Mark 16:1-8 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark April 4, 2021 It is a heart-breaking story—of a twelve-year-old girl who survived a nuclear bomb only to die a painful death. Inspired by our Lenten origami project, I read The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes, written by Sue DiCicco and Sadako’s brother Masahiro. There […]
Sermons
Under Her Wings
Luke 13:31-35 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark March 21, 2021 Chickens? Over the course of Lent, we have nested with the marsh wren, sung with the sparrow and soared with the eagle. And now chickens? Chickens do nest, of course, but it’s a stretch to imagine their clucking as a song. And pretty much impossible […]
“Soaring in Circles”
Isaiah 40:28-31, Mark 9:33-35 March 14, 2021 About fifteen years ago, our church welcomed new neighbors—the New England Buddhist Vihara, a Sri Lankan community initially located off Central Street. Jenny Allen tutored several young monks in English. An older monk walked through Edwards Cemetery daily, contentedly contemplating the impermanence of existence. Bhante Aluth, the head […]
In Harmony
Luke 12:6-7 March 7, 2021 God’s eye is on the sparrow—and the Carolina wren and the wood thrush and the black-capped chickadee. They are so small; our human eyes miss them unless they show up at the feeder. God sees them. God hears them, for these tiny songbirds produce glorious music that reverberates far and wide. […]
Home by another way: Caring for Body, Mind and Spirit
Mark 6:30-34 February 7, 2021 Today’s gospel lesson is easily overlooked. Often we read it as the set-up for the much more dramatic feeding of the 5000. Today, we separate it from the miracle and ask what wisdom this deeply human story has for us. Throughout Mark’s gospel, Jesus goes away by himself—or with his […]
Transition
Romans 8:17-27 January 31, 2021 “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now…” The apostle Paul wrote in brilliant, vivid and sometimes convoluted language as he tried to help the early church in Rome make sense of their experience. They were living in complicated times, full of suffering and […]
“Purpose and Passion”
I Samuel 3:1-10 January 17, 2021 Samuel heard a voice—three times. A child assisting in the temple, he assumed the voice was the aging priest Eli asking for a cup of water. Finally, with Eli’s help, he realized he was being called to holy work. Hard work, for his first task was to bring a […]
Realigning
Genesis 1:1-5; Mark 1:4-11 It happened on Epiphany—the Christian holiday whose name means “awakening.” It was certainly an awakening—to truths we have known for a long time but may have been tempted to ignore. On Wednesday, January 6th, I watched in horror as a mob stormed the Capitol. The images of angry men and women […]
Another Way
Matthew 2:1-12; Combined Epiphany Service; Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly Grace and peace to you, Framingham neighbors and siblings in Christ. It is an honor to bring you greetings from the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ, from our new Executive Conference Minister, Rev. Darrell Goodwin and from the Board of Directors of […]
Softly, Listen
Luke 2:8-20 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark December 20, 2020 It was a deceptively peaceful scene, at least as it is depicted in children’s books and Christmas pageants: shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. From our urban and suburban vantage points, we envision gentle people sitting quietly on a […]