Epiphany Saturday, January 6, 2018 6:00 PM Dinner (This is a free catered dinner. All are welcome!) 7:00 PM Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Candlelight Concert Feb 18
Sunday, February 18, 2018 5:30 pm
Celebrate Chopin with Brian Ganz
The Ballroom at Barton Oaks
2750 Landmark School Road
The Plains, Va.
The Community Music School of the Piedmont cordially invites you to join us for our 11th annual Candlelight Concert Fundraiser: an all-Chopin program by renowned pianist and Chopin specialist, Brian Ganz. DMV Classical raves, "His Chopin always blends the wisdom of age with the enthusiasm of youth, and he tells you from the stage what parts of the music strike sparks in him, so you can appreciate them too." Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy Chopin gems in the intimacy of the ballroom at Barton Oaks!
CMSP's Candlelight Concert is the sole annual fundraiser for the school and benefits our scholarship fund and other programs.
Tickets are $125 and may be purchased by calling 540-592-3040 or visiting https://piedmontmusic.ticketleap.com/. Doors open at 5:00. Seating is limited; purchase tickets early!
Music News
Each year we see it at the Christmas Pageant hanging from a glorified fishing pole with a crew of 4-foot-tall kings following it down the aisle. Twelve days later it takes its place in the pulpit as the central symbol of Epiphany. Ours is a little bit raggedy but the star is much more than just the guiding light of the monarchs of Lilliput, it is a symbol of the Son of God.
Jesus is the Light of the World, bringing light to the darkness, showing us the way to our God who we have not understood without him. The Old Testament records centuries of the tribes of Israel fumbling with God. The many books often describe a God in the only terms their primitive culture could understand; one of many rules and judgment, and belonging only to them. They were people who walked in darkness. The birth of Jesus changed all of that. God came to us in human form and dwelt among us to bring us enlightenment; to show us that he is a loving God of all creation and that his is the way of peace.
It is easy and safe to cling to the darkness and tempting to believe that its ways are righteous. The loving path of Jesus can seem counterintuitive at times. Part of why the church exists is to remind us of the way of Light. In this Epiphany season the music of the church will be filled with symbols of the Light of Christ. I hope that they may be a reminder and source of inspiration. As Jesus is shown to the Gentiles our God is recognized as universal. In this light our divisions seem petty. Let us choose love over hate, peace over war, unity over division, and light over darkness. God has sent his Son to all of us. Both great and small, no matter how tall, he will show us the way.
- Christian
January is a great time to join a choir. We start all new music after Christmas and will welcome any new members.
Sunday Service Flowers
Currently the following dates are available in 2018:
January 21
February 11, 18 and 25
March 4, 11 and 18
April 8 and 22
May 6 and 27
June 10 and 17
July 8 and 29
August 12
September 16 and 30
October 7 and 28
November 4 and 25
December 16, 23 and 30
On Sunday mornings we decorate the church with beautiful flowers, given to the glory of God. Often families and individuals choose to donate the flowers in honor or memory of a loved one, or in celebration of an anniversary or a special day.
The cost is $135. Please contact Betsy in the church office (540-592-3343 or betsy@trinityupperville.org) if you would like to donate flowers.
Coffee Hours
It's time to sign up for the next round of coffee fellowships! You may sign up on the board in Cox Hall. There are still many openings in the new year. You can sign up as an individual or as part of a team! We hope you will participate in this important community activity.
Office Spring Cleaning
The church offices are undertaking a bit of “spring cleaning” when it comes to our money-handling procedures.
As of January 1st, all reimbursement requests will need to come directly from the chairs of each individual guild. This means that before you run to the store to buy supplies that you believe are needed for a particular guild, you will need to first get the chairperson’s approval. This is done in order to create an extra layer of transparency in the way we manage our finances, as well as help each chairperson keep track of his/her guild’s budget. Therefore, when you fill out our check request form for reimbursement for buying supplies, you will need to confirm in writing on the form that this transaction has been approved by the appropriate chair.
