Help, Thanks, Wow

The well-known Christian author and speaker Anne Lamott often says that three simple words lie at the heart of the life of prayer: Help, Thanks, and Wow. This has been the case throughout Christian history, even though we might use different terms to talk about the ways we pray. There is a particular pattern of prayer that seems almost to transcend time. In its most basic shape, it has three simple, but essential parts: supplication (help), thanksgiving (thanks), and doxology or praise (wow).

 When we pray, our first instinct is usually to ask God for something. But on what possible basis might we dare to approach God in prayer? Because God is the Creator and we are creatures, what emboldens us to ask something of God? The answer is simple, and we can see it in the pattern of the Daily Office: we ask for God's help in prayer. We ask for God to draw near to us, so that we can be drawn nearer to God. "Lord, open our lips," we pray each morning in the Daily Office, asking God to make possible the prayers to follow. 

But our supplication - our prayers for ourselves and for others - are intertwined with our prayers of gratitude. We dare to approach God in supplication because we also recognize God's faithfulness to us. And so, we render our “humble thanks for all of God’s goodness and loving-kindness, to us and to all that God has made.” (BCP, 101) Thanksgiving and supplication go together. 

But we don’t stop there. Supplication and thanksgiving also draws us towards doxology, or praise. When we pray, we don’t seek guarantees so much as ask that God’s will be done. We place before God the hopes and needs of our hearts and minds, knowing that all we are or hope to be will be caught up in God’s desire for us. As we offer our supplications and then let go of them, allowing them to take their place in the larger story of God’s goodness and loving-kindness towards us, it leads us to praise. It is as if we have prayed and now say to God, “come what may we praise you, we bless you, and we give thanks to you, Lord our God.”

As you pray this month, both in church and in your own private devotions, I hope you will pay attention to this rhythm of prayer, all of which draws us into closer communion with the God who calls us to be his holy people. 

Yours in Christ,

Kara 

Formation and Fellowship

Trinity Church has a number of groups for formation and fellowship, and we invite you to join us to grow in friendship and in relationship to God. This year, we hope to move our fellowship groups to a set monthly meeting day and time. If you're already a member, or if you'd like to be a member, sign up at the links below and indicate what days and times might work best for you. We need to ensure that everyone who should be on our email lists is on them, so please sign up! 

Parish Retreat

Join Kara and your friends from Trinity Church on November 22-24 for a weekend retreat at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY on the banks of the Hudson River. This will be a "mostly-silent" retreat, with many opportunities to pray and worship in community with the brothers of the Order of the Holy Cross. Along with time to read, rest, or explore the beautiful monastery grounds, there will also be a Bible study led by Kara:

  • Breakfast is available any time from 6:30am to 8:15am

  • 7:00am - Matins

  • 8:30am - The Great Silence Ends

  • 9:00am - Holy Eucharist

  • 10:00am - Bible study 

  • 12:00pm - Diurnum (Midday Prayer)

  • 12:30pm - Dinner

  • 5:00pm - Vespers (Evening Prayer) - Sundays at 4:00pm

  • 5:45pm - Supper

  • 7:30pm - Compline (Night Prayers)
    The Great Silence begins after Compline

We will leave on Friday afternoon and return Sunday after the Eucharist. The cost for the weekend is $250, but let us know if the cost is prohibitive for you. We don't want that to be a barrier to your participation. There are 12 rooms available, and you can sign up at this Google Forms link or by emailing Kara at sladek@trinityprinceton.org. Let us know as well if you will need a ride and if you have dietary needs. 

SIGN UP LINK: https://forms.gle/xcDQPFBDwdkmHMcW6

Driveway Safety Improvements

Our driveway that connects Mercer and Stockton streets is a great convenience for parishioners and for parents of Nassau Nursery children.   It is also a safety hazard as it tempts drivers to speed through our property to save a few minutes.  In addition, some drivers have been entering from Stockton Street in violation of the driveway's one way direction.  Finally, there was no signage alerting drivers exiting onto Stockton Street that they need to stop before the sidewalk.

Recently, the Grounds committee invested $2,400 in three improvements to minimize these safety risks:

  1. Installed a speed bump to slow speedsters down before they reach the Narthex area

  2. Asked the Municipality of Princeton to replace one of its Do Not Enter signs at our Stockton St. exit that had become extremely faded.  They promptly made that change as well as reoriented their second Do Not Enter sign for better visibility.

