"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: The Art of Sacred Play

Wednesday, March 23

The Art of Sacred Play

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.—Psalm 33:3

We all must learn the art of sacred play. Each Sunday, I work in the nursery at Trinity and each Sunday, I allow myself the joy of sacred play. These beautiful children wrap me up in joy and allow me to be free to have fun with them, to jump and sing and shout for joy. The Lord works through these children, as we play together. 

So take this time to play, to throw all your cares away and be overwhelmed with joy. 

Rhianna Herd

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: Sundays: Happy Memories

Tuesday, March 22

Sundays:   Happy Memories

The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me by the still waters.—Psalm 23:1-2

Upon my anticipated move to Denver in 2005, my daughters who already resided in Denver, told me about this church. A beautiful very large church downtown.  One day when we were downtown we passed by Trinity and they told me that was the church they had described. The following Sunday I visited Trinity and was quite impressed. The first thing to impress me was the choir and then the pipe organ. I was especially excited however about the choir, how beautiful they sounded and the number of members in it. With that I decided I wanted to be a part of it. I asked about how to join and that day met Judith Mitchell and joined.

Also I saw how everyone seemed to care for one another and was impressed with the friendliness I had experienced. I was amazed by this in such a large church. Later when I became unemployed in 2006, I spoke with various members of the ministry about my situation. I was told of a position in the nursery and then later a position in the janitorial department. I applied for and obtained both positions which was quite helpful to me at the time. This is when I met Kathy Gibb and Reverend George Brunner. 

I was then employed here in these positions until another opportunity emerged in May 2007 which I took and I left employment at Trinity. These things happened on Sundays.

In my time here at Trinity, I have met a lot of very caring wonderful people: the first Judith Mitchell, then Rev Linda Marshall, Rev Miriam Slejko, Rev Darrell Mount, Jim Feickert, Diane Theobald, and the choir members (too numerous to name) as well as the two I met related to my employment. I want to thank you all and care deeply for you all.

Calagney A. Lange

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: "Is Today Sunday?"

Monday, March 21

“Is Today Sunday?”

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.—Psalm 118:42

While I was in graduate school, my grandfather had to have back surgery with several weeks of rehab.  After Thanksgiving, I spent two weeks in Florida with my grandparents mainly looking after my grandmother who had Alzheimer’s.  She was physically healthy, mostly capable of caring for herself, but virtually no memory.  

My grandmother was a bundle of energy – always on the go – but needed constant supervision.  I struggled to find activities that would keep her safe, but still allow me to enjoy Florida.  During my stay, she would ask MULTIPLE times a day:  “Is Today Sunday?”   

Why would she need to know this?  What was so important about Sundays? Sundays were important to me too, but they seemed more like work.   My dad was a pastor of a small church, and each member of my family did chores to ensure that Sunday happened.

Come Sunday, we attended a small worship service at grandfather’s care facility.  We arrived early, and during the service, I looked over to see my grandmother beaming. For over an hour, she was totally calm and at peace. She may not have remembered the familiar words, but somehow she remembered the feelings or emotions of Sunday that gave her joy.

Where do I find the joy, peace, and comfort on Sundays?  As I grow older I am appreciating the variety and fulfilling elements of Sundays. Yet just like my grandmother, with my last conscious memory, I will remember simply the joy that Sunday gives.

Prayer:  O Lord, help me to find your peace and joy on Sundays.  Amen.

Susan Long

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: Healing the Sick

Sunday, March 20

Healing the Sick

An Invitation for Reflection through Week Six

Evans says, “We anoint not to cure, but to heal.”

How would you describe the difference between “curing” and “healing”?

Does it take courage to be involved in the work of healing?

             If so, why?

What else does it take to be part of “one of the most powerful and countercultural gifts the church has to offer the world”?

“ Evangelical Acedia”is defined as laziness or indifference in religious matters.

Have you ever been through an experience or a series of experiences that have left you burned out or bitter or, at the least, indifferent toward church?

            How did you respond?

Have you recovered or are you still in that place in your feelings about church attendance and commitment?

Barbara Brown Taylor writes about new life starting “in the dark.”

If something new is happening in the church, what do you think that “new life” might look like?

           

What do you think might be different about the Christian church twenty or thirty years from now?

As we look to the events leading to Jesus’ death and resurrection, what do you hope will be resurrected in your life?  In the world?

"Searching for Sunday" Lenten Devotional Series: What is Sunday?

Saturday, March 19

What is Sunday?

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.—Psalm 118:42

Sunday at Trinity has been a constant, although a variable constant, meeting my needs and the needs of our family as they change week-to-week and year-to-year.  Sunday has been a time for nurture, renewal, connection, growth, challenge, fellowship and reflection.  

Many of us live crowded lives, and I am no exception.  But it became clear to me long ago that, as the demands on my time increase, the more I need to be intentional about taking time away from everything else to work on my relationship with God. Sometimes the progress is meager, at best.  Sometimes I make no progress at all – but even then, Sunday brings an opportunity to share in a community that is accepting and supportive.  This community has been important over the years, and it has seen us through changes in our lives, and sheltered and taught and nurtured our children, giving them a foundation for their own lives.  

Sometimes, all I can ask of Sunday is a few moments of peace and reflection, usually in worship.  This itself if a gift – just to reconnect with a deeper longing and purpose that sometimes gets bypassed in the day-to-day activities.

But sometimes Sunday brings a surprise gift – moments of insight or realization that deepen my understanding, or challenge my thinking, or open me to new ways of thinking about God’s role in my life.  These gifts come in times and places that are both expected and unexpected – sometimes a sermon that deepens my understanding of scripture, or challenges me with a new way of thinking about old things, sometimes in moving music, sometimes conversation or study in class.  

For these gifts, I am grateful – grateful to be able to be at Trinity on Sunday.  

Paul Smith