 Meditation for The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost July 9, 2020 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle [Isaiah 55:12-13] This passage from Sunday’s Scripture follows the prophet Isaiah’s exhortation to repent, to trust in the mercy of God and turn away from dehumanizing behaviors and practices. It describes the deep peace that is brought about by facing the damage we have done in our lives and then turning away from fear and shame. In these days when uncertainty shadows our every action and the paths forward are either obscured or confusing, Isaiah holds before us the image of a God infinitely compassionate, source of a beauty and joy. On Sunday we will say prayers for the Church, and your Wardens and Vestry members will lead a conversation about our life at Trinity: where we are and where we are going. The promise of Isaiah offers a starting point for that conversation. The Church at its best offers a path to the freedom that comes only from trusting in God. We are the Body of Christ, the visible sign of a compassionate abundance that cannot be diminished by human folly. We offer the promise of forgiveness not because we minimize the damage that we are capable of incurring on each other and on the earth, but because we proclaim a God who transforms our recklessness into a life-giving order. We offer to the world an alternative to fear not out of pride but out of the vulnerability that is the beginning of growth, the honest response to uncertainty. Too often the Church has warned us of the “thorn” and the “brier.” In this time and in this place, we must instead listen to “the mountains and hills . . . burst into song” and to “all the trees clapping their hands.” We must trust in the joy and hope that lingers deep in our hearts. We must be the Word of life. Most Blessed Creator: Help us never to forget that there is nothing we can do to make you love us less and there is nothing we can do to make you love us more. -Archbishop Desmond Tutu 9 AM SUNDAY - MORNING PRAYER via ZOOM Prayers for the Church Ministers of the Liturgy: The Rev. Judith Lee Wardens and Vestry Ginny Starkis, Susan Edmondson (Wardens) Peach Warren, Steve Ketchum, Wayne Stochaj, Grace Prevelige, Sarah Prevelige, Lisa Ruggiero https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82256827302?pwd=Z0E3ZlpXY0hIRFdIZHN0ZnltdXNlZz09 Meeting ID: 822-5682-7302 Password: 546896 If you cannot access through your computer, you may participate by telephone. Telephone: 929-205-6099 For the Morning Prayer leaflet, click here. The service will begin with a brief organ prelude. Thank you to Randy Bloom and Ann Marie Lockwood. After the service we will have an opportunity for conversation with your Wardens and Vestry members about where things stand with preparing for the search and our shared hopes and concerns. We will have this conversation with the Wardens and Vestry on one Sunday each Month. Our next conversation will be on Sunday August 16th. We will hold Morning Prayer via ZOOM at 9 am every Sunday in July and August A Message from Rachel Carpenter: Each week I will be posting on Trinity's website (www.trinitychurchmilford.org) some videos and activity ideas that you can do from home! If you complete an activity, email me a picture of your finished product. You will get a point for each activity you complete. At the end of the summer, whoever gets the most points will win a prize! Our summer theme will be The Fruits of the Spirit. WAY TO GO EMILY KEE!! I LOVED the video of you, Brandon and your dad doing the Fruits of the Spirit dance! 1 point for the Kees! Nice singing Mr. Kee:) Here is this week's church school activity! Click here. This week, we will focus on our first fruit of the spirit, LOVE! Take a few minutes to watch these two videos and then do the activity! In the first video, there's a little muppet guy - it might look like the video is for young kids, but it's really not! He does a great job teaching us about LOVE:) https://youtu.be/rqC21JQBcaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZxas7MJ2-A Remember to send me a text or email showing me something you learned or a video of you doing the project! rcarp76@gmail.com HAVE FUN!! ~Rachel Next Steps: Moving Forward Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Beginning this week, the church will be open for private prayer for 3 hours each week:
Each person will be asked to sanitize their hands and to wear a mask upon entering the church from the back door. (We will provide both as needed.) Seating will be designated according to safe distancing, and you will be asked to bring your own prayer book. The church building and the bathrooms will not be open. This week, the sanctuary, offices, and Lane Chapel room will be cleaned and sanitized. We will continue with Morning Prayer on Sundays and Wednesdays via ZOOM. We may hold one special outdoor service in August, pending public health protocols and peer review by the Dean and the Bishop. At this week’s meeting the Vestry will decide when to open the building to community groups and under what conditions. For the month of July the office will be open by appointment only on Mondays and Thursdays, 10am – 3pm Parish Zoom Events: We have a new Summer Schedule: ZOOM Bingo on Sundays at 3 pm & Game