights last fall and winter

were easily visible in the clear sky evenin Maumee; the air feels clean and makeswalking a pleasure; for a few brief week-ends I could cross-country ski in theMetropark. With a new bird feeder andfresh food, I have seen some types of birds for the firsttime in a decade. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic your name is, how great is your name in all of the earth. You haveset your glory above the high heavens… What are humanbeings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Psalm 8)

I have been reading from Weavings magazine as partof my nighttime practice of being still and trying to lis-ten. In the order in which they were sitting in a pilestacked near the bed last summer, I read “Stewards ofCreation” in December, “In the Watches of the Night”

in January, Healing Prayer, and Winter-

Song (by Madeleine L’Engle and LuciShaw) in February and March. I amreminded that Jesus called us“friends,” that the whole of creationmatters to him, and that he came not just to heal people and to love us intobeing, but to calm the winds… There ismore hope than one gardener/authorcould trust that her bulbs were notdead under the snow.

And so we are called to be co-

creators with God. How am I to appor-tion my tithe of money, of time, of the$2 Liddy handed each of us during asermon in the fall, for the greening ofthe earth and healing of its residents? I

thank God for transformation and healing already be-gun, trusting and knowing that “the trees of the forest willshout for joy” (Psalm 96).

~Lois Nelson

For the Beauty of the Earth

God is always more, and more mysterious and surprising, thanwe can imagine. The early theologians talked about the three in oneas a circle dance – God who creates, and the human face of God,and the way God continues to come into our lives, unbidden andunexpected. We experience God in different ways because God ismost fundamentally relational.

About fifteen years ago theologian and Roman Catholic nunSandra M. Schneiders wrote a famous paper entitled, “God is MoreThan Two Men and a Bird.” We may use the language of Father,

Son and Holy Spirit. Old man,

young man, the dove or thebird. But it’s just language – ithints at, or points toward, theways in which we experienceGod, but it can never fully de-scribe God…

God is revealed in relation-ships. God’s own self is aboutcommunity… We don’t have

to be in community, but relationshipsare the only place we’re going to learnwhat wholeness, holiness, or salvationis really about… There is no merit orgrowth or wholeness in loving peoplewho agree with us. When we can lookat the person next to us who has a radi-cally different opinion, and see the im-age of God, then we begin to discoverthat God is more than we can imagine.

What if the next time we meetsomebody out there who doesn’t looklike us or think like us, our first reactionwere, “Oh, that must be the image ofGod!”

~From “Finding God in theDifferences” in A Wing and a Prayer

by Presiding BishopKatharine Jefferts Schori

Finding the Trinity



8

As we continue in the NaturalChurch Development process, it’s vitalthat we continually invite the Spirit tobe an integral part of our journey.Prayer is central to our effort; we willnot succeed without God’s help. Prayer

will open us to all that God is callingour community to do, is waiting for usto do.

In the next phase of nurturing ourpassionate spirituality, each small groupin the Trinity community (Vestry, choir,Finance Committee and many more) isbeing asked to develop a short prayer

for itself, specific to its ministry. Thegroup and its members will then beasked to pray its prayer each time itgathers/ministers. If a group doesn’tmeet together to do its ministry (likethe Bread Guild), members of that

group should pray the prayer indi-vidually every time they minister.

Each small group is asked toprovide a copy of its prayer to MikeLowrey, chair of the Church HealthTeam, by Mother’s Day, May 9. Thecollected prayers will be shared withthe community on Pentecost.

Small Group Prayers Due May 9

“The important thing to remember about theSpirit’s work at Pentecost… is not the ecstasywhich is usually invoked on Pentecost Sunday,

the confusion and the excitement and thehigh energy level. That’s an interesting point,but… it’s a ‘B’ point, not an ‘A’ point. The ‘A’point is the Spirit-induced understanding.That was the thing that the Spirit did, and thatwas how the people could say that they eachheard in their own language the wonderful

works of God. The work of the Spirit is de-signed to foster understanding and ultimatereconciliation.”