Lastly, just a friendly reminder that all check request forms need to be submitted to the Parish Administrator for final approval. We hope you will understand the need to practice our due diligence in this aspect of our operations.
Thanks all!
Warmly, Jane
Vestry Notes Jan 2018
As always, the Christmas season was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship at Trinity. The Christmas Eve and Christmas services were wonderful reminders of the true meaning of the celebration. The Incarnation is a wonderful moment of hope as God redeems his people!
One of the highlights of the season was the Christmas auction. It was a tremendous success. It was an essential aspect of Trinity’s successful completion of its 2017 on budget. So special thanks to Nicky Perry, Ellen Hall and others who work so hard to make it such a great event.
Vestry has approved the provisional budget for the coming year and will be sharing it with the congregation at the congregational meeting on January 28, at 9:30am. While Trinity is grateful for its many blessings, the budget continues to be a challenge. The costs of maintaining our beautiful campus and the need for more robust youth and Christian education programs will require more pledges than we have received to date.
Our budget is balanced but there is more we can do if we are going to successfully meet the needs of our congregation and our community. I urge you to prayerfully consider your pledge for 2018 and if you have not yet pledged, I urge you to do so soon so Vestry can make the most of your faithful giving through a well executed budget.
Vestry continues to focus on how we can enhance the visitor experience at Trinity. In the near future Visitor Parking signs will be erected near the church. While this may sometimes be an inconvenience for regular attendees, Vestry has decided this is an important part of our efforts to welcome those who visit our church in search of fellowship, meaning and God.
Regards,
Matt Blunt
Vestry Planning Retreat
Vestry members: Save the date! Our next planning retreat is scheduled for Saturday, January 27 in Cox Hall, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Order Christmas Poinsettias
Order your Christmas Poinsettias before December 18! Print the form below, fill out, and drop it by the church office!
Music Notes December 2017
How many times did my mother tell me “no dessert until you eat your vegetables,” or “no television until you finish your homework”? This is how it often seems in the church during December. “No Christmas Carols until after Advent.” It’s understandable that it sometimes feels unreasonable. After all, the other kids get to do it. Christmas carols are everywhere starting right after Thanksgiving; on the radio and TV, at the mall and grocery store, in the elevator, and even in many non-liturgical churches. We are swamped with Christmas the very minute we stop buying turkeys. But, just because the other kids are doing it doesn’t mean we have to also.
The Anglican Communion is a liturgical church. This means, in part, that we follow a prescribed liturgy in our daily worship and a yearly lectionary which determines the readings for each service in conjunction with the liturgical seasons. The first of these seasons is Advent. In following the lectionary, we observe Advent for the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and wait until the eve of the blessed day to recognize Christmas in all aspects of our worship. This is the case in all liturgical traditions including the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches.
Like most kids, I didn’t like being told to eat my vegetables, but it was mostly because I didn’t understand. As I got older, I began to appreciate delayed gratification. I saw the truth in the axiom that good things come to those who wait, and that dessert is even sweeter when we have anticipated it for a while. One of the things about Advent is that it makes Christmas all the more special. However, there is much more to it than that. After many years of having them both prescribed, I find that in addition to being good for me, I actually like Advent and vegetables. Advent is not just a time to wait for Christmas. It is a time to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”.
Advent is the season of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel visiting Mary, of Gregorian chant and Handel’s “Messiah”. It is a season filled with inspiring imagery and symbols of darkness and light. It is like those magical moments just before dawn. Take time to appreciate the unique beauty of Advent. Jesus will be here soon. Until then, look both ways before you cross the street, brush your teeth before bed, and never run with scissors in your hand.
Christian
Advent Music Highlights:
Sunday, Dec. 10 at 10:30
Excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah” with strings and tenor soloist Michael Forest.
