Let it Shine

Two weeks ago I attended The Metropolitan Opera premiere of ‘El Niño,” by the contemporary American composer John Adams. The opera is a retelling of the Nativity story through the eyes of the Virgin Mary. It is a mighty work, and worthy of its own reflection, but today I want to focus on one of the stars of the production, bass-baritone Davóne Tines.

Tines is a Juilliard graduate and is one of the most exciting, singular artists on the classical music scene today. He can interpret a Bach aria and match the mighty work with equal aplomb. Tines and his band Davóne Tines & The Truth just released their first recording, ‘Let it Shine,’ and I have been listening to it nonstop for the past week.

‘Let it Shine’ is a reimagining of the familiar spiritual ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ and the way it builds on a simple motif is powerful and overwhelming. The structure brings to mind Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ and the layering techniques of Phillip Glass. Tines also filters his artistry through his very personal lens of Blackness and queerness, resulting in an output that is quite unique.

I invite you to listen to the recording, several times at full volume (link here), and explore with me — as well as your friends and family and community — the following questions:

Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:1). What does it mean for Christians to let our lives shine before others? In which ways are we doing or not doing this in our daily lives? And how can we apply it more fully in our lives?

Davóne Tines’s rendition almost bursts at the seams with exuberance, but the musical structure is scrupulously maintained. How do we exist within God’s structure (protection might be a better word here) and still “let it shine?”

Albert Camus wrote, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion,” and the Apostle Paul declares,“For freedom Christ has set us free!” (Galatians 5:1). How is letting your light at its fullest and brightest revolutionary? What are the things of this world that try to limit the brightness and freedom of children of God living into their most authentic selves? How do we as Christians lift others to freedom?

In Gratitude for Connor and Emily

Dear Friends of Trinity Church,

Trinity is blessed with an amazing, gifted staff. They make the administrative life of the church happen, they care for our building, and they develop and implement programming for our parish. On Sunday, June 2, we will say farewell to two staff members who have been faithful and stalwart members of our staff through challenging times. 

Emily Pruszinski led our family ministries through the challenges of COVID, caring for our families through online activities and re-invigoring our youth group even as they met on Zoom in the height of the pandemic. She also has been a key part of our Vacation Bible School program that we share with other churches. Connor Fluharty led Trinity’s music program through one of the most difficult situations possible. He stepped in to provide steady leadership when it was needed the most, and for that we will always be grateful. 

We would like to acknowledge their faithful service with a special monetary gift. If you would like to contribute, you may send a check marked “Connor and Emily” to Lily at the parish office, or donate online at trinityprinceton.org/giving. If you give online, make sure to include the purpose of your gift in the appropriate box on the form. Please send in your gifts by Wednesday, May 29. 

We hope you will join us at church to thank them in person on June 2, which will also be Choir Sunday and our Parish Picnic. See you then! 

Yours faithfully in Christ,

Kara Slade                                             David Schneider
Associate Rector                                     Senior Warden

Sabbatical

IN GRATITUDE: REMEMBER, REFLECT, AND RENEW

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life with Christ and One Another

Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.
Give us inquiring and discerning hearts,

 the courage to will and to persevere,

 a spirit to know and to love you,

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. 

Amen.

Dear Good People of Trinity,

Tomorrow, I will drive to Kentucky and spend a few days with my mother before heading to the Abbey of Gethsemane for a week-long silent retreat.  Upon my return, there will be a couple of days to prepare before my family and I embark on our exciting adventure to Kenya.  

I am deeply grateful for the gift of this time away. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked so hard to prepare the grant proposal and the subsequent planning and preparation that made this opportunity possible. 

I was profoundly moved on Sunday by your kind words and gestures, sending forth me and my family with great love and support. What a blessing it is to serve as your rector! 

With gratitude and love,

Newcomer's Forum

Sunday, May 19,  9:30 – 10:15 am

Pierce-Bishop Hall

Calling all newcomers! Join us Sunday, May 19 for a Newcomers’ Forum. The Newcomers Forum is a great way to meet vestry members, clergy and fellow newcomers while enjoying bagels and coffee.  There will be a couple of welcoming speeches but mostly this is a time to talk to new and longtime members of the parish and to meet your clergy. Pierce Hall is the main meeting room in the parish building, which is attached to the church. There is no need to register for this event. Come on out and learn more about getting involved at Trinity Church!

God Speaks in the Silences

Last week, I had the pleasure of going with a group of folks from Trinity Church to Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY, for two and a half days of prayer and renewal. On the second day, our Trinity group gathered for Bible study to discuss this passage:

1 Kings 19:4-16
[Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.* When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

*In other translations, this is “a still, small voice.”

I chose this text because of the important role that silence plays in the life of the community at Holy Cross. The monks (and their guests) observe the Great Silence each night from about 8 PM to 8 AM, when no talking is allowed at all. At noonday prayer, 10 minutes of silent prayer are included in the liturgy – something I struggled with mightily! The most striking experience for me, however, was singing the Psalms at each service. 

As someone who prays the Daily Office every day, the Psalms are a significant part of my prayer life. If you look at the Prayer Book, or at the bulletin next Sunday, you’ll see an asterisk at the halfway point of each verse. In monastic communities, it’s a common practice to pause at the asterisk for around 3 to 5 seconds before continuing to the next part of the verse. Every time we paused at the asterisk, something anxious within me wanted to leap forward, to continue speaking, to fill the silence with words. But as we read in 1 Kings, God speaks to us in the silences, in the pauses, in the times in-between. 

We live in a time of anxiety, when our culture surrounds us with noise 24/7. But beyond that, it’s hard to stay silent - to listen for the still, small voice - when stillness means being present to our own thoughts as well as to God. The temptation to flee towards distraction is always there. This summer, as we pause to remember, reflect, renew, and dream a future for Trinity Church, I pray that we will always be ready to hear God’s voice, speaking to us in the silences of our lives. 

Yours faithfully in Christ,

The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara Slade

Associate Rector 

PS We have another retreat scheduled for November 22-24 (the weekend before Thanksgiving). Mark your calendars and join us if you can!

Subscribe to Trinity’s email updates