~Rev. Peter Gomes

Sunday Morning Huddle

If you’re a worship helper, one of the people whoparticipates in the Sunday morning set-up (as theday’s Altar Guild members or ushers or readers orbread baker or chalicers or verger or choir director oreven the presider), please meet at the font at 9:45 for abrief “huddle” before the liturgy begins at 10:00.

This is intended as a space in which to pause,breathe, and focus together for a few moments on themeaning of the ministry we’re offering to the commu-nity. A short group prayer helps insure that our at-tention is turned to the God we’ve come to worship.Please be there to pray together!

Trinity’s NCD Prayer Merciful Creator, we invite you to be with us

here and now. As we embrace Natural

Church Development, keep us mindful of

our purpose in this work – to empower your

people, grow and strengthen your church,

and glorify your name. Fill us with your

Spirit of Wisdom and Truth as we humbly

examine ourselves and our community.

Help us to embrace new opportunities for

growth and improvement. Renew our en-

ergy, guide our work, and lead us to newlife in you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.



9

Shouting Parts of the CreedWhen I first became an Episcopalian, I was not sure

that I assented to absolutely everything, or even sureof what "absolutely everything" might mean. As aspiritual discipline, I would say the creed soto voce sothat people around me would not be disconcertedwhen I left out the parts about which I was unsurewhether I assented. I was not trying to tell others whatto believe; I was working out my own salvation with

diligence.

In time I found myself say-ing the creed voce piena andfor decades now I have said

all parts of the creed certain thatI can pass a lie detector test. Yet,I have found it much harder tolive faithfully than to assent.

Now 72, forty-eight yearsafter confirmation, I find

new vexation with the creed, not doubting parts of it,

but wanting to shout some parts under attack in theAnglican Communion.

"I believe in the Holy Spirit!" I find myself sayinglouder by the Sunday. If I don't watch out, folksaround me will think I have grown senile, or have for-gotten that in Eucharist the Creed is corporate wor-ship, not one individual before a jury in a witnessstand.

Nevertheless, I find it a struggle not to shout. “Ibelieve in the Holy Spirit”! The Holy Spirit is (not‘was’) the Lord and giver of life. The Holy Spirit“proceeds from the father…” “The verbs are in thepresent tense!” I want to shout. “God is alive!”

Even the creed says we're not stuck with God onlyas understood by those who wrote the creed. God notonly must be allowed to do new things; God won't bea living God if God does not do new things.

~ Louie Crew

This story goes back many years but still has impact on mylife daily. At the end of 1996, with both of our kids gradu-ated and off to college, I crossed the bridge to a new nor-mal; life as it had been (focused on parenting) was com-pletely changed. I began to wonder - sometimes obsessively- well, God, what now? What do you want me to do?

Where do you want me to be? Is there some ministry youwant me to get involved with?

The day after Christmas, Elizabeth and I went to Kanuga,the Episcopal conference center in North Carolina whereshe was on staff, for a big youth event. I was just going tohelp her drive down and back. Since I was not involved inthe conference, I had plenty of time to read, reflect, andwalk, and I thought I might get some answers to my ques-tions.

One sunny, quiet day I decided to take a walk around thelake. As I started walking, I resumed my questions for God:

What now? When? Where? The questions just kept repeat-ing themselves. The surroundings were thoroughly lovely -the lake, the mountains, rock formations, magnolia treesarching the path. I was just glad to be alive. In fact, half wayaround the lake I noticed that the questions had faded from

my thoughts completely and twowords filled me up: “Yes, Lord.”I thought, “That’s it! That’s theanswer I’ve been looking for!That’s all I need to know!” It nolonger mattered what the ques-

tions were or even what the an-swers were, my response is thesame: I just say “Yes.” Wow -what peace and relief thatbrought me at that very moment.

