Celebrating Easter through Ascension and Pentecost
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Although Easter Day happened in April, the
season
of Easter, the Great Fifty Days, lasts all through May. Within the sequence of the Fifty Days are two special Sundays which take us deeper and higher into the mystery of New Life in Christ.
Sunday, May 27, the Seventh Sunday of Easter, is often nicknamed "Ascension Sunday," because it is the Sunday following the Feast of the Ascension that always falls on the Thursday in the sixth week of Easter; Ascension Sunday always echoes the main themes of that festival day. Luke records in the Book of Acts that the risen Jesus stayed with his disciples for 40 days after his Resurrection, teaching them about the kingdom and preparing them for the mission they would inherit when the Holy Spirit came upon them. At the end of the 40 days, as Jesus was blessing his disciples, he was taken into heaven and, Luke says, "a cloud took him out of their sight."
The Feast of the Ascension emphasizes that Jesus is no longer with us on earth in an earthly body, even the glorified body of his Resurrection. This means that, in one sense, Jesus is absent from us; but in another sense, the Ascension means that Jesus can be really present with us, at all times and in all places, because he is no longer bound by time and space. His glorified humanity fills all creation, just as his divine Logos is the source and sustenance of all creation. Our liturgy on Ascension Sunday celebrates that "God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the ram's horn!" and we receive Jesus' own prayer for us, that we "may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).
The following Sunday, June 4, is the Feast of Pentecost, the third of the three great feasts of the Christian year. Along with Christmas and Easter, Pentecost forms the triad of feasts that anchor the liturgical cycles of the calendar. The name "Pentecost" is Greek for "fiftieth"; in the Jewish liturgical calendar, the fiftieth day after Passover was celebrated as the Feast of Weeks, because it was a "week of weeks" after the Passover (7 days * 7 weeks + 1 for the Sabbath = 50 days). In Jesus' time, Pentecost was the occasion for commemorating the giving of the law to Moses, when God had appeared in wind and fire, storm and lightning, atop Mt Sinai. For Christians, it became the culmination of the Easter season, celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit, when God appeared in wind and fire, not only to one man on a mountaintop, but in all the believers' hearts and voices and lives.
But of course Pentecost is not only a historical remembrance: the gift of the Holy Spirit inspires and empowers us today, as well. Here is what the book Celebrating Redemption has to say about the relation between Easter and Pentecost:
"The liturgy no longer treats the Pentecost event as something separate from Easter. For several weeks the Gospel readings have spoken of the gift of the Spirit as part of the Paschal mystery. Pentecost celebrates Easter in terms of the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord continuing in our midst through his Spirit. We are celebrating his gift of the Spirit to the Church which is continually being renewed. Each baptism and each Eucharist form the Church as the Body of Christ. Each baptism and each Eucharist form the occasion for the Paschal mystery of Christ to be renewed in his Body. Although the celebration has been spread over fifty days with the Ascension and gift of the Spirit celebrated at different times, one event is being celebrated; it is continually taking place in the body of the faithful. That the Spirit abides in our midst drawing us into that saving mystery is the theme and cause of our Pentecost celebration.
"On this day we emphasize our empowerment for ministry to others and for the evangelization of the world. It is time for us to go to the world with the good news, in the power of the risen Lord-that power which is his Spirit who fills the whole earth."
It seems to me that we often begin our Paschal Celebration with great joy and energy on Easter Day, but as the Fifty Days go on we sort of run out of steam. And of course we can't sustain the sort of intensity we have on Easter Morning for too very long - it would be exhausting! But it is important for us to remember that the Easter celebration is not just a matter of one intense morning: the gift of New Life that comes in the Resurrection of Jesus is not a one-time deal, but is a rising vitality that grows in us and transforms us, bit by bit, into Christ-like life. The celebration of the Great Fifty Days, including Ascension Sunday and Pentecost, help us to enter more fully into the sacred mystery of that New Life.
I invite you to participate with joy in these special Sundays this year!
Let us go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
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Party Like It's Pentecost
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| Lundy Pentz, Senior Warden |
When our daughter Julia was in middle school she had already traveled a bit and dreamed of doing more (which she has done); along the way she acquired bits and pieces of useful phrases in various languages. She convulsed her friend Ellie Frazier, however, when she revealed that she though the question "Parlez-vous Francais?" meant "Party like the French"! It certainly does suggest a high standard of festivity.
Through the years Christians have tended to veer from one side of the road to another (as Martin Luther put it, we are like a drunk man who, having fallen off his horse on the right side, climbs back on again and immediately falls off on the left side) - at some times in our history there have been times when the severe, penitential, gloomy side has dominated. Often these have followed some catastrophic plague or natural disaster, or a period of extended warfare. The liturgy has become clogged with repeated professions of our sinfulness and there has been a focus in art and literature on what some people call the "sorrowful mysteries" of Christ's suffering. It was in the wake of the Black Death in the 14th century that we started to see gruesomely realistic crucifixes carved in Germany and painted in Spain. We sometimes work hard to, in the words of Evita, "get all of the misery right."
