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Recently, I started working with a personal trainer. I actually started out in a class of about 6, but found I couldn’t remember exactly how to do the exercises and felt that it would be better to learn them one on one. We oftentimes use the term “personal” to express a type of relationship, whether it be personal banker or personal coach.
That same language gets translated into Christianity where we want to have a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But that language runs contrary to what we find in scripture. Our life with Christ is communal, not personal or private or individual. When the Scriptures speak of believers, they are part of a community, a fellowship of other believers. When Jesus taught us to pray, he did not start out of “My Father, who art in heaven” but “OUR Father…”
As the author of the book Night Driving: Notes from a Prodigal Soul, Chad Bird states:
“In an age when we are more isolated than ever, when our worlds often shrink to the size of a phone screen, talk of community sounds like a radical departure from the norm. It is. But the norm of the Christian faith is not isolated believers, little islands of spirituality, but a continent of Christians banded together by the Spirit. We are baptized into one body, the body of Jesus. Our so-called personal relationship with Jesus is indeed with his person—his body of which all other believers are a part.”
This is particularly true for us here in the “post pandemic” age. We became isolated. “Community events” happened on Zoom. Many, many people never went into the office. Church Services happened on Facebook Live. During that time, I, for one, craved the community that I had become so used to for support, encouragement, interpersonal contact. When I did Services on Facebook Live to an empty Church, it was hollow. Saying “The Lord be with you,” and not hearing a response was exhausting for me.
So, a “personal relationship” with Jesus was about the best we could hope for outside of the rather sterile environment of the internet. If you were able to maintain a relationship with Jesus during this time, then that was the work of the Holy Spirit.
But things are getting back to normal. NOW we should be concentrating on renewing our corporate relationship with the body of Jesus, the Church, of which we are all a part. We can once again pray “Our Father…” in a community of faith.
As Chad Bird continues:
Christianity is not a solo endeavor. Not a private relationship between Jesus and me. As the Lord formed Israel in the Old Testament as his people, forged together into a body by his covenant, so he has formed the church in the New Testament as his people, washed together into a body by baptism.
Thank God it is this way. Heaven forbid that I should have a personal relationship with Jesus. For I know what would happen: I would end up, in my mind, reshaping my personal Jesus into a strikingly familiar image: the image of me.
As it is, Jesus is reshaping us into his image, in the church, surrounded by others, all of whom together, communally, are the one body of Christ.
Fr. Joseph Krasinski
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Blood Donation Drive - 7:30 am - 2:00 pm | |
Healing Service - 12:10 pm | |
Evensong & Provost Installation - 5:30 pm | |
Morning and Evening Online Reflection | |
Begin and end your weekday with online reflections. Reflections feature prayers, readings from Holy Scripture, and contemplative music and are led by clergy from National Cathedral in the morning and from Canterbury Cathedral in the evening. In addition, daily Choral Evensong song by the Canterbury Cathedral Choir is available online. Select the applicable link below for access. | |
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If you would like to include someone on the Prayer List or add an anniversary or birthday for special prayers, please call the Cathedral office at 305-456-8851, use the 'Contact Us' link on our website, or send an email ...
office@trinitymiami.org
pastoralcare@trinitymiami.org
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Sick - In Recovery
Rev. Winnie Bolle, Domenica Brazzi, Doris Gray, Rev. James Considine, Helen Ebanks, Carol Cunningham, Robert Horton, Dom Spaziani, Jreve Simanelli, Ashley Ramos, Cathy Stahre, President James Carter, Jr., Sonia Barbara Delgado, Janeth Castaños
Sanctuary Candle
To the glory of God and thanksgiving for Girft Card and Food Pantry donors
Anglican Cycle of Prayer
The Scottish Episcopal Church
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Birthdays
Mark Edward Trapp
Fr. Tim Carr
Jossie Martinez
Jean Paul
Anniversaries
In Memoriam
Richard Gluss
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry calls for Good Friday Offering to support ministry in Jerusalem and the Middle East | |
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These are difficult times and many struggle to make ends meet. When you come on Sundays, please consider bringing one or more items of canned or boxed food. Items to consider include canned goods, peanut butter, packaged cereals, paper products, dish and laundry soaps, boxed dinners, toiletry items, and feminine hygiene products. Remember that we cannot accept expired food or items that need refrigeration.
