Posta is Holy Trinity's newsletter.
Click here for previous issues of Posta

from the April, 2006 issue:

Dear Parish Family,

On a mid-March Sunday afternoon, my sisters, niece and I experienced a butterfly garden under a dome at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids . In it were hundreds of butterflies of all colors and sizes.  It was awesome. Their beauty, splendor and variety were breathtaking.  There was also a display of chrysalises (the cocoon the larval stage of the butterfly enters on its journey to becoming a butterfly).  These were in various stages of transformation.

In all of this I was struck with amazement as I reflected on the darkness the larva enter to be transformed into something so beautiful and free.  I am reminded of the journey we have been on during Lent and will intensify as we enter Holy Week.  In The Experience of Easter Mystery, John Gaden, a theologian and priest who died in the fifties wrote: "Night.  All is dark.  I can see no sense to things.  Thousands are dying of starvation, thousands drowned in floods for no reason.  Nations promise one thing and do another.  Our leaders mislead us, I feel repressed, restricted.  All is dark.  The darkness is outside and is inside, too.  I myself I see darkness, failures.  I hurt those whom I love.  I shout and scream at them.   Is there any light?"

Like the larva we too enter the darkness of our own lives and of Jesus' life.  We too can be healed and transformed.  On Wednesday, April 12, we will celebrate Tenebrae. During a series of readings and anthems, and a gradual extinguishing of all lights and candles we, too, will have the opportunity to enter the darkness with our Lord and prepare ourselves for the Triduum.  The Triduum from Thursday evening through the Easter Vigil on Saturday night is like one day.  The services do not end with blessings or dismissals. We are invited/encouraged to continue in prayer and reflection at home and during our daily activities and return for all the services.

The Triduum begins the evening of Maundy Thursday, April 13, with foot washing and Communion as we remember the great gift Jesus gave us during this Last Supper he shared with his disciples and closes with stripping the altar in preparation for Good Friday. Again the evening ends in darkness.

Good Friday there will be two services.  At the noon service we will hear readings from Isaiah and Hebrews and John's account of Jesus' crucifixion, listen to a homily, and pray the solemn collects and Stations of the Cross.  At the evening service we will pray the Good Friday Liturgy including the receiving of communion from the reserved sacrament. There will be enough light for reading, yet the darkness all around will be evident.
Holy Saturday begins at 9:00 a.m. with a brief service of prayer, followed by the transforming of the church for Easter services.  Please give a few hours of your time to help with this holy work.  We gather again for the Great Vigil at 8:00 p.m.   It is there that the darkness again turns to light as we kindle a fire in the darkness and from it light the Christ Candle and all the candles we hold.  We hear the story of God's mighty   work in creation, deliverance from slavery in Egypt , invitation to come and drink deeply and freely of the water of salvation, and the raising up of dead, dry bones and sign and pray in response to the readings.  We bless water for baptism, and renew our own baptismal promises.  We shout, "Alleluia, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen, indeed!" as we light the altar candles and begin celebrating the first Eucharist of Easter.

Just as it is necessary for the larva to enter the darkness, so we must also enter the darkness.  But darkness is not the last word. The light of Christ shines again and burn brightly.  John Gaden ends his reflection like this: "Look! A light, but it is so faint.  And there is another, and another.  All through the world, and the history of humankind. ---This light shines in the darkness, and is not put out.  I turn to the Light, the Light of the world. Light of Christ, shine through my life too.  Bright Sun, let me shine with your light, as the full moon now shines in the bright sky."

That is my prayer for each of us, for the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and  for all Christians throughout the world.  This Easter, may we know the love and light of Christ as for the first time. 

Many blessings and prayers,

Mother Tina+

[ top] 

Organizations including churches and nations go though periods of ascendancy and decline. You can always sense institutional decline because self-preservation becomes job 1. Fear of the loss of power and infrastructure always diverts resources away from what counts.

At Holy Trinity we have experienced decline very close-up and personal and so we spend our gifts on the building and bring a box of macaroni for the needy. As treasurer I can tell you that we now live from week to week knowing with certainty that our present vitality is God's doing. It makes me wonder how God will use us.

Decline of the nation is evident in the ethical breach that trades our birthright of freedom for mere security. Meanwhile the popular conversation is directed to things like “American family values”. And because we are not paying attention the world economic divide widens, and we who trace our spiritual lineage to Abraham through Ishmael are made the convenient scapegoats.

Listen to the Word of God for a declining people:

…if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday…you shall be called the repair of the breach. Isaiah 58

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Decline is evident in the church as primates trade faithfulness for a foundationless unity. Meanwhile the popular conversation is diverted to institutional “growth” as if it mattered. And because we are not paying attention, the world economic divide widens, and we who are homosexuals are the convenient scapegoats.

Listen to the Word of God for a declining people ordained into a royal priesthood:

Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me. ~Matthew 25

That sounds great because I give a few bucks to Church World Service. But on the hard pavement of the noisy Via Dolorosa the world will want to know about that troublesome Galilean and me. What then when survival is at stake?

-David Koehler, Junior Warden

~ Cleanliness is Next to Godliness ~

We have all heard the above saying.  While growing up my grandmother, in great belief, said that to me many times over.

The church office is in the process of being cleaned.  It will be a fairly lengthy process, but you should see some positive results soon. If you remove something from the office and don't remember from where you got it, just put it on the desk.  I have volunteered to maintain this space so it will not revert to its original state ever again.

During this cleaning and sorting process I have observed things that I really have never paid too much attention to:  

The first fact is that the church does not clean itself!  What a revelation! 

The second fact is that we have a small army of wonderful disciples who make most of this happen day-in and day-out.  They are humble in their recognition, but most of us know them by name.

The third fact is that there is another army of well meaning disciples who do not clean up after themselves.  We could probably track them down by name but we shall not do so.  They are looking for a miracle and really believe it has occurred when their mess disappears!

Let's all be more cognizant of our surroundings.  If you spill something in the kitchen take a second to clean it up.  Volunteer to clean the bathrooms or sweep the parish hall floors once in a while. Someone has to do it.  And let's sweat the small stuff.  A misplaced book here, crayons strewn there, an errant piece of paper on the floor, all add to the work load for one of our anonymous cleaning saints.

I can end with another true statement: "a clean church is a happy church", particularly when we all pitch in and make it happen! 

-Susan Adamek

[ top]

Friday, May 5, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. & Saturday, May 6, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Please bring your gently used items to the parish hall any time after Easter Sunday. Setup will be Thursday, May 4. For more information, contact Pat Wisniewski.
[ top]

Please send questions or comments to our webmaster.  Last updated April 18, 2006 .