About 3/4 of the way around the lake, the path split. Theleft branch took a gradual decline around the end of thelake and the right branch went steeply down crude steps. Itook the right branch because it looked more interestingand scenic. At the bottom of the steps there was a footbridge crossing the stream that fed the lake. It was a beauti-ful spot that I wanted to remember because something sig-

nificant had happened. When I reached the other side of thebridge, I turned to look back at the beautiful surroundingsthat almost matched the feeling I had inside. Then I saw asign bearing the name of this spot: LOWREY’S CROSSING.

~ Susan Lowrey

God Moment

Got a God moment?Has there been a time recently when you noticed the presence of God in your life? If you’re willing to share a brief “Godmoment” with the Trinity community, you’re invited to submit several paragraphs (no more than half a page, up to 300 words,subject to editing for clarity) to [email protected].



It is the season of Pentecost: theperiod of unmitigated joy, of total im-mersion in the implications of what itmeans to be a Christian, to live a

Christian life. It is that point in theliturgical year when the curtain be-tween here and there, time and eter-nity, for the most minute fraction oftime splits open, and we begin to seenot only what we are but what wecan be. Better than that, we discoverthat they are one and the same.

We know Pentecost to be the dayat the end of the Jewish Feast ofWeeks – seven weeks after Passover– when the Holy Spirit poured intoMary and the apostles while theywere in Jerusalem for the feast. ButPentecost has always been more thanthat, though often barely perceptible,as one or the other emphasis fromtime to time threatened to submergeit.

The Christian feast of Pentecostdeveloped late in the 4th century, butit did not mean the feast day fifty daysafter Easter. It meant “the great fifty

days,” or “the fifty days of Easter.”The phrase is an important one in aworld that runs from one event toanother, barely present at any of them.The word meant “the fifty days of

Easter,” not “the fifty days after

Easter.” This was an entire period of

rejoicing. It was Paschaltide or Easter-tide, not one day among many butmany days of wonder and joy andnew life all in a row. In this period oftime, the Christian community haswitnessed the Resurrection, the As-

cension, and the outpouring of theHoly Spirit on Mary and the apostles.It was a time of great loss and greatsorrows, of great demoralization and

even greater confirmation and cer-tainty, of Jesus with them still – but

differently. It was a period thatbridged time and timelessness, thenatural life and the supernatural life,the material and the spiritual in onecomprehensive and sweeping cycle ofthe Christian life.

Nothing else compares to Paschal-tide for bringing the whole Christiancalendar to one hot point of experi-ence. Yes, the Advent waiting hadbeen a glimpse of what it means tobelieve in the return. Yes, Christmaslocked the human and divine into the

human psyche and soul as one. Yes,Lent brought us to our knees in theface of the awesome idea that the di-vine had reached down to us so thatwe might reach back. But only here inthis time, between the bursting open

of the tomb and, fifty days later, theoverflowing of the Holy Spirit, doesthe full awareness of what it is to livein Christ, with Christ, and through

Christ finally dawn. Indeed, thesefirst Christians were the first citizensof the new creation. Now beganthe breaking open of the future.Now the human community seeslife lived as it is meant to be. Nowcreation is re-created.

In this Creation, Jesus, risen, walksamong the living to demonstratethe presence of the living Godamong us. In this period, we are allrisen to new life. We all become anew people together.

Liturgically, it is a period of un-mitigated celebration. There is asense of holy abandonment to this

space between the already-but-not-yetfeel of life, a kind of reckless giddinessin the church year. For fifty greatdays, the heart of the Christian com-munity has a sense of ultimate fulfill-ment. At the First Coming, at the In-carnation, we know possibility. After

the Resurrection, till the Second Com-ing, we know the power of the pres-ence of God in the midst of us. Fromnow till then, the early church taught,the Spirit would companion us home.

