Dear Friend,

This week we celebrate Trinity Sunday, which I believe is the only feast day of the church devoted to a doctrine. Not an event, or a person, but a theological understanding. On the surface, that sure sounds like a good reason to sleep in.

But don't! Because the life of the Trinity is miraculous. A unity amongst diversity. One in three and three in one. Beyond our human capacity to truly comprehend.

And it is all about LOVE. As the persons of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit - continually dance with one another they share love. It is both the source of their being and the fuel for their lives. The Godhead is alive with love, because of love. And that love spills out and over and into our lives endlessly. Abundantly.

The picture books of my childhood tended to depict God as an old white man sitting on a throne, unmoving. He looked kindly enough, but also boring and a little scary. I prefer the image of God presented by whirling dervishes, beautiful Islamic dancers. And even though Muslims do not believe in a trinitarian God, I find meaning and truth in this particular ritual. Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam of which the dervishes are part, emphasizes universal love, peace, acceptance of various spiritual paths and a mystical union with the divine. (You can watch a brief video about their dances here.) The constant movement, the love and respect and honor shown one another, and the absolute joy of the dance help me to imagine the life of the Trinity.

See you on Sunday!

Covid-19 cases are continuing to rise with the newest Omicron variant. Baltimore City is now rated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as having a High COVID-19 Community Level of risk. While we are not re-instituting a mask mandate at this time, we continue to strongly urge mask use during this current uptick. (Visit CDC site.)

With some areas no longer available for use, everyone visiting Emmanuel, whether for worship, meetings, or other events, will need to be aware of the following:

On Sunday mornings, free parking is available in the lot behind the church (at the corner of Charles and Read) from 6:00 am until 1:00 pm for those attending Emmanuel. Please display the Emmanuel Parking Pass on your dashboard. (Download and print your own Parking Pass here!)

The Outreach Committee has begun the annual process of awarding grants to local organizations that are working to improve the lives of the people of Baltimore. Last year’s recipients have received applications to renew their grants (pending approval by the committee and Vestry). We also want to consider new groups and programs, and would like your help identifying possible candidates. Please submit your suggestions to the committee at [email protected]. It would be most helpful if you could supply contact information including name(s), phone number(s), and email address(es).

We can always use your help to provide hospitality for our own at Coffee Hour. Please consider signing up to bring a finger food item to share. Both homemade and store bought are welcome. Just bring plated and ready to serve. It's easy to do. Simply sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.

The Church: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Eugene Sutton, Bishop of Maryland; Robert Ilhof, Assisting Bishop of Maryland; the clergy, staff and vestry of Emmanuel Church; and all the baptized who minister in the name of Christ.

Those in authority: President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Governor Lawrence Hogan, Jr., and Mayor Brandon Scott.

Those for whom our prayers have been asked: Freeman, Charlotte, Kathy, Gail, Frank, John, Barbara, David, Steve, Alene, and Christine.

Eric Eldridge, and seven as yet unnamed.