Sunday, Dec. 17 at 4:00
Service of Lessons and Carols with the Mastersingers of Virginia. Featuring “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten.
Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:30
Concerti for Strings by Arcangelo Corelli including Christmas Concerto to benefit hurricane victims through The Episcopal Relief and Development Fund.
A Kairos Christmas Greeting
From Kairos Team #32 and the woman at Fluvanna Women’s Correctional Center, we send warm Christmas greetings and a sincere thank you to all at Trinity Church who baked your wonderful cookies for our fall weekend.
These cookies are extremely important. They provide the mainstay of our program for the women; they set the stage and comfort zone for our round table discussion groups; they serve in our forgiveness ceremony; and, one dozen is given to everyone of the 1,200 prisoners late Saturday night. We are able (with a guard) to enter the wings of the prison and personally distribute the cookies. It warms one’s heart to see grateful faces and to hear their expression of gratitude—most asking God to bless those who have remembered them with these cookies. People who don’t even know them.
There is one thing of which I was unaware. Since Fluvanna is a maximum security prison, no homemade food items, from family or friends, are allowed to enter the facility. The Kairos cookies (which are screened) are the only homemade foods allowed in the prison. Now we really understand why they are so special to prisoners and staff alike.
As one woman once said to me, “I really came for those cookies but I’m leaving with so much more.”
I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit can move and change hardened hearts in a dark place into those hearts filled with forgiveness, love, peace and joy.
In closing, I would like to share a few comments from the women at their closing exercises on Sunday afternoon. They are given an open mic opportunity to describe their weekend experience:
“I found God’s face this weekend, and I’m overwhelmed with joy for what he has done for me and for others.”
“It took me seven years to get to Kairos. God knew that this was the right time for me. God is really real. God worked through you [the team] to say exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve had a problem trusting people; I build walls. I cried my make-up off thirty minutes after arriving here. I thank God for His love—for loving me—when I don’t deserve it.”
“God has shown He loves me; He’s here for me; He’s going to help me.”
“I’ve always had a problem with forgiveness and have held on tight to past hurts. I’m a wall-builder. These talks have been an eye-opener, and I’m slowly removing my blinders.”
“I was angry with God! Why did he allow me to come here? Now I know that He has a plan for my life and I need to let go and let God take control. It all starts with forgiveness of myself and others…”
“I spent my life running from God. He knew that the way to get me to Kairos was to provide cookies. I love cookies! Better than that, I’m so happy! I gave my life to Christ. Today I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m no longer ashamed.”
Thank you, friends of Kairos and supporters of our program. As we enter this holy season of Advent, let us thank God for the greatest gift of all—His Son, Jesus Christ.
Faithfully Yours,
Cheri Martin
Big Things for Sunday School
Big things are happening at Sunday School and we need your help!
The Christian Education of our children is one of the most important ministries in our church and for those of us who are parents of school age children. We are seeking your support and involvement to make our programs as successful and enjoyable as possible. We are looking for people interested to serve on the Christian Education Committee. We will meet monthly to discuss our programs and events and how best to meet the needs of our community. Please contact Kevin Fox (847) 971-4986, kfox@myviablevision.com or the Church Office if you’re interested in learning more.
On December 17th at 9:30 we will be meeting in the Choir room in the basement of Cox Hall to discuss our Youth programs (grades 7-12). We would love to see parents, parishioners, young people in grades 7-12, and any of our recent members home from college to share breakfast and ideas on how to build on the recent success of our youth programs. We want to start 2018 running with activities and opportunities to help our youth grow in their faith and fellowship!
Please consider joining in and rallying others to participate in this important aspect in the life of our church and our families.
S.O.M.E. Report
We are pleased to report that over 450 guests were served at our November S.O.M.E., our greatest number in 2017! Many thanks are in order to our cooks: Bob and Joan Eliot, Ellen Hall, Stephanie Knapp, Ann Macleod, Richard Taylor, Deon Bezaquet and Claude Prozinski, and Robin Keys.
Thanks are also in order for our servers (pictured from left to right): Louisa Barker, Len Shapiro, Ken Knapp, Ann MacLeod, John MacDonnell, Jim Gemmer, David Augenblick, John Barker (not pictured: Maggie New and Robin Keys).
As we enter our 31st year we have seen the ebb and flow of volunteer participation with this program. We respectfully request that you take a look at your 2018 calendar and make a note of the dates that interest you. There will soon be a sign up sheet in Cox Hall to facilitate. Get on board early to secure your place at the table to either cook or travel to DC. It will be an experience you will not forget. Contact Ann MacLeod at 592-3313 or Robin Keys at 592- 3310 for more information.
2018 S.O.M.E. Dates
January 18 and 19
March 15 and 16
May 17 and 18
July 19 and 20
September 20 and 21
November 15 and 16
Christmas at Trinity
Christmas Eve Services
8:00am Fourth Advent Service
Typical Sunday worship service with celebration of the Holy Eucharist
4:00 pm Family Service
Featuring the Children’s Christmas Pageant and celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
8:00 pm Festival Service
with the full Trinity Choir, soloists, strings, and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
11:00 pm Candlelight Service
a more quiet and contemplative liturgy, a cappella music, and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
Christmas Day Service
10:30 am Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
The Flower Guild will decorate for Christmas on Friday, December 22, at 10am. If you would like to participate, please bring holly and greens for arrangements!
Important Upcoming Dates
December 8: “Traditions of Advent” 6p
December 15: Musica Viva Concert 7p
December 16: Men’s Breakfast 8a | Mammovan 9:30a
December 17: Lessons and Carols 4p
December 18: Vestry Meeting 6:30p | Last day to donate to Toys for Tots (in Cox Hall)
December 19: Advent Evening Prayer 6p
December 20: Correlli Concertino 7:30p
December 23: Pageant Rehearsal 9a
December 24: Services at 8a, 4p, 8p, 11p
December 25: Service at 10:30a
January 6: Dinner 6p | Epiphany Service 7p
Church Office Closed Dec. 22 (@ noon) - Jan. 1
Vestry Notes Dec 2017
At the recent November meeting, Vestry continued to discuss how we can best fulfill our church goals of solid administration, meaningful worship, enlightening Christian education, healthy fellowship and evangelism that shares the Gospel in word and deed. To be a healthy church we need to thrive in all these areas.
As usual, the Treasurer provided a financial report . The 2018 budget will present challenges but with good stewardship and a solid finish for 2017 we can be successful. The Christmas auction and year end gifts are vital in the life of our church.
As I reported in November, Trinity has decided to transition the endowment to the financial management of the Trustees of the Funds (TOTF). The Trustees of the Funds is a related organization of the Diocese of Virginia and provides its services to Episcopal churches and entities in all three of the dioceses within Virginia. Overseen by an elected board of trustees, TOTF currently serves nearly 150 churches and organizations with the management of almost $140 million in assets. The Trustees will manage our endowment in trust for us and Trinity will retain the same legal control over the endowment that it has today. Vestry and appropriate committees will continue to monitor the endowment’s performance. This was a significant decision and one that was undertaken after a great deal of due diligence and consideration by both the Endowment Committee and the Finance Committee. The chief executive officer of the Trustees of the Funds, Mike Kerr, will be at Trinity at 9:30 on December 10, 2017 to make a presentation and answer any questions you may have. I urge you to attend. It remains important that we continue to increase the size of our endowment for the long term maintenance of our campus and the fulfillment of our mission.
The Christmas season is always a wonderful time in the life of our congregation. It is also a season that can bring many visitors to Trinity. Vestry has been discussing steps we can take to make visitors feel even more welcome when they arrive on our campus and walk through our doors. Let’s all make a special effort to warmly greet the visitors that will be among us as we worship during the Christmas season.