The consciousness of the ongoingpresence of God overtakes us: we arenot orphans. We are not wanderersanymore. We are not left to wondernow about what is really our fate. Wealready know it. We have already

seen it among us. There is nothing towait for now except for the waiting tobe over.

It is a delicious time. A shaft oflight has come to pierce the uncertain-ties of the seeking. We are living nowwith a torch in our hands, howeverdark the darkness.

10

Paschaltide: The Days of Pentecostby Joan Chittister

After the Resurrection, till the Second Coming,

we know the power of the presence of God in

the midst of us. From now till then, the Spiritwould companion us home.



For the early Christians – and forus now – it is a matter only of allowingthe Spirit to transform us so that ourlife and the life of Christ do finallymerge, do really melt into one another,do truly become one, are united bothhere and hereafter.

“Your sorrow will be turned into joy,” Jesus promised (John 16:20NKJV). And for fifty days we allowourselves to be caught up in the con-sciousness of it as incomplete, ofcourse, but coming, clearly coming.We are indeed now risen with Christ.

As centuries passed, the emphasisof Paschaltide shifted, unfor-tunately, from “the great fiftydays” to “the fortieth day”

and “the fiftieth day,” thefeasts of the Ascension andPentecost. Ascension beganto be seen as the proof of thedivinity of Jesus, rather thanas the movement from one phase ofdivine life among us to another. Pente-cost itself, first meant to seal the mean-ing of the fifty days before it, began tobe celebrated more as the singular

feast of the outpouring of the HolySpirit. But Pentecost, we are now dis-covering again, is much more thanthat. It is the period of Christianenlightenment. We come to knowduring these great fifty days not onlywho Jesus is but who we are meant tobe, as a result. It is the coming home of

the Christian to the spiritual self. It is,at long last, the comprehension ofwhat it means to live the interior life inan exterior world, to grasp the realmeaning of spiritual maturity.

Now the spiritual seeker under-stands the poet’s single-minded searchfor the one thing that matters, the

saint’s understanding of the blur be-tween the material and the spiritual.

The liturgical symbols of suchliberation, of such fulfillment, are rich

and riotous. For fifty days allfasts are forbidden. The Pas-chal candle – Jesus with us –shines every day in thechurch. We do not kneel atprayer like fearful suppli-cants. We stand upright andconfident, sure of the pres-

ence of God and alreadyfilled with everything weneed to give this life mean-ing, to make it whole. Wesing “Alleluia” – “Praise theLord” – over and over andover again. It is a time of un-bounded assurance and asense of limitless liberation. Itis hope and faith and trust allbound into one in us. It is thefifty great days of illumina-

tion meant to carry us acrossthe darkness of life’s divides.

by Joan Chittister, fromThe Liturgical Year:

The Spiraling Adventure

of the Spiritual Life

11

ar o u

n d t h ek

i n g d om

It is a delicious time. We are

living now with a torch in ourhands, however dark the

darkness.

Sometimes I don't know what to do with the Holy Spirit:I know God does all those epic God things,and I know Jesus hung out with punks,but the Holy Spirit never seems to get too many stories.And even though I bless myself in the nameof the Trinity all the same:

in nomine Patris et Fillii et Spiritus Sancti

the Holy Spirit is still that Ghost that haunts my theology.

She descends from Heaven,redeems the Tower of Babel,and everyone hears everyone.

Not even God can help us listen like that.

So I'll chant 'Forgive me for I cannot always hear'like a mantra to the ears of the Holy Spirit.So I'm no longer deaf to a person's heart when they askfor spare change.So I'm no longer deaf to love when speaking withstrangers.

And I'll know She's heard,when I'm spitting fire with my words.But not the kind that burns:the kind that brings light to those who can't seeeveryone as everyone.

~ from Episcorific (http://www.episcorific.org/issues/06-Pentecost-2009sm.pdf)

Spiritus Sancti by Amanda Chan



Language is an interesting thing. Itcan bring us together or it can divideus.

