Break Open the Word

Trinity Sunday, the First Sunday after Pentecost, 22 May 2016 Acts 2:1-21, or Genesis 11:1-9 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:14-17 Saint John 14:8-17, (25-27) Background: The Rublev Trinity The icon pictured here, so fully identified with the Holy Trinity, is actually titled “The Hospitality of Abraham.   It was written in the 15 th Century by Andrei Rublev, who lived in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra near Moscow, and was trained by Theophanes the Byzantine. The first mention of his work is in 1405 when he wrote icons for the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kremlin in Moscow. The “Hospitality of Abraham” was painted around 1410 and now resides in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. In his depiction, both Abraham and Sarah are not present, but rather the three visitors are shown as a manifestation of the Holy Trinity. Rublev died at Andronikov Monastery in January of 1430. He is venerated in the calendars of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican Com...

The Day of Pentecost, 15 May 2016 Acts 2:1-21, or Genesis 11:1-9 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:14-17 Saint John 14:8-17, (25-27) Background: Whitsunday In many parishes people will wear red on the Day of Pentecost in order to match the color of the vestments for that day. Some churches even place multiple pots of geraniums in order to accentuate the color of the day. In the English church, however, that color has not always been the case. The name “Whitsunday” or “Whitsun” not only comes from the color white, but also from a confusion about the meaning of the word “white” or “whit”. For some the meaning of the day was “Wisdom (wit) Sunday”, an understanding of the gift of wisdom given by the Holy Spirit on this day. The name “Whitsunday” does not appear until after the Norman Conquest.   Prior to that it was called Pentecoste. There are also secular connections as well. The day was seen as first of the summer festivals and was associated with games, dancing an...