In faith,
Matt Blunt
Senior Warden
Altar Guild Members Needed!
The Altar Guild is looking for individuals (both male and female) to serve on teams that have lost members due to individuals being relocated. We currently have five teams who each serve for five week time periods twice a year. These teams are also assigned for special services during Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter.
Altar Guild members set up and take down for each service, check candles for appropriate fluid and prepare the hymn boards, when needed. A detailed procedure manual with pictures is available. New members will receive training and will be assigned a mentor until they are comfortable with their duties. If you are interested in joining the Altar Guild please let Gina Hammond know at 540- 665-5744 or hammond.gina@gmail.com. Thank You!
Christmas Auction 2017
December 1
5:00-7:00pm
Preview Night Shopping
December 3
12 Noon
Shopping and Live Auction
You are invited to do your Christmas shopping with us!
In order for the Christmas Auction to be a success, we will need everyone’s participation. We need you to bring treasured items, any time between now and November 22, to be sold at the Auction on December 1 and 3. You may bring them directly to Betsy or to the Stable Tour office, or you may call Ellen Hall or Nicky Perry and we can arrange to have the items picked up.
The lovely items that you do donate will be sold at the Preview Party on December 1 and again on December 3, between services. It is only after the 10:30 service that the Live Auction of special gifts will take place.
Please remember that the Christmas Auction is a fundraiser and not a bargain sale. We ask that you be as generous as you possibly can be, both in terms of the treasures you donate and the gifts you decide to purchase. Again, the success of this event depends on you and we trust that the results will celebrate your generosity.
Worship Fair and Thank You Luncheon
YOU ARE INVITED TO A Worship Fair and Thank You Luncheon
Saturday, November 18, 2017
10:30 am—2 pm
All members of the Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Ushers, Lay Readers and Lay Eucharistic Ministers are invited to gather for instructional refreshment of their duties and a Thank You luncheon for your dedicated service. Persons interested in serving in one of these capacities are also invited to attend to learn more about how they can participate in these service ministries. Please call Betsy in the church office (540-592-3343) if you are participating and will be attending the luncheon.
Flower Guild
10:30-11 am
Altar Guild
11-11:20am
Ushers
11:30-Noon
Lunch
Noon-1pm
Lay Readers
1-1:30pm
Lay Eucharistic Ministers
1:30-2pm
Music News November
Once upon a time there were ten virgins (yes, it was a long time ago). Five of them were wise and five were foolish. When they went to meet the bridegroom for the big wedding banquet, the wise virgins took flasks of oil to refill their lamps. The foolish did not. When the bridegroom was delayed the ten virgins fell asleep waiting. At midnight there came a shout that the bridegroom was on his way so they awoke in the dark and trimmed their lamps at which point the foolish asked the wise for some of their extra oil. The wise said no and sent them off to the Palestinian Southern States to get more. While they were gone, the bridegroom ar-rived and took the five wise virgins to the wedding banquet while the foolish ones missed out. And so it is with the coming of the Kingdom of God. Wake up and be ready or you will miss out.
This famous parable, another eschatological allegory, is appointed for one of the last Sundays in year A of the three year lectionary and this year falls on Sunday Nov. 12. Our music that morning will follow this theme using the great German hymn “Wachet Auf” (Sleepers Wake). Often called “the King of Chorales”, both words and hymntune were written by the German pastor Philipp Nicolai around 1597 in Unna, Westphalia using the parable of the wise and foolish virgins as its foundation. More than a hundred years later, the ever energetic J.S. Bach, who wrote sacred cantatas for every Sunday of the three year lectionary and then some, composed his cantata 140 for the 27th Sunday after the Trinity using the Wachet Auf Chorale as its theme. It is Bach’s harmonization of the tune that we will sing from our hymnal and the choir will sing a movement from the cantata at the Offertory. In a somewhat more indirect reference to this theme, the Handbell Choir will play during communion a piece based on Westminster Quarters which is the tune clocks play indicating it is time to Wachet Auf (Wake Up)!