Night on Tuesdays @ 7 - We'll resume in September Zoom-Chats: Mondays @ 7am & Wednesdays @ 8 pm: Every Other Week: Mondays:July 13 & 27, August 10; Wednesdays: July 22, August 5 & 19 Wednesdays @ 10 am: Morning Prayer & Fellowship via ZOOM - We'll continue weekly https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83161138171?pwd=TitUUzdtRVhjZVFadjNZbFlxV1dhdz09 Meeting ID: 831 6113 8171 Password: 497792 Telephone: 929-205-6099 Fridays @ Noon: Lunch & Bible Study: The Gospel of Matthew - We'll continue weekly through the month of July. This week we will begin at 11:30 so that the ROMEOs can begin at 12:30 pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87474952317?pwd=UkdpQTNuNmtxVkhtYlZkVGVDVkZOQT09 Meeting ID: 874 7495 2317 Password: 097331 This Friday we will continue our discussion of the Gospel of Matthew through Chapter 16 Please note: Unscrupulous people have contacted parishioners claiming to be Mother Judith and asking for money. Mother Judith's only email addresses are jlee.trinitychurchmilford@gmail.com or lee.judith.mary@gmail.com and her phone number is (716) 949-8194 . She never asks for money! Please do not respond to any other email addresses or phone numbers. If you have a question about whether a request is REALLY from Mother Judith, please contact her first at these email addresses/phone number before sending any money. Thanks. For the weekly announcements, click here. New Rector Search: Next Steps Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the Parish Meetings. During this time of preparing for new ministry, it means a lot to listen to each other express our hopes and concerns for the future. We have heard some good ideas about what we might initiate and improve, and you have been very clear about what is important to you. Your stability and commitment to ongoing ministries is a real strength and it will be a clear message to your candidates. If you have not taken part in the zoom meetings, nothing is more important now than for you to send your written responses to the church or to email them to Ginny Starkis (vstarkis@verizon.net) by next Wednesday July 15. We need to present an accurate portrait of our congregation to candidates, and your responses are absolutely necessary for the Profile Committee to design a Parish Profile. On July 13th, the Vestry will appoint the Chairs of the Profile and Search Committees. The members of the committees will be appointed at a later meeting. On Sunday July 19th i will commission them, and they will be our Readers in the Liturgy. For a copy of the questions to respond to by mail or email click here. May God continue to inspire us, bless us, and guide us. Community Dinners We distributed 45 meals on June 25th and donated 5 meals to the Food Pantry. We will distribute meals prepared by Oliva's from the parking lot at Trinity on July 30th and August 27th. In addition, we will distribute meals to the staff of Cornerstone Assisted Living in July and Whitcomb House in August. Your generosity has made it possible for us to continue feeding about 100 people each month during the pandemic, in addition to supporting our local restaurants.
If you can volunteer to help with setting up and taking down the tables, distributing meals, and bring leftover meals to the Food Pantry, in July or August, please contact Glen Peterson. We will certify Community Service credit. At their August meeting the Vestry will make a decision on how to continue the Community Meal program in the fall, pending peer review by the Dean and the Bishop. Meanwhile, we continue our strong partnership with the Food Pantry and with other local churches and community organizations. To contribute to this project, please send your check payable to Trinity Church with Community Dinners on the memo line or donate directly to Hopedale Unitarian Parish, who is managing the funds for this project, by going to https://hopedaleunitarian.org and pressing the Donate button. Prayer List Please send Magee the names of people you would like to be on the Prayer List. Our policy has been to remove names after 4 weeks, but we want to be sure we follow the wishes of families and friends. Our prayer list is included in the weekly announcements . Pledges Thank you to all of you who have been sending in your pledges. Our deposits are being made on a different schedule these days, so there may be a delay in seeing the record of your payment. Some of you are facing financial stress: if so, please give what you can; if not, please give a bit extra to support those who cannot. How to keep up with Trinity news: All notices, videos, and links can be found at www.trinitychurchmilford.org Our diocesan website offers links to online worship in our diocese. https://www.diocesewma.org/ Worship from the National Cathedral is available online every Sunday at 11:15 am. https://cathedral.org/ The Episcopal Church offers valuable resources for spiritual renewal. https://episcopalchurch.org/ Habits of Grace: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry A new video meditation will be posted on Mondays through July. Click here to view the latest. Mission Matters: News from the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA latest issue can be found here.
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