by Kent French, September 29, 2022
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking God Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. This Sunday, we look forward to welcoming the Reverend Carrington Moore, Executive Director of common cathedral, one of our ministry partners that holds worship every Sunday, rain or shine on Boston Common for the city’s unhoused community. Many of you will remember when we have welcomed common cathedral and common art in the past. Reverend Carrington is also the Assistant Pastor for Discipleship at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. Reverend Carrington writes: There is something very sacred and… Read More
by Kent French, September 22, 2022
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking God Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. Many of us in this congregation lead busy lives. We fill our time with appointments, meetings, to-do lists, commitments, for ourselves and for our families. And too often, it’s how we evaluate if our life has meaning: am I doing enough? Am I busy enough? One appointment we’re likely to leave off of our calendars is a daily appointment with God. God is less concerned with how busy we are, than how centered we are. How grounded… Read More
by Kent French, September 15, 2022
Last Sunday, we had a lively Welcome Back worship service on the lawn, punctuated with a last-minute rain shower and a quick pivot to move our usual outdoor picnic indoors. Amy and I spoke of the importance of call — how God calls us individually and how God is calling us as a congregation amid a building crisis. At the heart of discerning God’s call for our lives is prayer, an active, ongoing, direct conversation with God. We heard last week how Moses had a direct conversation to God, mostly protesting why he couldn’t accept God’s call and request for… Read More
by Kent French, September 08, 2022
This Sunday, we will hold worship on our front lawn. Family worship at 9:45am Welcome Back worship at 11am Followed by an all-parish lunch on the lawn! At the heart of our church’s vision (from 2012) is the idea of “Call-Equip-Serve,” meaning that each one of us is: 1. Called to do some kind of ministry, and can be 2. Equipped by our church community to do it, so that we can 3. Serve effectively in the world. I often wonder how we could lean into more of this core mission. I wonder how many of you feel like you… Read More
by Kent French, September 01, 2022
Summer Worship Series: New Beginnings This summer, we learn more about the faith lives of our members as they reflect on what it means to embark on new beginnings. “Morning by morning, new mercies I see,” is a line we lovingly sing from the old hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” It echoes these words from Lamentations 3: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for God’s compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Each day we’re given a new beginning. Sometimes, however, we’re not willing, ready or able to embrace it. So what does it mean to commit… Read More