Gift Card Ministry
The LGBT ministry has organized an on-going Gift Card collection drive to aid in the purchase of perishable food items for food pantry recipients. Our Sacristan - Roberto Soto - personally distributes these cards on a weekly basis. To continue to help this cause or if you or someone you know could benefit from this ministry, please contact Roberto Soto at:
Trinity Cathedral, c/o Roberto Soto
464 N.E. 16th Street, Miami, FL 33132
(305)456-8851 or via email roberto@trinitymiami.org
Names of donors and recipients will remain confidential
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March 26, 2023
Fifth Sunday in Lent
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Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45
Ezekiel 37:1-14
In addition to its inclusion in the fifth Sunday of Lent, this well-known passage also serves as one of the suggested readings for the Great Vigil of Easter. Hearing it, then, may conjure memories of a darkened room, lit only by candlelight, and filled with expectation and the stories of God’s mighty works in the lives of our ancestors. This story is full of rich imagery and a theology of partnership between God and the prophet and hope for God’s future: a future with real, living bodies. In this passage, we see the two necessary elements for human life: real, living bodies and the life-giving breath of God. It is important to note that the word “breath” in this passage is the Hebrew word ruach which can be translated as breath, wind, and spirit. This is the same ruach that hovered over the face of the deep in the creation story. It is the same ruach that blew all night over the sea so that the Israelites could cross on dry land. And it is the same ruach that brings these dry bones to life.
There is another easy-to-miss word that might provide a new layer of meaning to this passage. In verse 9, the mortal is commanded to prophesy to the breath that these “slain” might live. This is the same word used in Genesis to describe Cain’s murder of Abel. It does not merely mean dead, or even killed, but killed violently and unjustly: slain. Therefore, this valley of dry bones represents not only mortality and desolation but also the result of war and violence. It is emblematic of human division and brokenness – the very things God undoes in this passage, one bone, one ligament, one breath at a time. The use of the word slain, then, invites us to reflect on how God’s mighty power might bring new life to our own experiences of desolation at the hands of sinful realities that harm and destroy the children of God.
- What are some of our own realities of violence and human cruelty that God seeks to undo? Where might we most desire God’s resurrection?
- What are some ways we can prepare for the breath of God to enter our lives? Has it entered already?
Psalm 130
Like much of Hebrew poetry, this psalm makes excellent use of parallelisms in its structure and intense, embodied spiritual language in its content (more on this later). Parallelisms in Hebrew poetry exist in every verse, with each half of the verse commenting on or intensifying the content of the other half. Take verse 5 for example: “My soul waits for the Lord.” How much does your soul wait for the Lord? “More than watchmen for the morning.” The intensity of the psalmist’s experience of longing for the Lord is more than those who watch for the dangers of the night to slip away with the new dawn. Parallelism can also go beyond each verse, putting multiple verses in parallel to each other. Take verses 5 and 6 for example. Verse 5, as we have seen, gives voice to a personal experience of faith and longing. This is then reflected outwardly in verse 6 with the use of the imperative verb tense, imploring Israel to wait for the Lord in the same way that the psalmist does. The beauty and artistry of Hebrew poetry, then, rests not only in wordplay or rhyme (which it does still have) but in its use of parallelism to expand and intensify its contents in many different directions at once.
As for the content of this psalm, its embodied spirituality may not be readily evident in English. For example, the word nefesh (most often translated as “soul” in English translations of the psalms) literally refers to the throat or breath of a living being. This allows us to embody the linguistic and theological world of ancient Hebrew by imagining our very throats, rather than primarily a disembodied spirit, longing for the living God. When encountering psalms and other Hebrew poetry such as Job or the prophetic writings, try to take note of every time a spiritual reality (such as longing for God) is given a physical form (my throat/breath longs for God). This practice can allow us to feel the text in our very bodies, an experience, I believe, its authors were hoping for.
- Is there a part of your body that you most associate with your soul? How does the Hebrew language’s direct link between the body and the soul inform us theologically?
- Do you notice any other parallelisms in this psalm? What stands out to you?
Romans 8:6-11
This passage, like many others, has within it the ingredients for misunderstanding when we encounter it in a context almost 2,000 years removed from its original and in a different language. If like me, you were raised in a Christian tradition that took this passage (and those like it) to its logical extreme, you may find yourself uncomfortable, even anxious, when encountering it again. In light of this complexity, it may be helpful to examine three aspects of this scripture.
First, when encountering any scripture, it is important to recognize that they (like all ancient texts) have a rhetorical purpose. That is, they were written in order to convince their readers of something. The costs, both financial and temporal, of writing, copying, and distributing written documents like Paul’s letters meant that no space was wasted with content that was not essential (from the writer’s perspective). Therefore, if it feels like the writers of a particular scripture are trying to change your mind, it’s because they are. Remaining aware of this reality can help us soften in the face of Paul’s strong rhetorical language and appreciate what is behind it: his desire that his words might truly impact and improve the lives of his readers.
