Join others around the world who are taking back the season of Advent — opting to give the gifts of time, talent, and treasure, not to fill the space below their Christmas trees, but to serve the poor and the needy and to work toward alleviating human suffering in our communities.

Kathleen Parker, a generally ‘conservative’-leaning columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, wrote an editorial piece yesterday that raises some very good questions about the future of conservative American evangelical political religion — and political religion in general.

Among other things, Parker notes that “armband religion is killing the Republican party… And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican party — and conservatives with it — eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one’s heart where it belongs.”

[ December 24, 2008; 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. 10:30 pm; ] Join us for the 4pm service at Holy Trinity (immediately preceding the dinner table feast) and for the 10:30pm service at St. John’s Cathedral (12th & Grand on the south hill).

[ December 20, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. ] Join us for a short evening of caroling in west central.  Gather in the holy trinity parish hall at 5:30pm for sweets and hot beverages, then join the procession into the streets to sing for an hour.  The evening will end with a candle-lit ’silent night’ in the holy trinity sanctuary.  All are welcome!

[ December 4, 2008; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 11, 2008; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 18, 2008; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Join us for a family-friendly Christmas movie in the holy trinity sanctuary on three consecutive thursdays in december — 12/4, 12/11, 12/18 — from 6-8pm.  Popcorn will be served during the movie and hot apple cider will be available during the intermission.  All are welcome!

[ December 2, 2008; 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. December 9, 2008; 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. December 16, 2008; 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. ] Join others for soup supper, movie, and guided conversation about movies on three consecutive Tuesdays in December — 12/2, 12/9, 12/16 — from 5:30-9:30pm.  Leonard Oakland, from Whitworth, will be guiding the evenings.

During the season of Advent, Holy Trinity will be running two different movie series — one on tuesdays and one on thursdays.

Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Matthew, 25th chapter

I can’t quite remember when I first saw that bumper sticker that seemed to take the world by storm: “practice random kindness & senseless acts of beauty.” I still get a warm feeling when I hear it.

As the ‘ordinary’ season comes to a slow close, the themes of readiness and attentiveness come to the fore — preparing the way into Advent, when we wait anxiously for the arrival of Immanuel.

We heard last week the warning to “keep awake,” to pay attention to the signs of the times and the presence of the Holy Spirit. And while we can all easily agree that “staying awake” seems like a good and reasonable thing to do, we might not all agree on what “staying awake” actually looks like.

Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’

If I didn’t already know my propensity to sleepwalk through life, I’d probably take offense at Jesus’ suggestion that I’m apt to doze off and miss something important — something utterly life-changing.

But, perhaps like you, I do know all-to-well my tendency to overlook the subtleties of life — the simple pleasures that beg my thanksgiving, the delicate revelations that bid my attention, the gentle nudges of the Spirit that seek a willing response. How easy it is to sleep through it all!

The fall triduum of All Hallow’s Eve (10/31), All Saints’ Day (11/1), and All Souls’ Day (11/2) always brings to mind the incredible mystery of God’s love — a love that binds us together with a pretty motley crew through time and space — and that binds us to a God whose Will for the world is always at odds with our own.

When we remember the saints, we’re reminded that in every way they are just like us — ordinary human beings with extraordinary faith. But it’s those saints whose extraordinary faith led them to truly seek first the kingdom of God that we remember most fondly, if not also incompletely.

During his trip to Lambeth this past summer, Bishop Waggoner happened upon Canterbury Cathedral and a plaque displaying their mission statement. Now, for a very large, historic Cathedral, you’d have reasonable expectations that the actual mission of the place might be buried between and beneath years and years of insider language and theological jargon. Such was apparently Bishop Waggoner’s assumption when he arrived at the plaque and, so, you can imagine his surprise when he read the following mission statement for Canterbury Cathedral: “to show people Jesus.” That’s it, “to show people Jesus.”

[ October 8, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 22, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 12, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 26, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 10, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 24, 2008; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 14, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 21, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 28, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 4, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 11, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 18, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 25, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. March 4, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. March 11, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. March 18, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. March 25, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 1, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 8, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 15, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 22, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. April 29, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. May 6, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. May 13, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. May 20, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. May 27, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. June 3, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. June 10, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. June 17, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. June 24, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. July 1, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. July 8, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. July 15, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. July 22, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. July 29, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. August 5, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. August 12, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. August 19, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. August 26, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. September 2, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. September 9, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. September 16, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. September 23, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. September 30, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 7, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 14, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 21, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. October 28, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 4, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 11, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 18, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. November 25, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 2, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 9, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 16, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 23, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. December 30, 2009; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 6, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 13, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 20, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. January 27, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 3, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 10, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 17, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. February 24, 2010; 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. ] Holy Trinity expands its mission focus on West Central children and families with weekly family dinner nights.  Seating and fun begins at 5:30pm and the meals are served at 6pm.

Every Wednesday evening, guests are welcomed into the parish hall for fellowship and activities aimed at encouraging healthy, happy families, followed by a free, family-style dinner. [...]

[ October 7, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. October 14, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. October 21, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. October 28, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. November 4, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. November 11, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. November 18, 2008; 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] see post for more info or call the church office — 326.6471.

[ August 24, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. August 31, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. September 7, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. September 14, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. September 21, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. September 28, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. October 5, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. October 12, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. October 26, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. November 2, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. November 9, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. November 16, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. November 23, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. November 30, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 7, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 14, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 21, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. December 28, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. January 18, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. January 25, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. February 8, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. February 15, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. February 22, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 1, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 8, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 15, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 22, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. March 29, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. April 5, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. April 19, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. April 26, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. May 10, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. May 17, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. May 24, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. May 31, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. June 7, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. June 14, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. June 21, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] evening service with some fun and flexibility — prayer stations, participatory homily, and weekly communion — piano and other instruments — incense is used during the seasons of Lent and Advent, and on the high holy days of the church year.