MY WORK REQUIRES ME to travel frequently to many different countries, so I often find myself in foreign places on Sundays — sometimes not in Christian countries. Last December in Moslem Kuala Lumpur, I saw all kinds of Christmas decorations and heard Christmas songs and carols everywhere.
IT’S CURIOUS that traditional Lenten behavior should be self-centered — as in self-abasement, penance, self-denial. Sections of scripture, such as the three for today, clearly enjoin us to not settle for self-involvement and sacrifice, but to make ourselves useful: “to loose the bonds of wickedness … to share your bread with the hungry.”
AS I LIVE, by choice, in the sophisticated, educated and often jaded society that prevails in this city, friends are surprised that I maintain the spiritual beliefs that were instilled in me at an early age. What can an intelligent, thinking person gain from adhering to old stories and rituals when science provides insight into our creation, psychology explains our behavior, and popular moral standards fluctuate like the stock exchange? And yet, I still go to church.
Our savior, who calls us always to draw nearer, closer still in the movement that informs our lives, sustain us in our struggle to give ourselves wholly to thee. Help us, we pray, to increasingly make all that we are called to be have only thee at our center.
The second annual “Blessing of the Animals” service will held in the front garden on October 7th at 12:30 pm. Please invite your pets and friends to join us as we celebrate the love and appreciation of all God’s creatures through the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi.
Dear Fellow Parishioners, The Vestry has approved an application process for those interested in serving on the Search Committee for our next Rector. Anyone who would like to be considered for service on the committee must submit an application. You will find a link to the application form and instructions for filling it out at the bottom of this page. The deadline for submitting
Sunday, September 23 at 11:00 am our guest preacher is Dr. Deirdre Good, Professor of New Testament Studies at General Theological Seminary. A graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, Dr. Good specializes in the Synoptic Gospels, Christian Origins, non-canonical writings and biblical languages (Greek and Coptic). While she is an American citizen, she grew up in Kenya where her parents were missionaries. She is
Our Summer of Proclamation Series will continue next Sunday, August 19th, at the 11:00 am service as we welcome Ascension parishioner and EfM student Meredith Ward to the pulpit. Please join us as Meredith shares her perspective on our scripture readings.
Join the festivities at the Ascension Water Table to mark the occasion of the 43rd Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots as we hand out water to marchers. If you wish to RSVP contact Steve Hubbard or sign up on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. We may have a large crowd near the church since the march route was shortened last year to
Last Sunday we celebrated and blessed the beauty of God’s creation in our gardens around the church. At a special Garden Party coffee hour after the 11am service we honored those whose hearts and hands keep our gardens so special. Come worship with us and see our beautiful church, gardens and flowers!