Second, Paul is using very specific language to describe the reality of sin, language that is explicitly tied to flesh. This has, unfortunately, been used to justify and promote hatred of self and one’s body. In this passage, Paul is using the Greek word sarx, which refers to flesh and meat in order to describe the reality of human sinfulness. He is not using this word to describe all of God’s good creation, the cosmos, which has been redeemed by Christ. Rather, he is using this language in a very limited way.
Third, Paul is also using Greek in a way that points us toward his Jewish heritage. Similar to our reflection on this week’s passage from Ezekiel, the word used for “Spirit” in this passage is pneuma, which can be translated as breath, wind, and spirit. Like Ezekiel, Paul views this spirit as an animating breath that fills us with new life. So, with these three things in mind, we can focus on Paul’s message that our own experience of brokenness and weakness is transformed by the very breath of God rushing into our lives. We live in a redeemed cosmos that still retains the lived experience of sin; a sin that is being driven out and transformed by the Spirit of God.
- What was your relationship with this passage before today? Has it changed?
- If you could ask Paul a question, what would you ask?
- If you had to rephrase this passage for a contemporary audience, how might you do it?
John 11:1-45
Given the length of this passage, for this Bible study, we’re going to focus primarily on the portion of the text following Jesus’ arrival in Bethany in verse 17. Like many familiar stories from scripture, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is powerful, memorable, and full of drama and emotion. For those of us who grew up in communities where memorizing scripture was a high priority, John 11:35 was a common starting point. For many of us, one of the shortest verses in our scriptures packs a hefty theological punch: Jesus began to weep. To enrich our understanding of this story, it would be helpful to place this divine show of emotion in its context: Jewish burial and mourning practices.
A close reading of this text brings to light an anonymous group of supporting characters: the Jews. Elsewhere in John’s gospel, this term is used to the unfortunate end of villainizing the Jewish people rather than the specific groups of Jewish leaders that the synoptic gospels take aim at. In this passage, however, the term is used neutrally to describe a group of fellow Jews who have gathered with Mary and Martha to mourn with them. A relatively small detail in verse 31 gives an insight into the character of these fellow mourners: “[They] saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.” These fellow Jews are compassionate, attentive, and ready to go wherever the recipient of their compassionate presence wants to go. It is within this context that Jesus was raised and learned to mourn. Let us imagine the young Jesus learning to mourn in this way with the Jewish community of his upbringing. His weeping in verse 35, then, is as much about his deep, compassionate connection with his community as it is about his own emotional experience. This is a Jesus who has learned to mourn in community and to support those who mourn with his physical presence.
- Does reflecting on the other mourners in this passage change our view of Jesus’ mourning? If so, how?
- How does the Jesus shown to us in this passage inform our own relationship with mourning and grief?
Anthony Suggs is a native of Durham, North Carolina, where he, like many North Carolinians, developed a love for the outdoors, Cheerwine, and Moon Pies. He received his undergraduate degree from New York University where he double majored in history and theatre. He is grateful to be an alum of the Colorado Episcopal Service Corps. Prior to seminary, he was the managing director of St. Clare’s Ministries in Denver and the missioner for advocacy and social justice for the Episcopal Church in Colorado. He lives in Austin with his wife Tatiana and their Maine Coon cat, Murray.
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Weekly Bulletin Insert
Life Transformed - Week 4
March 19, 2023
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episcopal church.org
The Way of Love in Lent
The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption. Throughout Lent, come along with us as we explore Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent, produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber. You can find resources mentioned below at iam.ec/lifetransformed or by scanning the QR code.
Week 5
Sunday, March 26
Today’s Practice: Watch the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining’s video at iam.ec/lifetransformed for Week 5. The topic is based on the practice “Rest” and is titled, “The Valley of Dry Bones”.
Read: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Monday, March 27
Today’s Prompt: What seminal moments have informed a need to return to Christ?
Read: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10
Tuesday, March 28
Today’s Prompt: How has this Way with God impacted your experience of God?
Read: “Let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” – John 7:38
Wednesday, March 29
Today’s Prompt: Slowly read this passage aloud. How does this speak to the world today?
Read: “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.” – Matthew 4:18-22
Thursday, March 30
Today’s Prompt: What relationships do you need to mend?
