"Darth Vader, Jesus is Not" / My sermon given at Trinity on April 3, 2016

This is my sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Easter preached at Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston, Texas, on April 3, 2016. The Gospel reading appointed was John 20:19-31. For the contrast between faith and certainty I borrowed from the research and writing of Brené Brown. I refer the listener to Brown's book The Gifts of Imperfection. See Guidepost #5 "Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith."

Trinity Tribute 2016: "Deep in the Heart of Trinity"

On Saturday, April 30, 2016, Trinity Episcopal School will host “Deep in the Heart of Trinity,” a celebration at The Bryan Museum to pay tribute and honor all current and former Trinity teachers and staff.  This is also a chance to remember faculty and staff who have gone before us to what Budgie Hollamon called "the greatest adventure." This special group of people has been fundamental to the school’s success and remains deep in the hearts of their current and former students as well as their families. 

The Bryan Museum is a magnificent venue to show your Texas spirit and how much you love our great teachers and staff as we build friendships, share memories, and raise funds for Trinity. The Live Auction will feature student art projects, and the Silent Auction will feature great packages as well. We hope that you will join our parents, alumni, teachers, and friends for a fun-filled evening of philanthropy, live music from Harbors Over Highways and food from Galveston Restaurant Group! 

Please help us spread the word to others who have fond memories of their Trinity teachers and treasure the Trinity experience. Sponsorship opportunities are available and tickets to the event are $75 per person. Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets may also be purchased through the school office and the school website. 

For more information please contact Meg Walker, Board of Trustees VP/Advancement Committee Chair at TrinityTribute@gmail.com or 409-682-2771.

Ash Wednesday/Lent 2016

Items in My Suitcase

Lent Begins with Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday begins a season of self-examination and penitence.  Liturgical Christians call this season Lent.  In school Chapel today, I had the opportunity to preach my “suitcase” sermon to our students, faculty, and visitors.  It goes something like this:

I’ve packed for a trip out-of-town and ask the students to evaluate the items in the suitcase.  In the case of each item, “is it something that would be useful and needed?”  The first items I bring out are good to go… pants, shirt, socks, and belt.  The students gave a resounding, “yes,” for the mouthwash too.  Ok, that hurt a bit, but I did set myself up.  There were some items that even these open-minded youngsters clearly said had no place in my suitcase for a brief trip.  The frying pan, fishing trophy, and hammer were definitely not to be included.  The pack of size C batteries was also deemed superfluous.  All of the unnecessary stuff just served to make my suitcase uncomfortably heavy to carry, slowing me down on the trip and making my back hurt.  On the literal level, we were reminded that travel is easier when we pack light.

But, the real teaching, of course, is metaphorical. Lent is a time for us to examine our lives to see what kind of unnecessary emotional/spiritual baggage we carry around.  Anger, Envy, and Guilt are several things that we might carry in our hearts but that leave us uncomfortable and get in the way of our relationship with God, ourselves, and others.  These are things for which we are called to ask our Lord’s help in letting go.  The first step is in asking honest questions… are we mad at someone for hurting us and do we make a place in our hearts for being mad?  Does a friend have something we don’t have, and do we dwell on it so much that we lose sight of the gifts we do possess?  Have we made a mistake but keep rehearsing it over and over such that it’s always near to mind?  If we want to let go of these things and not carry them around in our hearts, we have to repent.  That means opening ourselves to God and asking God’s grace to forgive us and lift these burdens.  May God help us all to travel more lightly on this journey we call life!  …in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  AMEN.

Epiphany 2016

As an Episcopal institution, the structure of the Church year helps to define time for us at school.  The Season of Epiphany began on January 6 as we remember the Visit of the Magi, so thoughtfully re-enacted by these 1st Graders from our service of Lessons and Carols held in December.  The Three Kings of Orient represent the Revelation of God in Jesus to an entire world, and the season continues with the broader theme of "revelation." How do we know about God?  Where and how do we get our information?  Episcopal Schools stress scripture, tradition, and reason as the authorities upon which our knowledge of God is based.  Those who stand within the circle of Christian Faith accept that God is most fully known in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Human reason, as part of God's creation, also bears the stamp of God's intentions for us and is available to all people.  C.S. Lewis, for example, believed  existence of God was made sensible by the idea of common decency and morality, a sense of right and wrong, that human beings share.  This idea of general revelation gives common ground upon which to discuss theology with folks from varying traditions and helps Episcopal Schools recognize, honor, and include students from all faiths!

Lean-In to Thanksgiving

A Lower School Student's Thanksgiving List - 2013

As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, I am thinking about the story from the Gospel According to Luke in which Jesus cleanses the ten lepers (Luke 17: 11-19). From a distance, a group of lepers calls out to Jesus asking for mercy. Jesus sees them and says, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” On their way all ten are made clean, but only one returns to Jesus to give thanks. While all ten are cleared of their disease, only one….the one who returns to give thanks… is made whole in body, mind, and spirit. The story reminds me that gratefulness is something we are called to practice. Even when we have what we need and get what we want, or not, something is missing in our lives if we do not take stock of our blessings and appreciate God’s grace even in the small, ordinary things.

