In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz continues our observance of the Season of Creation, reflecting on a daily devotional about the wood frog (see above): an unlikely creature whose resilience and joyful song evoke awe and wonder. Connecting this to the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin, she reminds us of God’s boundless love in seeking what is lost and rejoicing when it is found. As we consider endangered habitats and fragile ecosystems, we are called to cherish all creation, to restore what is broken, and to live gratefully as part of God’s ecological whole.

This week, the rector invites us into the Season of Creation (Sept. 1–Oct. 5), a time shared with Christians worldwide to honor our place in the larger community of Earth. With the theme “Peace With Creation,” we will bring concerns for climate, land, water, and all creatures into our liturgies and forums. Opportunities include joining SunDay events focused on clean energy, participating in Climate Week, and even helping at an art build here at Ascension. Mother Liz reminds us that care for Creation nourishes our spirits as well as the Earth itself.

This week, Fr. Ed reflects on the Letter to the Hebrews, written to a community under persecution and transformation nearly 2,000 years ago. Its call to mutual love, hospitality, and solidarity with the imprisoned and oppressed still speaks powerfully today. He draws connections between the struggles of early Christians and our own era—marked by injustice, displacement, and communal trauma—while celebrating the ways our parish lives out these universal values through advocacy, service, and welcome, joining in God’s work of transformation.

This week, Fr. Ed reflects on the gospel story of Jesus healing the woman “bent over and unable to stand up straight,” drawing a parallel to the weight of communal trauma many carry today. He reminds us that Jesus’ gift was not only physical but spiritual life — a love that continues to sustain and empower us. Fr. Ed invites us to recognize where we encounter that spirit of love in our own lives and to channel it into hope-filled action, standing up for those in need through prayer, advocacy, and compassion.

This week, Fr. Ed shares a personal and spiritual journey inspired by his late uncle, a monk who moved from Trappist life alongside Thomas Merton to decades of spiritual exploration in Asian ashrams. Reflecting on Letter to the Hebrews’ vision of a shared, unfinished perfection, Fr. Ed weaves together his own studies in Modern Buddhism, the practice of meditation, and the Christian call to universal compassion. He invites us to see how these traditions converge in cultivating inner peace and awakening the spirit to our deep, God-given connection with one another.