Many years ago I was with somefriends who hailed from Louisiana —and heard a word I didn’t recognize.The word was "ratcheer." Heard itmany times before I finally figuredout what it meant. For example, when Juliet calls down, "Romeo, Romeo,wherefore art thou Romeo?" Romeoresponds, "Why I’m ratcheer in thebushes."…

When Pepsi Cola tried to use theirslogan, "Come alive, you’re in thePepsi Generation" over in China, itcame out "Pepsi brings your ancestorsback from the dead."

If we could all speak the samelanguage with the same accent per-haps there would be no wars. I don’t

know. All I know is that the miraclethat occurred at Pentecostsends us a message we needto hear: concentrate on thelanguage that does unite us,despite all worldly differ-ences, the language of theSpirit of God. We all carry ayearning for God in ourhearts. We all live on earthwith the Holy Spirit withinus and among us. We all are

in community because ofthat, and God yearns, speak-ing of yearning, God yearnsfor us to know it and to liveit. God wants us to be incommunity with all its nur-turing gifts and its call to us to minis-ter to one another.

The miracle I referred to a mo-ment ago took place on the dayknown as Pentecost—which literallymeans "fiftieth." It was the ancient"feast of harvest," "the day of the firstfruits." From the second day of thePassover, seven complete weeks, i.e.,forty-nine days, were to be reckoned,and this feast washeld on the fiftiethday. Besides thesacrifices prescribedfor the occasion,every one was tobring to the Lord his"tribute of a free-willoffering."

The purpose of this feast was tocommemorate the completion of thegrain harvest. It was on this high holy Jewish holiday in the City of Jerusa-lem, 2000 years ago, that peoples of allnations gathered to worship and cele-

brate. Multitudes were doing just that

when suddenly they all started speak-ing in various tongues, or languages,yet everyone present was able to un-

derstand what was said all aroundthem. They understood it in their ownnative language.

This miracle occurred as the Giftof the Holy Spirit was given to theChurch, one of whose most importantcharacteristics is community, commu-

nity that is made possible by this HolySpirit. This agape or love-based com-munity, still lives and empowers us tocare about others and to minister andto empower, from that day to thisvery minute.

Because the Holy Spirit made and

makes possible the existence of theChurch, the Feast of Pentecost is con-sidered to be the birthday of theChurch: the day on which we were

given the gift of the HolySpirit of God;

the energy that keeps theChurch in existence;

the voice that speaks to uswhen we are very quiet in-side;

the bearer to us of what Godcreated us to hear and what Jesus wanted us to learn.

The Holy Spirit is in us and in theworld, linking us one to another. Aparishioner e-mailed me this weekand signed the note not with the oft-used "Peace," or "In Christ," but with

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Community: Where the Holy Spirit Hangs Outby Rev. William Kolb

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this,he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiventhem; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Pentecost sends us a message we need

to hear: concentrate on the language

that unites us — the language of the

Spirit of God.



the words "In community." That gotme to thinking that as a people whoworship together, we are community.

We are in fact in community witheveryone in the world who worshipsGod, who seeks faith, who believesthat good is better than evil. The word

community comes from the same rootthat gives us the word communica-tion, and the word Communion. Weare, usually for better, occasionally forworse, all part of one another.

As people in community we findthat we share many things in this life,several of which are found in thedepths of this morning’s readingsfrom Scripture. We hear Jesus speakof forgiveness and we realize that we

all share the need for forgiveness. Wesee Jesus showing his wounds to his

followers, and we realize that we have

in common the fact that wounds areinevitably part of our lives.

We hear about many languagesbeing understood by those who didn’tknow how to speak those languages,and we realize that we have variouslanguages, backgrounds, ways of ex-pressing ourselves, accents in whichwe speak. But we see that we havesimilar yearnings and needs and thatbeing part of God’s creation, beingpart of humanity gives us much morein common than we have that is dif-ferent. We know that we share theknowledge of our own mortality and,perhaps because of that, we know ofour common need for God.

