Kristina DeFrancesco
Prayer for a New Day
Prayer for a New Day
Worship, News
Kristina DeFrancesco
Blessing of the Animals October 3

Join us October 3 at 5pm for an outdoor Blessing of the Animals. Animals on leashes or in carriers are warmly welcome, as are stuffed animals and photos.

Blessing of the Animals October 3
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Easter 7 (5/16/21) – Kyra Cook

“I am not a priest—I just poorly play one on Facebook live. My study of the Bible is relatively recent and shallow—I didn’t find my way into regular worship until I met Gene. Sure, my childhood featured Easter Sunday services in fluffy Talbots dresses and two-weeks each summer of Vacation Bible School… but those were less an expression of my belief in God than they were my being easily bribed by flowery dresses and weeks of time at Grandma’s house.

I’m not a rector, but Iama writer. I’ve consumed a lot of stories in all sorts of different media. I love the craft of storytelling, and the tropes and tools we writers use to tell a story right. That’s why I think I love John’s gospel.”

Easter 7 (5/16/21) – Kyra Cook
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Easter 4 (4/25/21) – David Urion

“This fourth Sunday of the Easter season is awash in images of shepherds and flocks. This Gospel passage, and the 23rd psalm from which its imagery derives. The original audience listening to Rabbi Jesus would have been more than familiar with the frequent use of images of sheep and flocks in scripture and teaching.

Years ago, when I dropped out of college for a bit of time that was graciously considered by the dean of students as a “leave of absence”, I lived on a farm in the Upper Connecticut Valley in New Hampshire. This farm raised blueberries and trees and was self-sustaining for its own produce. Living there was, quite literally, living off the land. Like most New England farmers, the man who owned the farm was responsive to his neighbors’ needs. Farming in New England is not for the faint of heart and you survive in solidarity with the other resolute souls who try to earn their living out of that stony ground and frequently harsh climate. One of the neighbors kept sheep, and when he would need to leave town for a time, we took care of his sheep. It was thus that I had a very short-career as a not very capable shepherd. The Mediocre Shepherd, you might say.”

Easter 4 (4/25/21) – David Urion
Sermon
Kristina DeFrancesco
Easter 2 (4/11/21) – Garrett Yates

Easter Sunday puts a pause on the world’s worries: pilgrims make their pilgrammages; choirs belt out their strong hallelujah’s; the pope says mass for thousands; preachers mock death; the adorned altar proclaims spring, and for a brief shining moment the hope of Jesus Christ risen is tangible. But then the world blinks, as it were, loses its concentration and returns its attention to other pressing matters: COVID variants in the air, a border in disarray, a boiling planet and brutal gun violence. Then it turns to look for this hope again, and it’s gone. An array of forces is approaching us led by the baddest bully of them all: death. Where is that Easter bravado today?

One week after, do you still believe in Easter? How? There was once a man who did not believe in Easter. His name was Thomas the Twin; we might call him St. Skepticus.

Easter 2 (4/11/21) – Garrett Yates

Lent 4 - Breathing Under Water

Lent 4 - Breathing Under Water

“What does it mean to ‘breathe underwater?’ I’ll be the first to say, I have no idea. There was no class on any of this in seminary. And yet, before we grow any supernatural gills, we need to recognize that we are underwater. The indefiniteness of this moment; the uncertainty of it strikes us all differently, and yet the feeling of being underwater is a good one–some of us might feel like life is a massive undertow, and for others of us it is the dread of looking down and not being able to see the bottom.”

Lent 3 - Fear - Greg Johnston (3/15/20)

Lent 3 - Fear - Greg Johnston (3/15/20)

“I don’t know what you’re feeling right now. Confusion, or fear? Anxiety, or panic? Whatever you’re feeling, God is right there with you. If you can’t ‘shout for joy to the Rock of [your] salvation’ right now, then wail in lament and growl in frustration. If you can’t ‘come before [God’s] presence with thanksgiving,’ then ‘raise a loud shout’ of fear and anxiety. Trust me, there are plenty of psalms for that.”

Lent 2 - Springsteen Born Again - Garrett Yates (3/8/20)

Lent 2 - Springsteen Born Again - Garrett Yates (3/8/20)

“‘You must be born again,’ says Jesus. ‘If you want to see the Kingdom of God, you must be born again.’ What does that mean? Some Episcopalians get a little nervous, a little anxious, with that phrase. We associate the phrase at its best with Jimmy Carter, and at its worst with the televangelist. The holy roller. The guy with iridescent teeth and a silky tent revival voice, he and his wife rocking the bouffant hair. Is that what you want from us, Jesus?”