Spring 2012 Program Guide

This past fall, at Trinity, we addressed themes of violence and despair, hope and restoration in our educational programming. A community that identifies itself as Christian cannot honestly address these themes without addressing the nature of God and the Crucifixion of Christ. As Christians, how we understand God and how we approach the Cross speaks deeply and directly to our understandings of violence and despair, hope and restoration.

This spring as we continue to deal with these themes of despair, violence, restoration and hope, we will address specifically our understandings of God, Jesus and the Cross. Through walking and meditating on the traditional Stations of the Cross as interpreted by a contemporary artist, exploring the radical life and vision of “Jesus the Radical,” studying his tumultuous “Last Week” in Jerusalem and by examining both historical and personal “Images of God” we will contemplate what Jesus, the Cross and our understandings of God mean for our lives in an often violent and despairing world. We will also explore what hope and meaning we can find in a life spent following Christ by studying Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and hearing from modern day followers of the Jesus Way: Shane Claiborne, Kurt Wiesner, Martin Smith and Bishop Michael Curry. Other messages of hope come to us from the intentional practice of “Contemplative Dialogue,” the films at our international film festival, the environmental and urban farming movements, a practice of art as meditation and the challenging and inspiring community organizing work of Greater Cleveland Congregations.

Advent retreat leader Ben Stewart shared with us, “The Darkness Around Us Is Deep.” Yet as we journey through Lent, Holy Week and Easter this spring, we believe that we are surrounded by and are participants in a restoration too wonderful for words. A restoration in our lives, our city and our world. We find, in this season of death and resurrection, a dawning of hope that sings out its own “Alleluia!”

Adam Spencer

Adult Education Coordinator

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral