November 2019
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November 2019 Quarterly publication of Trinity Ecumenical Parish 40 Lakemount Drive Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia 540-721-4330 - [email protected] www.trinityecumenical.org 2 June 2019 Together in Christ Contents .......................................... .......................................... ............................................. ............................................... ........................................... .......................................... .............................................. ..................................... .............................. ....................................... .......................... .......................................................... - ..................................... .................................................... Trinity Ecumenical Parish We are Loving, Serving, Learning, and What’s in a name? Growing Together in Christ! Trinity Loving There is one God; three persons - Father, Son and Holy I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Spirit. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By We are one church; three expressions, Episcopal, this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have Lutheran, and Presbyterian. love for one another." John 13:34-35 One God + One church = One joyous life Serving together! Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one Ecumenical another with whatever gift each of you has received. Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian 1 Peter 4:10 churches. Learning We are what our name implies; a church that seeks "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy unity among various traditions – not division. burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, Parish and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and Denotes a church that serves a large area. you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 People drive to Trinity from all over the region; Growing some from over an hour away, all who desire to worship We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and and serve together in this unique Christian setting. sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1: 2-3 3 4 Maybe you’ve found yourself walking the winding path of a labyrinth before, deep in thought about how God is moving in your life, or maybe you’re thinking about how you’re going to face the coming days after the difficult diagnosis, or maybe you’re not thinking about anything other than the twists and turns of the path. My first encounter with a labyrinth was at a church camp in the mountains of North Carolina. I’ve witnessed this simple space, with somewhat rudimentary lines outlined at night by candlelight, transformed into Holy Ground (cf. Exodus 3:5). I’ve witnessed a cabin full of middle school boys go from being too cool for camp at the start of the labyrinth to opening up about their fears and dreams after making the journey together to the center later on in the week. Prayer Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral During my Church History course a couple of years ago, I participated in a class exercise where we all walked the labyrinth on my seminary’s campus as a group. You might be imagining, as I did, how chaotic it For centuries, Christians have attempted to find would be for a class full of people to walk the path at language and symbolism that helps explain the Trinity. the same time. After standing in silent reflection around Though the relationship and nature of the Trinity is the labyrinth for a while, we started silently walking the something that will always be a mystery to us, symbols path in our own time and pace. and metaphor help us to pull back the veil a bit. One of I entered the labyrinth with my mind racing with these images of the Trinity that has been used for over questions: Who was I going to bump into? How should a millennium is the term perichoresis. I scoot past this person? What if I lose my way? Perichoresis is a dance, a self-emptying and dynamic Halfway through I looked up at everyone else. We were relationship between all three persons of the Trinity. all walking the path at our own pace. We moved around The day our entire class moved through the labyrinth, and past each other without any words and with the we were in relationship with each other, relationships grace of a principal dancer. And that’s what we were that can’t exactly be defined. and we danced. God, the doing; dancing. This winding path of stone in the Triune God, dances with Godself in a way that is pure middle of Columbia, South Carolina had just become a and perfect. In his book Faith Seeking Understanding, holy dance floor. (Continued on page 5) 5 Daniel Migliore writes, “[the Trinity’s] ‘mutual destitute” (Psalm 82:3). All to often, the “other” is indwelling’ is an intimacy far beyond any relationship treated with fear, hatred, anger. known to creatures.” Migliore notes that “the triune God generates and includes otherness in the inner dynamism of the divine life...in contrast to...the sinful human attitudes and practices that rest on fear or hatred of the other.” Jesus is clear on the two greatest commandments that lead to right relationship: love God; love neighbor. God’s relationship with Godself is a self-emptying, radically moving love. Through God’s perfect dance, we are freed to join in the self-giving perichoresis that is the redeeming and reconciling God. This is not just for relationships with Christians or even humans for that matter. Migliore rightly states “if the triune God is self-giving love that liberates life and creates new and inclusive community, then there is no salvation for the creature apart from sharing in God’s agapic way of life in solidarity and hope for the whole creation.” So may you join in the dance of the Trinity, emptying yourself for the sake of the kingdom, and may you be filled with the love of God that is the rhythm for all of Artwork depicting the perichoresis creation. And what more does God call us to than to be in References relation with God, each other, and creation? Our perfect model for what relationship looks like is the Image found at https://goo.gl/images/1YGNby perichoresis, the dance of the Trinity. Richard Rohr Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An writes that “God is not a dancer; God is the dance Introduction to Christian Theology, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: itself.” Eerdmans, 2014), 80. Our world today is filled with vitriolic messages about Image found at https://goo.gl/images/MVGNoE those different from us. We hear hate-filled messages Richard Rohr and Mike Morrell, The Divine Dance: The about people across the world, across the aisle, and Trinity and Your Transformation (New Kensington, PA: even across the street. In contrast, we hear the Psalmist Whitaker House, 2016), 8. echo the call of God: “give justice to the weak and the Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding, 80. Ibid., 84. orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the December 6 and 7 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Please consider volunteering in this outreach ministry. You and our community will be richly blessed. 6 Global Partners Update from Tanzania by Pidge Morgan Alternative Christmas Tree Each year the Global Partners team gives you a unique opportunity to help raise funds for our brothers and sisters in Tanzania. The Alternative “tree” brings handmade crafts from Tanzania. When you give a gift/ donation you take a gift from our wide selection of items. There will be jewelry, baskets, sandals, clothing, and an assortment of ebony carvings. All items come from women’s cooperatives and groups that support village wellness programs. This year the Alternative Tree will be available in the Fellowship Hall between Pidge and students from Door of Hope Sunday services and after the 10:30 service on December 8, 15, and 22. will now begin their secondary years in January 2020. When all of our students reach the Secondary School Level they are required to board at school. The girls still return on holiday to Door of Hope, but this means that there will be no full-time residents there. Pidge has gone with Reverend Johnson Lyimo to the Maasai villages to interview young girls whose parents wish them to be better educated in the school in town and to live in a safe, Christian environment. There is plenty of room at Door of Hope. The matron is kind and loving and takes time with the girls for Bible study and prayer. When the 3 or 4 girls have been selected, we will be seeking sponsors for them. Door of Hope is solely Alternative Christmas Tree display at Trinity supported by Trinity Ecumenical Parish and, as with most homes in Tanzania, there are many things that Door of Hope need constant attention. Your gifts throughout the year and especially at Christmas are very much appreciated. The girls at Door of Hope are all doing well and thank A sante sana – Thank you! you for your continuing financial and spiritual support. The two youngest girls finished Standard Seven grade and passed the National Exam with flying colors. They (Continued on page 7) 7 Hai Institute of Technology Through a grant from Environmental Resource Management solar panels have recently been installed Hai is a vocational school that trains men and women on the dormitories. This same company provided a in skills that are important to a developing country. grant to drill a much needed well at Hai several years Peniel Shali, the founder of Hai, has worked hard to ago. Water is sold for a nominal fee to the nearby create a positive educational environment. Tanzania is residents. Both of these grants go a long way to help a very poor country and family funds are always make Mai self-sustaining and reduce the cost of tuition available for tuition.