  3. Added two smaller "Do Not Enter" signs facing from our fence to Stockton Street to ensure that any driver turning from any direction will see that they should not enter our driveway.  

  4. Installed two Stop signs just before the sidewalk at Stockton Street  and painted the words "Stop" along with a thick white line across the driveway.

In addition, our contractors fixed three potholes in the parking lot, repainted two handicapped parking spots and the crosswalk by Ivy Hall.  Special thanks to our wonderful sextons for putting up all  of our new signs!

Please help keep parishioners and children safe by entering our driveway only from Mercer Street, driving slowly over the speed bump and by making a full stop when exiting at Stockton Street.  

Waffle House!

One of the great gifts of the South is Waffle House. Every time I find myself back "down South," as they say, my Waffle House radar is activated. Open 24 hours a day, Waffle House serves as a safe harbor in an often unpredictable world. People come in at all hours, for all sorts of reasons, and each one of them has a story to tell.

It's early Friday morning, and here I sit in a Waffle House. Some are here after a long night shift, and others getting ready to start their day. A woman sits alone at the counter, meticulously wiping it down as she prepares her glass of sweet tea, and awaiting her scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. The waitress approaches me with a lightness in her step and asks, "Can I get you some coffee, honey?" I place my usual order, and she replies with a smile, "Ok, baby, we’ll have it right up for you." Moments later, faster than expected, the cook brings over my eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. "Here you go, sir. I hope it’s OK. Is that bacon too crispy? I’m happy to make more if it’s not right."

Before long, Lonni, the cook, and I strike up a conversation. I ask, "Do you mind if I make a video?"


This moment reminded me of a video I had made early in my sabbatical, also during an early morning at a Waffle House. Life comes full circle in these quiet, simple moments.

 

 We all have a story. We have dreams and people we love. We want to be happy. We want a good life and a better one for our children. We’re all just trying to make it in this world, and with a little dignity. Whether you're dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant or sitting in a booth at Waffle House, that’s not the point. It’s about living your life with the people you love, having a dream, and trying to make that dream come true.

 I pray that Trinity Church is a place where people can come as they are, with the truth of their lives, their hopes and dreams, fears and struggles, sadness and joy. A place where, together, we find a safe harbor, and even more so, a home. A home to ground and sustain us on this amazing, challenging, unpredictable, and blessed journey of life.

Peace and Blessings,

Paul

P.S. Just before I left, Lonni came over and said, "Hey, nice talking to you. One day, I want to go back to Michigan. I want to open a diner—like one of those 1950s vintage diners." I gave him my number and said, "I’ll pray for you. You’ll do it! And when you do, call me. Because I’m coming."

Newcomer Opportunities

Newcomers Forum

  • Sunday, October 6   9:15 – 10:15 am  

  • Pierce Hall     

The Newcomers Forum is a great way to meet vestry members, clergy and fellow newcomers while enjoying bagels and coffee.  There will be a couple of welcoming speeches but mostly this is a time to talk to new and longtime members of the parish and to meet your clergy.   Pierce Hall is the main meeting room in the parish building, which is attached to the church.  

Tea at the Rectory

  • Sunday, November 10   4 -5 pm, followed by Compline in the church

  • 25 Mercer St.

Father Paul Jeanes lives in the house next to the parish hall.  Join him, vestry members and fellow newcomers for refreshments and fellowship.  Then at 5 pm, feel free to join us as we walk next door to the church for the evening prayers said during Compline.

You are welcome to attend any of these events without registering but if you know in advance that you’ll attend, please do email tomascott1965@gmail.com so that we can plan accordingly.  Also email Tom with any questions you may have.  We look forward to seeing you!

Volunteer Opportunities

Parish volunteers are always needed for these two Fall events which support Trinity’s outreach programs:

  • Rummage Sale - Details about rummage in the post above. We need volunteers for all aspects of the sale: set-up, sales, clean-up.  Setup occurs from October 13-17 and the sale itself is on October 18-19.  To volunteer for any of these days, please send your contact information to rummage@trinityprinceton.org .

  • Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot – This annual event is a 5k race beginning at 8 am on Thanksgiving Day.  Father Paul started it the year after he arrived at Trinity Church.  Over 2,000 runners and walkers participated in 2023 and raised over $70,000 for Trinity’s outreach programs and partners.  Trinity parishioners handle all of the functions of the race, from distributing race packets to monitoring the route.  More details will be available soon on how you can help make this year’s race a success.

Subscribe to Trinity’s email updates