As Lent begins this week, the Rev. Michael Bird reminds us that every step Jesus takes toward the cross is for all of us, to help us understand the lengths to which God will go for love.
When it comes to the difficult teachings of Jesus — love your enemies, do not judge, forgive one another — we might think he was speaking only to his...
Join us for an epic evening of free jazz with saxophonist Gary Bartz. The two-time Grammy winner was recently named 2024 Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. He currently teaches at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has made 45 solo albums and performed with an astonishing array of jazz greats. His band includes Marc Cary (piano), James B. King Jr. (bass), Eric Kennedy (drums), and Paul Bollenback (guitar).
In the Sermon the Plain, Jesus draws a new blueprint for humanity — a hope-filled flipping of the status quo that doesn’t pit us against one another but invites all of us in. “Is there anything he says that does not include you?” ask the Rev. Michael Bird. When everything feels upside down, God stands with us, heals us, and reminds us of the reason we were created: “out of love, with love, for love — together.”
Trinity Choir, led by director Melissa Attebury, presents a stirring collection of works created in the crucible of World War II. Showcasing the power of music to confront tyranny, honor voices of courage, and transform our darkest hours, the program culminates in Francis Poulenc’s choral masterpiece, Figure humaine. Composed in secret during the Nazi occupation of France and set to text by poet Paul Éluard, this hymn to freedom moves from introspective grief to defiant triumph, ending with a resounding final declaration: “Liberté.”
Program
Benjamin Britten, Advance Democracy
Ilse Weber, Wiegala
Elsa Barraine, Prelude
Jacob Beranek, Abendgebet
Francis Poulenc, Un soir de neige
Kim André Arnesen, Even when He is silent
Francis Poulenc, Figure humaine
Preaching on two Bible stories about God calling ordinary people — the prophet Isaiah and the disciple Simon Peter — to new and unexpected paths, Father Phil reminds us that, if we’re open to it, the call of God can “upend our lives and take us into another place, into another direction — into another call.” And if it does, as Jesus reminds Simon Peter, we don’t have to be afraid. We can know God’s call is good.
