March 19, 2023 ~ Fourth Sunday in Lent Rev. Beckie Sweet In 2019, Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old, 5’6” 140 lb Black man. He was a massage therapist who loved animals and taught himself to play the guitar and the violin. Elijah used to play his violin for stray cats because he believed that music helped to calm them. On a hot afternoon in August of 2019, in Aurora, Colorado, Elijah stopped at a convenience store to purchase...
Read MoreMarch 12, 2023 ~ Third Sunday in Lent Rev. Beckie Sweet We are nearly at the mid-point of our journey through Lent. As we prepare for a joyous celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, we realize that we have work to do in our own lives, and congregation, community and world, in order to live into the reign of God on earth which was and is God’s intention for creation. As humans, we don’t usually look forward to addressing the...
Read MoreMarch 5, 2023 ~ Second Sunday in Lent Rev. Beckie Sweet Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see. I am guessing those lyrics were going through your mind as the Festival Chimes played that beautiful arrangement of this powerful, favorite hymn for us. This hymn is the most frequently requested hymn when planning memorial services for our loved...
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Read MoreFebruary 26, 2023 ~ First Sunday in Lent The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas is the dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She is the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral. She, as a black queer woman, is considered to be a leader in the fields of womanist theology, racial reconciliation, and sexuality in the Black Church. She is an award winning and powerful...
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