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Ordained life is full of surprises. If you'd suggested to me prior to January 10, 2009, for example, that I'd grow to love celebrating marriages, I might not have bought it. Perhaps I was then too easily taken in by the silly "bridezilla" myth, or overly distracted by certain secular trappings and extravagances that can attend "the day." And certainly, ten years ago, before our diocese and national church began to welcome same-sex couples into marriage, the rite had come to seem to me to be marred by an exclusivity counter to the spirit of God's evolving kingdom.
But O, what joy. "I don't want the wedding itself to overshadow the idea of our marriage," a bride-to-be once told me as she her and fiancé met with me to begin our discussions and planning. And then there was the groom who told me, in a similar meeting, "If it's ok, we'd like to try to do this without us being the complete focus. I mean, we will be. But isn't it also about the community that is forming around us, the people who have gotten us here? How do we give thanks to God in this ceremony for all of those people?"
I find that particular couple's perspective to be quite consistent among those who come to Trinity for God's blessing. Young couples, older couples, those married previously, those marrying a person of the same or of different gender. It doesn't matter. None of them have ever struck me as prone to what the French call "égoïsme à deux" - that exclusive focus on the other to the detriment of other "others" around them. And this is certainly consistent with the vision of Christian marriage that our prayer book rite holds up for us: "Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen." (p. 429) In this sense, all marriages are potentially "fruitful" whether "the gift and heritage of children" arrives or not. Married love is about the other and the welcome, love and care shown to any number of others.
This Sunday in church, you'll hear that passage from Matthew in which Jesus offers us a tumble of imagery to limn the Kingdom of God. It's like yeast. It's like treasure in a field. It's like a net thrown into the sea. And perhaps, most famously, it's like a tiny mustard seed. But when that seed has grown, says Jesus, "it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." Isn't maturing romantic love like that as well? Isn't this, perhaps, how God is at work for a broader, wider and public good, through some of the most intimate and private dimensions of human life?
Please pray with me for those in our common life who are preparing for marriage. For those who are married. For those whose marriages are troubled or have ended. For those who wish to be married. And for those who are living into God's future for them without being married. Keep us, loving God, ever mindful of the needs and conditions of others.
See you in church!
Patrick C. Ward
Associate Rector
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Holy Eucharist
7:45 a.m., 10 a.m., 6 p.m.
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Guest Choir & Special Evensong
Sun., July 30
10 a.m. & 3:30 p.m.
Church
This Sunday, we welcome the Massachusetts Boy Choir Course (MBCC) as our guest choir at 10 a.m. and for a special service of Choral Evensong at 3:30 p.m.
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Shop Open Sundays After the 10 a.m. Service
On Sundays, the Shop in the Welcome Center is open after the 10 am service. A delightful new collection of Trinity-inspired gifts -- scarves and coasters featuring our windows, stained glass brooches, Trinity patterned bookmarks, and more -- is available. Every purchase supports our hospitality efforts and other ministries.
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Nigerian Christian Fellowship
Sun., July 30
12:15 p.m.
Forum
Trinity's Nigerian Christian Fellowship, made up of Nigerian Anglicans who attend Trinity and other Episcopal churches in Boston, meets the last Sunday of each month. More...
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Trinity Church Camp Reunion
Wed., August 9
Bow Lake, NH
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Buy Summer Books, Support Trinity Church!
Did you know you can shop for your summer beach reads and benefit Trinity at the same time? Shop at AmazonSmile and select Trinity Church Boston to receive a donation of 0.5% of the price of each purchase. Thank you for your support!
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Miss last Sunday, or just want to hear the sermon again? We invite you to listen or watch on our website:
Last Sunday's Sermon:
by the Rev. William W. Rich, Interim Rector
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Traffic Advisory:
Puerto Rican Parade
Sun., July 30
10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Due to the Puerto Rican Parade, Boylston Street is expected to be closed between Massachusetts Ave and Exeter from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., and many other side streets are expected to be affected as well. Plan your trip to church accordingly!
Visit the boston.gov website for a full rundown.
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Apply for the First Mission Hub Intentional Community!
Deadline August 13
For two years, the Boston-Cambridge Mission Hub has collaborated with four neighboring congregations to start new intentional communities: groups of people living, loving, praying, and growing together in faith-based co-housing. On September 1, the first community will launch in a six-bedroom house on the Stony Brook stop of the Orange Line. If you want in on this adventure,
apply by August 13!
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Golf For Youth
Mon., July 31
11:30 a.m.
Blue Hill Country Club, 233 Pecunit St., Canton, MA
Join Trinity Boston Foundation on the links in support of the youth of Boston! To sign up, contact Mello Barros.
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Fill the Bus for Local
School Children in Need
Wed., August 9
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Copley Square
Help fill a yellow school bus with gently used clothing and new toiletries to stock the closets that currently serve over 26,000 children in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.
Catie's Closet will be holding their second annual Fill the Bus event in Copley Square.
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McCormack School
Clean Up Day
Fri., August 18
Time TBD
315 Mt Vernon St, Dorchester, MA 02125
Join us, along with City Year Corps members, at the McCormack Middle School, as we take on a series of projects to refresh the school and create an environment that sets kids up for success.
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Join the College Behind Bars Mentoring Team
Want to be a part of changing lives? Help individuals in prison obtain their B.A. from BU as a mentor for Trinity's College Behind Bars program.
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