Read: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
Friday, March 31
Today’s Prompt: Where might God be asking you to take your great love into the world?
Read: “You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forward I make you hear new things, hidden things that you have not known.” – Isaiah 48:6b
Saturday, April 1
Today’s Prompt: What are you thankful for?
Read: “For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.” – 1 Chronicles 29:15
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Julia Chester Emery
United Thank Offering
Episcopal Women's History Project
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episcopal archives.org
Leader of women's ministry. She came to New York in 1874 to edit The Young Christian Soldier. In 1876 she was appointed secretary of the Woman's Auxiliary to the Board of Missions (WA). Emery held that position for the next forty years, resigning in 1916. She directed the expansion of the WA into every domestic and missionary diocese of the Episcopal Church and was key to the founding and growth of the United Offering (now the United Thank Offering). To promote the Auxiliary, she visited churches and missionaries throughout the United States. In 1897 she addressed the woman's missionary congress held in London in conjunction with the Lambeth Conference. In 1908 she represented the Diocese of New York at the Pan-Anglican Congress in London. She then continued around the world, visiting mission stations in Europe and Asia. She was the author of A Century of Endeavor (1921), the centennial history of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, and biographies of John Henry Hobart and Alexander Viets Griswold. Emery is commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of the church year on Jan. 9. Mary Abbot Emery, Susan Lavinia Emery, and Margaret Theresa Emery were her sisters.
episcopal church.org
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Anglican Cycle of Prayer: March 26, 2023
The Scottish Episcopal Church
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The Scottish Episcopal Church is diverse in its tradition, outlook and culture. Such diversity enriches the Church and is expressed in warm relationships of mutual respect for one another.
Firmly rooted in the life of Scotland and part of its rich history, the Scottish Episcopal Church is also deeply committed to its membership of the world-wide Anglican Communion, which is a family of over 70 million Christians in more than 160 countries.
The Scottish Episcopal Church is known as a Province of the Anglican Communion. Within the Province there are seven areas (known as Dioceses) which cover mainland Scotland and the Islands. Each Diocese is overseen by a Bishop.
The Scottish Episcopal Church
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The Annunciation of Our Lord
Feast Day: March 25
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The feast commemorating the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would be the mother of God's Son, Jesus, and Mary's assent in faith to God's invitation (Lk 1:26-38). The Annunciation is celebrated on Mar. 25 (nine months before Christmas). The Annunciation is a Feast of our Lord in the BCP.
Collect
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that we who have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Denver church involved in battle over redevelopment of golf course for affordable housing
episcopal news service
Voters in Denver, Colorado, when they head to the polls next month, will help settle a heated and at times volatile debate over a proposed redevelopment of a former golf course that closed in 2018. Opponents have sparred openly with supporters in the adjacent Northeast Park Hill neighborhood, who see the development as a potential boon for housing, services and economic improvements in the underserved area.
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Michigan bishop joins governor, former Rep. Gabby Giffords at gun reform rally
episcopal news service
Episcopal leaders are helping to fuel increased momentum for gun law reforms in Michigan, with Bishop Bonnie Perry speaking March 15 at a statehouse rally in Lansing alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and anti-gun violence activist Gabby Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman.
“As Michiganders we can do better,” said Perry, who leads the Diocese of Michigan in the southeastern region of the state. “We can pass these sensible gun laws, we can do better for our young people, we can keep them safer.”
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Archbishop of Canterbury spends time with Ukrainian refugees in Romania
episcopal news service
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has been listening and spending time with Ukrainian refugees who are being supported by the UNHCR Refugee Community Support Centre in Romania.
Welby’s visit March 13 to the refugee centre in Bucharest is part of a trip to three cities that Welby is making this week. He also is visiting Istanbul, Turkey, and Chisinau in Moldova. In all three cities, Welby is having meetings with Orthodox, Christian and Jewish faith leaders to discuss issues of common interest, particularly the impact of the war in Ukraine on these three countries within the region.
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About Ukraine by Ukrainians
religious information service of ukraine
The University of Vienna has concluded the postgraduate symposium "The War in Ukraine — Theological, Ethical and Historical Reflections." The event, organized by the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University, was held on February 13-17. The conference was attended by about three dozen speakers, young Ukrainian scholars, and their colleagues from Austria, who participated in the discussions.
"We must bring Putin, Lukashenko, and other Russian war criminals to justice — and we cannot wait any longer. The trials must begin now, not after the war, so that potential perpetrators also understand that they will not go unpunished," the human rights activist said.
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Fr. Garcia and Confirmation Candidates | | | | |
