Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Some of the text of this weekend’s scripture can sound like word salad–confusing at best and challenging to our understanding of God’s wide welcome. So, we read closely and may be invited into an expansive conception of God and God’s desires for humanity, even through Jesus. Bring your questions, bring your certainties, bring your love and your worries and be part of a community where you are welcome.
Worship at Home Materials: We will be offering worship in-person as well as on Zoom this coming Sunday. Coffee & tea are available after the church service. We ask that if you have not yet been vaccinated you attend worship via Zoom.
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostle Acts 2:42-47
Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! This weekend, we perhaps move more reflectively through our days with a shared feeling of loss following Rob’s death. I am struck this morning by the timeliness of the scripture readings for tomorrow’s worship, which speak of the disciples’ sadness and how they come to a place of hope. Our lives, our faith is like this, reflecting the sometimes steep arcs of human emotions. And folks, we do the best we can as we live through these moments. Our scripture also–and always–reminds us that love is the heart of the gospel, and is the call to the disciples as they configure themselves as a new body of faith, looking forward to the ways they can continue to love as they have been loved. This is the good news we share in tomorrow as we continue to celebrate the joy of resurrection! Blessings and peace, Lisa
Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Spring has sprung, in perfect timing with Eastertide! We continue our celebration of the resurrection this weekend as we remember the stories of Jesus’ returning to meet with his disciples. The stories and the hope do not stop there, however, and tomorrow morning we will look at the way in which we are heirs of the same promises.
Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! On this glorious Saturday morning, looking forward to an equally beautiful Easter Sunday, we have much to be thankful for. That said, there is no moment in which someone we love is not hurting about something. Suffering as part of our human experience is inevitable, but so is the promise of renewal, of healing, of rebirth. The depth of these truths has been profoundly expressed in the services of this Holy Week and the joy God promises is something we share tomorrow. We gather at 5:30 at the parking lot at the Hayes Trail on Blue Hill Mountain for our sunrise service. Deep thanks to Stu Davis for playing opening music on guitar and to Hunt Gressitt (and her roadie, Robert) for playing her portable organ for our singing! It will be a cold morning, but brilliant in the light of hope!
At 10:00, we worship again in the sanctuary, and are grateful to Clair Maxwell for offering an organ postlude. And always, we thank Ann Boudreaux for her leadership of our choir and other musicians, as well as keeping our worship tech running smoothly. Friends, in the face of despair, we have hope. In the midst of pain, we have healing. Let us celebrate together!
Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! Grace–we receive it without ever deserving it. Peace–we long for it as we regularly struggle to understand the degree of violence around us. As we approach Palm Sunday tomorrow, when we remember with joy the way that Jesus was exalted on his way to Jerusalem, we also know the violence that so quickly follows. Holy Week reminds us of this contradiction each year, while we await the best news we might anticipate: the promise of resurrection. Working through the tensions of this week of remembrance may feel especially profound this year, as we struggle with the sadness and anger that follow yet another school shooting, on the heels of suicide by gun in our own community. What does our faith teach us about how to respond to grief, anger and the anticipation of loss? Join us as we seek answers and pose more questions together.