It should also be noted that reading the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in church does not hap-pen very often. This parable is only in Matthew and only in year A of the lectionary which means it on-ly comes up every three years at best. Further, the 27th Sunday after the Trinity does not happen eve-ry year A, but only when Easter comes early enough to allow that many Sundays after Trinity Sunday which moves with Easter. It is believed that Bach performed his Wachet Auf Cantata only once, in part because of how rarely the appointed Sunday comes up. And yet, Bach composed what many musicians and scholars believe is one of his finest cantatas for this infrequent occasion. I like to think it is because this famously devout musician well understood the lesson of this special parable that is applicable to so many parts of our lives. From the Boy Scout motto to birth control to the coming of the Kingdom of God: always be prepared, for you never know when the time will come. Don’t be caught sleeping. Wachet Auf!
Christian
Whose Money is It Anyway? An Appeal to Stewardship
The following is a transcript of the homily that was given by Jim Hoecker during the 8:00am and 10:30am services on Sunday, October 22, 2017:
It is a privilege to give the lay sermon today on behalf of the Vestry and your fellow parishioners. My mother, who would have preferred I join the ministry instead of studying the law, is probably looking down with skepticism as I attempt to achieve some measure of redemption.
After reviewing my paean to Christian charity this morning , my lovely wife Becky told me that if she were suddenly taken critically ill and had but one hour left in this world, she would want to spend those last precious moments listening to me talk about stewardship. That’s because “it would seem like an eternity.”
In the end, eternity is our business here at Trinity but I speak to you today with the utmost humility about something closer to home. As I prepared this week, I was haunted by a challenging question: What do we owe God? Whose money is it anyway?
What is Stewardship all about? Is it merely an obligation? Paying a debt? Is it a sacrificial offering, the more it hurts the better? Or is it just being an example for others? I doubt there’s a single pat answer to those questions but I’m certainly not the first to ask them.
The best definition of stewardship I have found says that a steward is a manager who administers that which belongs to someone else. A steward has a duty to oversee the assets, finances, relationships that rightly belong to another. In that sense, it is not an overstatement to say we are stewards of the lives we are given, stewards of this church, the outdoor chapel, stewards of the environment, and stewards of our worldly possessions back home. They all belong to God and they’re on loan to us.
How do we repay that loan? Perhaps by growing in our spiritual lives, which means growing in our lives as stewards of Trinity Church, which is one of God’s many gifts.
In my letter to the parish last week, I explained the Church’s needs in pretty frank terms. To con-duct all its ministries and activities and continue as a vital part of the community, Trinity’s budget is over $1 million annually. However, in 2017, pledges covered slightly over 50% of that. In fact, we fell well short of some basic operating expenses. But, I hasten to add that we should celebrate that gen-erosity and commitment, because with a little sweat and ingenuity from you and scores of your fel-low Episcopalians as well as some special gifts, we closed the gap. We began work on our organ, un-covered and began addressing some challenging plumbing and electrical problems, and responded in real time to the disastrous hurricanes that hit the country.
Nevertheless, pledging remains central to our fiscal well-being. Our pledge goal this year is a modest one in light of our total needs -- $675,000. That’s a good deal more (about $100,000) than we col-lected last year. I urge you to meditate positively on those numbers but also to remember that even if Trinity’s budget were fully funded through some miraculous intervention, you would each still be called upon to pledge and to participate fully as a steward of Trinity Church.