When we don’t take the time to be thankful, perhaps the “something” that is missing is joy. Brené Brown defines joy as a spiritual way of engaging with the world that is connected to practicing gratitude. Her research underscores the value of teaching our children to practice thanksgiving…and, of course, the most effective way we can do this is to model it ourselves. One fairly common way to practice thanksgiving is to keep a gratitude journal. Sharing round robin style works well at the family dinner table.  I want to be more mindful of the blessings in my life and to engage my world more joyfully.  Don't you want that too?  

Please note the following calendar items for Trinity Episcopal School this holiday season:

• School Chapel and Food Ingathering is Nov 24 (Tue) w/ full day of school
• Thanksgiving Holidays are Nov 25 – 27 (Wed – Fri)
• Festival of Lessons and Carols is Dec 18 w/ noon dismissal (10:30 AM- Fri)
• Christmas Holidays are Dec 21- January 1, 2016
• Teacher Preparation Day (No School) is on Jan 4, 2016 (Mon)
• Classes Resume  on Jan 5, 2016 (Tue)

Start of School 2015

Trinity Field Ready for Play

Growing enrollment is the big news as the school year begins. The week before classes, Trinity was already anticipating more than 242 students, surpassing a number not seen since September 2008!  This marks the point where enrollment has fully recovered from the effects of Hurricane Ike!  As the year begins, every classroom available to the school is being used for instruction.  In order eventually to allow double sections in each grade level, the school will need to recover the number of classrooms compared to pre-Ike.  During the current fiscal year, the school’s Board of Trustees will be working on a way to provide additional classroom space for 2016-2017.  This is a good problem to have!

Trinity Field is ready for the start of school!  By the time you read this, the Middle School alley will be gated with the gates being open for morning and afternoon carpool.
  
In Chapel on September 3, Trinity will recognize 8th Graders who have attended here continually since Kindergarten.  I am grateful to report that 19 students are eligible for this recognition; we call them the “Alpha-Omega Society.”  This is the largest group since we began acknowledging students this way in 2004.  We are, of course, grateful for all of our students, but it is fitting that we take some time to give thanks for our “long-timers.”  The parents of these students have given them the most complete Trinity experience possible: Sarah Brannen, Kelly Carmichael, Morgan Cook, Tara Donnelly, Noah Elzner, Christoff Gault, Caroline Grant, Kennedy Harrington, Alex Ivash, Jordan Kelly, Logan Kelly, Aidan Knupple, Elizabeth Pennington, Christopher Perkins, Rocio Prida, Christian Quinn, Nicholas Sutton, Courtney Whittaker, and Nicholas Zompa.

To Live Is to Be Vulnerable

In the 2005 comedy film “Little Manhattan,” the almost 10-year-old protagonist, Gabe (played by Josh Hutcherson), develops his first-ever crush on a girl named Rosemary (played by Charlie Ray).  The movie is filled with examples of vulnerability as Gabe tries to make sense of his feelings and how to appropriately express them.  In one memorable scene, Gabe appears calm and collected on the outside…but inside he’s a nervous wreck, as he first reaches out to hold Rosemary’s hand.  Can you remember this kind of emotional roller coaster from your own youth?  But this is not something confined to youth, is it?  The story underscores the truth that relationships, at all stages of life, involve uncertainty, emotional risk and exposure.

This spring and continuing into next year, I’m leading a study for our faculty on Brené Brown’s book entitled Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead.  And just why should we study this? Brown writes, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.”  In line with Brown’s research-based ideas, I’m betting that honest conversations about vulnerability will help us more fully embrace the education of mind, body, and spirit!  Over the summer, Rev. Susan and I will be preparing a parenting class based on Brené Brown’s “Daring Way™.”  We’re hoping to offer this class in the fall and will welcome folks from church and school as well as the wider community….more details later.

Trinity’s summer schedule for children and youth includes:
Summer Camp (rising PK3 – 2nd Grade) June 8-July 3 and July 6-31
Camp Invention (rising 1st – 6th) June 8-12
Camp Charger (rising 3rd – 8th Grade) July 6-10 and July 13-17
Charger Basketball Camp (rising 5th -8th Grade) July 27-31
Charger Volleyball Camp (rising 5th – 8th Grade) August 3-7

Check online (www.tesgalv.org) for more information about these opportunities or call at 409-765-9391. Please note: the school’s summer Moody Hall Office schedule is Monday-Thursday 9 AM to 3 PM and begins on June 8.

Faithfully,

David C. Dearman
Head of School