But at the end of Lent comes the big party - so long it has to last fifty days, which is what "Pentecost" refers to. (There is a little Pentecostal church I drive by in Charlottesville whose sign says it's a "Pentacostal" church, which would mean "five" rather than "fifty" days - I hope they don't really cut it that short.) They were big on numbers in the old days and seven weeks of seven days made 49 days and the next day was always something special. Actually we Virginians have roots in something like this if we go back to our Colonial era, since partying generally involved people getting together over long distances and they generally didn't go home the next day. People often stayed for weeks or longer - one Colonial journal keeper described a newlywed couple who had come to stay at a friend's plantation on their honeymoon and were about to leave "now that their second child is weaned."
It isn't congenial to all (Oliver Cromwell's Puritan troops went around London on Christmas Day to try to discover anyone making a special Christmas dinner and would confiscate it) but as C.S. Lewis put it, "Joy is the serious business of heaven." We've read the story and we know it comes out right in the end, so (in the Prayer Book words that always choke me up in a burial) "even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia." It's not a shallow joy because we know what it cost, but it is still cause for celebration. What we gave up for Lent we get back, with interest, and for fifty days we celebrate, remembering that the most common image for the Kingdom of God in the New Testament is a big wedding party. So - party on!
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| Laurie Clements, Parish Administrator |
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Gifts
- We received some contributions to Noon Lunch this past month. One person in particular took time to enclose this nice note:
"Greetings! I have been attending your wonderful concerts, which I support and also now receive your newsletter. I notice that you have a lunch program and am enclosing a check in support. This program is a blessing! I hope to be able to show support in the future. Trinity is a warm and welcoming church. It is a pleasure to be in your beautiful sanctuary."
- It is always a blessing to Trinity members who work the Noon Lunch program here to get positive feedback from our guests from time to time. Just today I received a very nice contribution from one of them, in thanksgiving for the lunch program we offer. Sometimes it is just not the hot meal that our guests benefit from, but often the kind heart of those that serve, or the office staff here that always takes the time to chat and make them feel part of a loving Christian community. Below is the note I received with her contribution:
"Happy Easter to Rev. and Mrs. Nancarrow, Deidre, Laurie, Gen, Becky, Robert and all of our lunch servants. May you always have the absolute certainty that Jesus is always by your side. He loves us all! Trinity Church is a very special place where people are heard, seen and helped. My life would be a lot more empty if I couldn't be around you folks during the week as I have been.... Thank you for your acceptance, kindness and understanding."
Summer Nursery Hours
As we approach summer, and the worship hours change to two services, parents are reminded that our Church Nursery times will be from 9:00 to 11:30 am.
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Concert & Choral Evensong
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| Gen Bolena, Organist & Choirmaster |
Concert and Choral Evensong featuring Jonathan Schakel, organist: May 21 at 5 p.m.
Jonathan Schakel is currently pursuing a DMA in performance practice at Cornell University. He has given organ recitals in the United States, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Germany. He also performs frequently in chamber concerts on harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ, often with his wife, soprano Megan Sharp. Together he and Megan direct the music program at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he plays an organ in north German baroque style by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders.
Evensong, sung by the Trinity Choir, will include music the choir will sing on their upcoming trip to Oxford, England this summer where they will be Choir in Residence at Christ Church, Oxford.
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Novel Theology meets throughout the year on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Foster Room. Everyone and anyone is invited to attend. The only rule is you must read the book for that month. Come and bring your friends and acquaintances. We have lively discussions.
by Kyril Bonfiglioli: This cult classic about louche, sybaritic Charlie Mortdecai, an art dealer largely untroubled by conscience, draws readers into its unpolitically comic world and keeps them there. The plot concerns Mortdecai's efforts to keep one step ahead of nemesis Martland, a policeman vested with the power to work outside the law, and to deliver a stolen Goya he has concealed in the headliner of his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. The plot takes him to America (where is he much bemused by the locals, and they by him) and back again, ending in a most intriguing predicament. Wry and dry, picaresque and profane...
Led by Tom Tucker.
June 27 - Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo's fall from grace within the tribal world. The second, as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world with the arrival of aggressive European missionaries. These perfectly harmonized twin dramas are informed by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Led by John Lane.
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ECW: United Thank Offering Collection
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Trinity Episcopal Church Women will present the Mary Artis Dennis Award to Beverly Stone at a tea on Thursday, May 11th, 3-5pm at the home of Sally James 422 E. Beverley St. Staunton. Beverly is being honored for her contributions to Trinity Church and the community.
Guests are invited to bring a monetary donation for the reprinting of the Trinity/Augusta Parish "Windows" book. All women of Trinity are invited!
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| Carter Hannah, Noon Lunch Co-Coordinator |
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Spring has come and we have begun picking up donated produce from the Staunton Farmers' Market each Saturday. This past Saturday, Patrick Patterson who attends Trinity, was able to take about an hour off from work to come help us with pick up. We are very hopeful that his supervisors will allow him to volunteer with us on many more Saturdays! During April, the farmers have been donating eggs, a few greens and bakery products but as the growing season gets going, we will be receiving many pounds of wonderful nourishing produce from the amazingly generous farmers at the market. When you go there to shop, please be sure to thank them for supporting our Noon Lunch program. And, if you want to help pick up, there is a sign-up sheet in the kitchen on the side of the freezer as you walk past the ice maker into the big kitchen area. We would appreciate your help.