Now I admit, the value I may assign to Trinity Church in Upperville Virginia, financially and otherwise, may be different than how other parishioners see it. We are each finding redemption and purpose here in various ways. For me, one of the bright spots of serving on your Vestry the past year has been our efforts to ask very basic questions about Trinity: what is the purpose of this institution and what are all the things that it does, and should do, for us and the community? We drew on a book called The Purpose-Driven Church, which among other things explains that any single church can play a variety of roles in the lives of its congregation. The Vestry has been considering what this means for our future work to sustain and improve Trinity. Let me explain these different perceptions of the Church’s meaning for its congregants, as the author sees them --
1. A church can be primarily about winning souls. In a “Soul-winning church,” words like witnessing, evangelical, or salvation are most important themes.
2. If the Church is about “Experiencing God,” words like praise, prayer, spirit, worship come to mind.
3. A Church can be seen as a “Family reunion” with a focus on fellowship. Words like belonging, caring, and relationships are most meaningful – not to mention potluck.
4. Churches can be “Classrooms” where preaching, Bible study, doctrine, and childrens’ education are the currency of conversation and work.
5. Finally, Church can be the outward manifestation of “social conscience”. Sharing, service, out-reach, taking a stand – all those are important missions within that view of its value.
It seems to me that Trinity is (and needs to be) all those things, even if one or two characteristics are especially meaningful for your relationship to Trinity. No matter how you might see this building, this service, or Trinity’s mission, I hope it is speaking to you. I hope you understand how important you are to it and that you are its principal hope and sustaining foundation.
There is a story about the Dean of St. Patrick’s in Dublin, Jonathan Swift, the Eighteenth Century di-vine known for his sharp tongue. He was once reprimanded for an exhaustingly long sermon on chari-ty. Determined to make the next one terse, he quoted Proverbs 19: “’He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (The modern transla-tion is “Whomever is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord and will be repaid in full.”) You have heard the terms of the loan,” Swift continued, “and if you like the security, put down your money.” His parishioners responded to “repayment in full” as you might expect.
Likewise, Jesus promises to repay us yet again – in ways that surpass all other gifts and perhaps all un-derstanding. That is his eternal promise – long sermon or short , good homily or bad. He offers security for the loan he provides – the loan of life, of nature, of our society, our children, our posses-sions, our sustenance and wealth (no matter how meager), even our planet. In other words, he owns all of these things already and we are therefore His stewards here on earth.
Again, how do we repay that loan? I hope that one important part of that repayment involves your strong support for Trinity. It is an integral part of your Christian life. It is not dues to cover the price of admission. It is not a burden to be endured. And, in truth, the amount of that repayment is not as important as the gift’s relationship to the giver’s heart and his or her desire and ability to give.
In the next two weeks, you will hear more from Trinity and Father Banse about stewardship. We ask that you bring your 2018 pledge card to church with you on November 5, and that you place it wor-shipfully in the plate. It will make you feel good. After all, even the money you give joyfully to Trinity is something God has entrusted to your care for the purpose of your wise investment. You may, of course, pledge anytime, including today. I am simply saying that a pledge made now and a pledge thereafter kept will also give your Vestry the opportunity to plan wisely for next year and the chal-lenges and uncertainties it will bring.
After his father died, Joe Scarborough (former Congressman and TV host) turned to his friend Zbig-niew Brzezinski for guidance and support. Brzezinski was a much older man and also a former pub-lic official. “I explained to him,” said Scarborough, “that I was overwhelmed – I had become the parent to 4 children and seemingly a parent to everyone else around me, including my elderly mother. At home and at work, it felt like the burden of everyone else’s well-being was being placed squarely on my shoulders.” In sympathetic response to Scarborough’s plight, Brezinski responded cheerfully, with a twinkle in his eye— “I know. Isn’t it great to be trusted by God with such tremendous respon-sibility?”
That, my friends, is the real spirit of stewardship. Lord, open our hearts to the spirit of giving and to accepting tremendous responsibility.
All Saints Sunday
All Saints Sunday is just around the corner on November 5. On All Saints Sunday we remember all those who went on to glory in the past year. During worship, we will have a special time of remembrance for those whose funerals we observed here at Trinity this past year.
Join us for this celebration of life and the life to come!