Chapel

Then the Lord said to me, "Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?"

And I replied, "I see a branch from an almond tree."

And the Lord said, "That's right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans." Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, "What do you see now?"

And I replied, "I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north."

"Yes," the Lord said, "for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken! They will set their thrones at the gates of the city. They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah."  –Jeremiah 1:11-15

The Boston Trinity Academy community "gathered" Wednesday morning to praise and worship God although in the midst of isolation. Headmaster Frank Guerra delivered an encouraging message, taken from another man who lived in an unsettled time: the prophet Jeremiah.

What is God’s call, and how can we hear it? Mrs. Rebekah Guerra, Dean of the Boston Trinity Academy Middle School, addressed those questions in Chapel on Wednesday morning.

When Mrs. Guerra was little, she wanted to be a vet. “As you all know, I am not a vet,” Mrs. Guerra quipped. She never imagined she would be a teacher, yet here she is. What happened?

Following the observation of the beginning of Lent, Boston Trinity Academy alumna Amanda Perkins ('14) addressed Chapel attendees. During her junior year at BTA, Amanda was instrumental in starting the Micah Conference, an annual gathering aimed at teaching teens how to fight social injustices. She is now in ministry as part of the staff of FOCUS Boston.

Amanda began by asking, "Is there freedom at the bottom of the well?" She reminded her audience of the story of Joseph (Genesis 37), thrown into a dry well by his scheming brothers. "A ridiculous question," Amanda said. "Think of Joseph. Was he free? Joseph was the least free you could possibly imagine. He was in a situation of intense limitation."

"Enthusiastic" is the only appropriate word to describe High School Pastor Jon Kim of Grace Chapel, Lexington, as he addressed Chapel attendees Wednesday morning.

Pastor Kim confessed to being quite an avid sports fan; he loves all Boston sports teams but is an especially fervent admirer of Celtics player Jayson Tatum. One Sunday about two years ago, Jayson Tatum attended a Grace Chapel service, and Pastor Kim got to meet his basketball hero. He could not contain his excitement and texted "I met Jayson Tatum!" to everyone he knew.

English, History, and Bible faculty member Mr. Geoff Hicks opened Chapel Wednesday morning by singing the African-American spiritual "Hold On Just a Little While Longer," as Boston Trinity Academy celebrates Black History Month. Following this lovely rendition, Mr. Hicks spoke of two struggles which have historically shaped the Black Church in America: The struggle to overcome injustice and finding the best method to eradicate it altogether.