We have printed business cards that describe our Noon Lunch program. We intend for these to be passed out in the community so that everyone in the community knows about the program. If you want a few to hand out, you can find them in the drawer in the kitchen under the coffee maker. We want everyone who needs our service to know about it. You could hand these to people who might request a donation from you or to local businesses who might notice someone in need. Other agencies in the area might not know what we offer and could add our information to their out- reach.
We are enjoying our new message board that is hanging by the kitchen door in McCracken Hall. The cooks for lunch are able to post what they are serving or just give a message to the guests. Everyone seems to like this new service.
Starting in March, we have had the pleasure of welcoming some middle and high school students from Stuart Hall who are learning about volunteering and about the needs in our community. They have come to Noon Lunch with two of their teachers and have been helping by washing and drying dishes, carrying used trays to the kitchen, wrapping silverware, cleaning tables, chairs and high chairs, talking with guests and playing with some of the little ones when they are finished eating. It is truly wonderful to have them. They have been a great help for the cooking team and our guests love having young people around.
As always, thank you so much for your support of this amazing Trinity mission.
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| Laurie Clements, Parish Administrator |
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Helping Hands Day Camp is a one-week program for the children in our local community, sponsored by the congregations at Trinity, Central United Methodist, Emmanuel Episcopal, and First Presbyterian Churches. Our committee is meeting now to plan a fabulous, fun-filled week for these children. We have had about 60 - 70 children signed up each year, plus about 20-30 teenagers that work side by side with these children, and many volunteer adults to oversee this program running smoothly.
Our program includes many outreach activities also, which includes some of our teen youth coming over to help cook and serve a Noon Lunch meal at Trinity. They love to help! I am lucky enough to be able to serve on the planning committee and I can tell you first hand, this is a great program. Look for more details soon. Save the date for your own children, and also consider contacting me if you would be interested in volunteering a few hours during this week.
Date of camp: July 31 to August 4
Time: 9:00am to 3:00pm (Yes! We serve a delicious lunch each day)
The theme this year is The Beatitudes!
Cost of registration is only $10 per child (which includes their lunch each day and a t-shirt)
Look for more information soon!
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| Trinity Historical Highlight |
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The Pews
Have you ever wondered why some of the pews have a name plate on them? It was a common practice for the church to sell/rent a pew to a family who could then place their name on it and have it reserved for them each Sunday. According to the Vestry minutes, "the purchase of a pew will entitle the purchaser, his heir or assignees to the privilege of occupying the same at all times when present." The Vestry then collected an annual "rent" on the pew with the cost being determined by the value of the pew. The practice started declining in the early-mid 1900s until, by Cannon Law, it is now banned. The plates were left on the pews because of their historical value.
In the 1850s, the Vestry had budgeted $9,000 to build the new church but when it was finished in 1855 it had cost $15,000. The Bishop said he would not consecrate this building until it was paid in full. The Vestry decided that if they sold 60 pews at $100 each, they would have the needed $6,000. On Thanksgiving Day, November 15, 1855, after the service in the 2nd church, the congregation came over to the new building for the Pew Auction. Auctioneer William Chapman of Waynesboro was hired and when the auction was finished they had sold the 60 pews but raised over $11,000. Very few paid just $100. Most pews were sold for $2-300 with Vestry members Judge Hugh White Sheffey, Mr. Nicholas Cabell Kinney, and Dr. Francis Taliaferro Stribling, M.D. each paying $330 for their pews. Who bought which pew and how much they paid is recorded in the Vestry Minutes.
The style, engraving and metal used for each nameplate as well as where it was placed on the pew was determined by the purchaser.
Henderson M. Bell, for whom the Ascension triptych is given, chose a little silver plate in the arm rest of Pew 64 that simply has "H.M. Bell". William Tams chose a silver plate on the outside of Pews 71, 73 & 75. The rest are brass plates on the back of the pew in front of theirs. If a family purchased pew 21, then their nameplate was put on the back of pew 23 so as they came down the aisle, they could see their pew.
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There will be another contra dance in McCracken Hall on May 17 with "Barefoot," a nationally-known dance band from Maine. Bill Wellington and Brian Hamshar will do the calling. The dance is sponsored by the Occasional Contra Dance in Staunton series, and will be their fourth dance at Trinity this year.
The dance starts at 7:30 pm, and there will be a contra-dance workshop at 7:00 pm that all are encouraged to attend. Contra dancing is a form of square dancing. While it is easy to learn, the dancing is lively and it really helps to know what you are doing!
Barefoot includes Ed Howe on fiddle and Jamie Oshima on guitar. Ed is a genius on fiddle, and in his previous band "Perpetual Emotion" he helped create a mesmerizing experience that came to be known as "dance trance." In addition to being a musician, Ed is a wizard as a sound technician and will be doing sound for the LEAF Festival this year. We are catching Ed and Jamie on their way home from LEAF.
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