We are called, as baptized per-sons, to think in terms of "we" ratherthan "I." Our culture has become one

in which many of us are primarilyconcerned with our own needs andour own wants. Many advertisementstrumpet that and appeal to that. Ourconsumer society has lost a lot of theconcern for others that was present indecades past. But the Biblical focus ison the community.

God's answer to the human pre-dicament was to create a new com-

munity, to start afamily. We as indi-viduals gain our iden-tity by belonging tothe community, andthe community findsfulfillment in thegrowth and healingof the individual.

Each nurtures the other. And the

bread of life nurtures all of us...

What one of us does or does notdo has its impact on the whole. Whatone of us receives or does not receivehas its impact on the whole. Whenone is forgiven the entire communityis healthier in spirit. When we as acommunity forgive, each of us is freer.

Looking at the closing words ofour Gospel reading, we hear, "If youforgive the sins of any, they are for-

given them; if you retain the sins ofany, they are retained." We oftenwonder about this power given to thechurch to forgive or not to forgive. Ithink perhaps that our job is to con-centrate not so much on how theChurch is to know which sins are tobe loosed and which are to be re-tained, but on Jesus’ confirming in

clear words here the reality offorgiveness. It’s the gift of Godto an imperfect but adoredpeople.

Notice, earlier in the read-ing, when Jesus comesthrough the door to reveal his

wounded but living self, howhe doesn’t wait for the disci-ples to express their contritionand repentance before he says"Peace be with you; your sinsare forgiven!" He puts thatlove out there without anyquid pro quo. How reminis-cent of the prodigal son andhis father! In so many placeswhere we read about God’slove in Scripture we see indi-

cations that it is full, that it isunconditional, that it is repletewith forgiveness…

To be in relationship withGod is to be in relationshipwith every person who is alsoin relationship with God. Andwe do not need to speak thesame language or have thesame accent to be in true com-munity; we have only to realize that

we are all part of God, and to keepthat uppermost in our mind and spiritas we live and relate to each other.

Remember the old movie, Star Wars? Remember the "Force"? I al-ways suspected that the writer hadthe Holy Spirit in mind. After all, the"Force" was powerful, it was greaterthan any one person and it was good.And so on this Day of the Holy Spirit,my prayer for all of us and those welove is, "May the Force be with You!"

From www.explorefaith.org

13

ar o u

n d t h ek

i n g d om

We do not need to speak the same

language or have the same accent to

be in true community. We have only

to realize that we are all part of God.



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prayers

Remember those for whom our prayers have been requested: Kim Bryden-Loch, Alexis Bueche-Hall, Baylon Heider, Joe Keblesh, Herb Landis, Susan Lowrey,Gordon McIntosh, Marjorie McIntosh, Julie Napier, Nancy Paulas, Peg Sammons, and

Jessica Snyder; the children and staff of Emanuel Children’s Home, especially David andEstrella; the vestry; the Church Health Team; those on death row, including MichaelBeuke, who is scheduled to be executed by the state of Ohio on May 13; all victims of war and violence; our ministry with CaterMe; Sara & Todd Alcroft, awaiting the birth of their first child. Prayers for those who have died: Linda Keblesh (Fr. Joe Keblesh), Destinie LeBlanc(Baylon “Butch” Heider).

vision & mission

Trinity is called to be a progressive, inclusive, creative urban faith community. We will practice radical hospitality.

We will be engaged in the life of our city.

We will stand with those in need: the poor, the sick, the friendless, the marginalized.

We will actively invite all to experience and celebrate God’s living presence.

We will journey together toward a Christ-centered life, pursuing personal ministries

that connect us to God, to one another, and to the world around us.

may 2010 trinity topics newsletter, trinity toledo episcopal church

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