Two weeks ago, Ascension joined churches and other groups throughout the country in ringing our bells as a solemn memorial to the enslaved Africans who arrived on these shores 400 years ago, as well as in repentance for slavery and its legacy that continues to the present day. This past Sunday, September 8, 2019, our service included further reflections on how slavery has shaped our history and our present moment, and how our faith calls us to do justice and seek healing in light of the scriptures for the day. You can listen to the sermon by our Rector with this link. The liturgy featured special music by guest baritone Malcolm Merriweather, singing Spirituals and pieces by African American composers. It is part of an ongoing conversation we will have at Ascension this year, so stay tuned. Much gratitude to the NYTimes for the tremendous resource provided by the 1619 Project. You can access the NY Times link here. For reading guides, activities, and other resources to bring The 1619 Project into your classroom, check out pulitzercenter.org/1619.
Newsletter
Parish News: May 17
In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz celebrates the parish’s feast day with Malcolm Guite’s sonnet on the Ascension, exploring its paradoxes: ending and beginning, absence and presence, humanity and divinity. Jesus leaves the disciples to fill all things with even more profound intimacy, and it is his broken, still-wounded body—”the heart that broke for all the broken hearted”—that ascends to God’s heart. The rector invites us to sit with these mysteries during the “dazzling darkness” between Ascension and Pentecost, pondering how we are held and hidden with Christ while called to be his presence in a world of crisis, wonder, and grief.
