As we come to the end of the Easter season, we find ourselves getting ready for the great feast of Pentecost.  It was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the first disciples filling them with the kind of wisdom and courage that inspired them to go beyond themselves and preach the Gospel.  It was the beginning of the church.&...

Yesterday was Ascension Thursday.  This is one of those holy feast days that has been relegated to the back of the liturgical closet and is easily ignored. Yet it has a significant place in the story of the beginnings of the Christian community.  Ascension Thursday occurs forty days after Easter and it celebrates when Jesus makes his ...

And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
 


Last Saturday night St. Matthew’s had its Gatsby Gala and everyone who attended had a delightful time.  It certainly was a special evening that brought together our parish in the spirit ...

I have spent this week in bed with a bad upper respiratory infection.  It is not fun.  Also, the timing is not the best since I have a lot to do with our Gala coming up this Saturday and other important tasks that need my attention.  I am not very patient with being a patient.  However I am keeping myself connected with the ...

On Monday afternoon, we once again encountered the shock of senseless violence in our country as we heard the news of the explosion of bombs at the Finish Line of the Boston Marathon.  As of today, three people have lost their lives and many have lost limbs and suffered horrific injuries.  We have had the opportunity to watch multiple ...

This past Sunday, Sharon Pearson, our Senior Warden gave a wonderful sermon entitled, What do You Believe?  With her permission I have inserted this link to her personal blog so that everyone can read it.
 
For those who will be travelling or taking some time off during the spring break next week, I pray that you have some good times with ...

The Triduum begins tonight and during these three sacred three days we live out the final moments of Jesus’ life. The first night is called Maundy Thursday.  The name Maundy is derived from the Latin “mandatum” or ‘commandment” and this evening we will participate in washing as Jesus washed the feet of his ...

“It’s freezing!” “I want to wear shorts!”  For some reason, my oldest daughter, Grace, who is home for spring break thought it would be a lot warmer in Wilton than it is in Boston.  She brought three pairs of shorts, two tank tops, and no winter coat.  I suggested that she take a geography class to ...

On Wednesday afternoon, Richard Mayberry and I went to visit a parishioner who was recuperating in a rehab facility in Ridgefield, CT.  As we walked down the hallway, it was eerily quiet with none of the residents in sight.  Upon entering our parishioner’s room, we found her gently dosing with the TV turned on to CNN.  After a ...

Today is my daughter’s Gotcha Day.  For those who are not familiar with the term, it simply means the day that I “got” my daughter, Grace, during the process of adopting her from Wuhan, China.  She was exactly six months old and looked like a very fat “Buddha baby”.  In fact, she was a petite and healthy...

In 1980 while I was the Director of Religious Education at St. Joseph’s Church, a Roman Catholic parish in Greenwich Village, we had the honor of having the famous Swiss theologian, Hans Kung come and preach.  The Rev. Kung had served as an advisory theologian at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) but by the time he came to our ...

Last Sunday, Richard Mayberry preached an inspiring sermon that will help all of us have a good beginning to this holy season of Lent.  With his permission, I am sharing it with you
Mary Grace+
 
First Sunday of Lent, 2013
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Luke 4:1-13
 
In the name of the One, Holy, and Living God.
 
Well…..we...

We ended the Season of Epiphany on the weekend of the Blizzard of 2013. Yet despite the weather, we were still able to have a church filled with over 300 people as we enjoyed the Festival of Children at the 10:00 a.m. service.  This was a special morning in many ways.  It was our first joint service for the new Presbyterian pastor, The ...