Who’s Zooming Who

At-A-Glance Links & Times: Sunday, March 29

 8:45 a.m.       Community Hour with the Rev. Paige Fisher and Marissa Hall

 9:00 a.m.      Children’s Church School with Cathy Portlock Pacitto and Sarah Neumann

 

 9:45 a.m.      Morning Prayer, Rite I

 

11:00 a.m.      Community Hour with the Rev. Morgan Allen and Marissa Hall

11:30 a.m.      Youth Sunday School with Sarah Neumann and Youth Mentors

 

 6:15 p.m.      Community Hour with the Rev. Bill Rich and Sarah Neumann

 7:00 p.m.      Adult Forum: Defiant Joy, with the Rev. Patrick Ward

 

 

Dear Trinity Church and friends,

 

In the title track of her 1985 album, Aretha Franklin presciently asked pop-music radio, “Who’s Zooming Who?” Surely not even the Queen of Soul and the greatest female voice of the twentieth century could have imagined that the answer in 2020 would be, “Everybody, Aretha! Everybody is Zooming everybody else, all day long, in remote offices, distance classrooms, and even worship services from home!” And, yet, here we are.

 

That same album featured Franklin’s highest charting single of the decade, the memorable “Freeway of Love,” which peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 on August 31, 1985, and featured Clarence “Big Man” Clemons from The E Street Band (How many of the other songs in the top 5 of that weekend can you name? I will list them at the end of this message. A hint: three are from movie soundtracks.).

 

Of the “Freeway,” Ms. Franklin sings:

 

Never you mind

the exit signs,

we got lots of time.

We can’t quit

‘til we get

to the other side.

 

We’re goin’ riding on the freeway of love,

and the wind’s against our backs!

We’re goin’ riding on the freeway of love,

in my pink Cadillac!

 

With gratitude for a lighter soundtrack during these weighty days, I have appreciated The Queen’s counsel. Of our current situation, the pop song not only suggests we have “lots of time” and “we can’t quit ‘til we get to the other side” of this virus, but also reminds that, because we root in love these distances we are keeping – great, long stretches of love let loose like a pink convertible with the top down – then we can trust of the wind at our backs in all our efforts, even when our progress feels slow or, at times, indiscernible.

 

Worship

Given the bumps we found on the Facebook and Zoom “freeways” last week, for this and Sundays through May 24, we will worship from home at 9:45 a.m. We hope this time will provide a more dependable launch of these creative, engaging liturgical experiences. This Sunday will feature several enhancements, including the richer incorporation of our choir. The worship booklet can now be found our website, and to add your “Amen!” and “Thanks be to God!” participate via Facebook Live at 9:45a. If you prefer to keep it simple, then visit our website at trinitychurchboston.org/live-worship.

 

Formation

As with last week, Cathy Portlock Pacitto, our Director of Children’s Ministry, will lead a Church School lesson via Zoom at 9 a.m. Families should have received an email from Cathy with the link to join the Zoom meeting. If you have not received the link, please reach out to Cathy at cportlock@trinitychurchboston.org.

 

Then, at 11:30 a.m, Sarah Neumann, our Youth and Young Adult Minister, will Zoom it up with our youth and their Mentors. Youth and their parents should have received an email from Sarah with the link to join the Zoom meeting. If you have not received the link, please reach out to Sarah at sneumann@trinitychurchboston.org.

 

Finally, the Rev. Patrick Ward, will lead via Zoom our adult Forum – entitled, “Defiant Joy” – at 7:00 p.m. Sampling the work of poet Christian Wiman (one of our previously scheduled Price lecturers) and other contemporary poets, we will ask, “What is our relation to joy in a time of suffering? And why does this simple term seem so elusive in our efforts to define it?”

 

Community Hours

This week, we are excited to enrich our Sunday experience with three opportunities to spend time together. In groups of 100 or fewer (first-come, first served for these hot tickets!), we will gather around a simple question cleverly drawn from our appointed Gospel lesson (in response to this week’s story of Jesus raising Lazarus, the question might be, “What stinks?” or “Who do you love?”). After a time in the large group, we will break out into smaller “meeting rooms” to make room for the participation of more voices. Grab your cup of coffee and join us! Links and times for each of these fellowship events may be found at the top of this message.

 

Once more in the words of The Queen of Soul, “With the radio playin’ our song, let’s keep rollin’ along, and who knows how far we’ll get, before our love even thinks of slowin’ down.”

 

Take care, be well, and I will see you Sunday!

 

The Rev. Morgan S. Allen

Rector

 

*From the Billboard Top 100 on August 31, 1985:

 

1. “The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis & The News

2. “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion),” John Parr

3. “Freeway of Love,” Aretha Franklin

4. “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome),” Tina Turner

5. “Summer of ’69,” Bryan Adams