Category: News

This week, the rector reflects on the power and purpose of The Prayers of the People, a vital expression of our shared faith and compassion. Through these prayers, we lift up the needs of our world — those who are ill, grieving, or oppressed — and give thanks for the blessings that sustain us. She shares two urgent petitions from the wider church: for Ali Faqirzada, an asylum seeker detained by ICE, and Layan Nasir, a Palestinian Christian held without charge. Mother Liz invites us to persist in prayer for justice and to practice gratitude that strengthens and unites our community.

In this week’s newsletter, Mother Liz looks at the courage of prophetic voices, inspired by Jeremiah’s scroll being destroyed by King Jehoiakim and rewritten in defiance. She draws a parallel to our own time, lifting up the quiet but powerful witness of librarians standing against book bans and censorship that target stories about LGBTQ+ lives, race, and justice. Like Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch, they persist in speaking truth and protecting the right to read — often at personal risk. Mother Liz invites us to honor their courage and consider how we too might stand for integrity and our most vulnerable neighbors.

This week, the rector reflects on the story of the ten lepers, only one of whom returns to thank Jesus after being healed. She explores the connection between faith, gratitude, and true healing — not just physical restoration but the deep awareness of belonging and abundance. Quoting Robin Wall Kimmerer, she reminds us that gratitude binds us in relationship with God, one another, and all creation. In a world marked by fear and division, practicing gratitude becomes both healing and holy work. How will you say “thank you” today?

This week, Mother Liz invites us to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals following the 11 am service on Sunday. All creatures are welcome — whether in person, through photos, or even in beloved stuffed form — as we give thanks for their companionship, joy, and mystery. In blessing them, we recognize their place in God’s creation, their role in awakening our compassion and wonder, and our kinship with them as fellow creatures. May we cherish and protect them, and remember that we too are animals, blessed to be a blessing.

This week, Mother Liz reflects on Jeremiah’s symbolic purchase of a field while imprisoned during the Babylonian siege — a striking act of hope amid devastation. Though exile and ruin loomed, Jeremiah preserved the deed as a sign that “houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.” In our own times of crisis and uncertainty, we are invited to consider how small, faithful actions can witness to God’s future: investing in justice, caring for neighbors and creation, and nurturing hope for generations yet to come.

This Sunday, everyone is welcome to join us for Welcome Back Sunday, a joyful celebration of returning to full parish life after summer. The season turns with the cooler air, the return of our choir, and the resumption of two Sunday morning services. (The 6 pm Sunday service of Meditation & Sacrament continues, as well.) We’ll mark the occasion with festive fellowship and opportunities to reconnect with parish programs. At its heart, “coming home” means belonging — finding shelter in God and in one another, where faith, doubts, joys, and sorrows are all embraced. Whether longtime members or newcomers, all are warmly welcomed home.

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.