The Adventures of Mo. Lauren and Fr. Kenny

Hello Friends!

Now we have passed the 3rd Sunday in Lent, how many of you are still keeping your Lenten devotions?  So far, I am, amazingly!  Anyway, this week’s story from John (4:5-42) is familiar, and loooooong.  I applaud my crucifers for holding the cross high during the whole reading.  Here Jesus meets the Samaritan women at the well and talks to her.  What happens next (or what doesn’t happen)?  Take a listen:

Click through to YouTube, text John 4:5-42

Thanks for stopping by!

Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Sorry for the late posting, this week just ran away from me, and we had a snow day!

March 12th was the 2nd Sunday in Lent and featured a reading that contains 2 very popular “bumper sticker” phrases.  But, we warned, taking Scripture out of context can cause harm, remember that nothing ever happens in a vacuum, take a listen (click through to YouTube):

John 3:1-17 – Sermon, Lent 3, Year A, March 12, 2017

Thanks for stopping by, I hope everyone has a safe St. Patrick’s Day on Friday!

Thanks for stopping by,

Rev. Lauren

Hello Everyone!

March 5th was the First Sunday of Lent.  I love Lent, it gets a bad rap as a depressing time, but it really isn’t.  It is a time to rededicate yourself to Christ through prayer, learning, and yes, fasting.  It doesn’t have to be a depressing time, it can be an enriching time.  Also, purple is my favorite color, so I love the vestments, ha!

The story for the first Sunday is always the same, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  The tempter comes and urges Jesus to make bread from stones, to jump off a cliff, and to take power over all the nations.  What is at stake here is not only what it seems on the surface, resisting temptation.  This is a story about power and identity, and how we choose to use it.  Take a listen:

Matthew 4:1-11, click here to listen on YouTube

Don’t forget that March 12th is Daylight Savings Time!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends,

Last week I went to the Diocese of Massachusetts Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat.  It was around 2 days spent at the Notre Dame convent in Ipswich, MA (click here).  Upon arriving, I discovered 3 things, no cell phone service (gasp), terrible Wifi (double gasp), and that the retreat was SILENT (triple GASP!).  Now, it may have been noted in the sign up that it was silent, but other newcomers were also surprised.  However, in the end, it was a good thing.

Not having cell service and only having  poor internet was also a good thing, except I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to call my husband, which started hours of me trying to at least a text to him to tell him that I couldn’t call.  It was also a problem when I realized that I made a big mistake in the bulletin and couldn’t call my admin to tell her, but, you know, it was great to be disconnected.  Technology in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but our obsession with it can be.  So a day or so without talking, phones, and internet was just what I needed to get ready for Lent.

The speaker taught us about how art and poetry link to Scripture, and we even wrote our own poems and created some art (even though my art is at the level of a 2nd grader).  Overall it was a great retreat, of course Fr. Kenny was there too!

Kenny and Fern check out the view from our room.

Kenny filled in on piano.

Waiting for the speaker to begin.

My artistic rendering of Psalm 95.

I did a lot of exploring around the grounds and found a lot of depictions of St. Julie of Billiart The founder of the Sister of Notre Dame de Nemur (click here for more info).  She promoted the idea that God is indeed good.  I can get on board with that.

St. Julie teaches a child.

St. Julie and the Virgin Mary

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are enjoying a holy Lent!

~Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

This past Sunday was the last Sunday after the Epiphany and we heard the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain top from Matthew.  Peter wants to build structures to house Jesus, Moses, and Elijah forever, thus totally missing the point.  God also scolds Peter for not listening, not taking the time to be still and listen for God.  We can most definitely relate to Peter this week,  take a listen:

Click here for YouTube (no embed today)

The photo on the video today was taken by me!  This is the view from the top of the mountain in Pergamon, overlooking the ancient amphitheater and the modern city of Bergama.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Today we get our last portion of the Sermon on the Mount and a lot of people consider this part the hardest part.  Love your enemies.  That is a tall order, how can we do this?  Through reconciliation, understanding, and conversation, aka hard work.  Take a listen:

Click through to YouTube (no embed today).

Also, Lent is coming up and my church is having a FREE package supper, and it is FREE!

We will also be following Lent Madness, it is really fun and educational, http://www.lentmadness.org

Fr. Kenny and I will be going on retreat tomorrow, stay tuned for some pictures!

~Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

This week we continued in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, and we get to an extremely difficult portion.  Here, Jesus takes the Law and makes it STRICTER.  This doesn’t seem like the “love your neighbor” Jesus we have been reading about all these years, does it?  Well, you have to dig a little bit under the surface….

Matthew 5: 21-37

Click here for YouTube.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

We continue on reading the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew this week, and we hear Jesus proclaim that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  That is wonderful imagery, right?  But what did that mean to the disciples back then, and how does it apply today?

Matthew 5:13-20

For Youtube click here.

I make reference to a study regarding young adults preferring traditional style worship.  Below are links to the articles I reference.  The first is an Opinion piece that references a study from the Barna Group.  The second link goes directly to that Barna Group study.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jesus-doesnt-tweet/2015/04/30/fb07ef1a-ed01-11e4-8666-a1d756d0218e_story.html?

http://www.barna.com/research/designing-worship-spaces-with-millennials-in-mind/#.VS0dfxPF-4O

Thanks for stopping by!

Rev. Lauren.

PS- GO PATS!

Hello Friends,

This past Sunday gave us Matthew 5:1-12, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.  This will continue for the weeks leading up to Lent.  The beginning of the sermon is the Beatitudes, or the “blessed are” sentences.  Jesus starts his greatest sermon with a list of blessings.  Why?  Well, take a listen.  I apologize for the recording today.  I have a bad cold and lost my voice, there for the sermon is shorter than usual, and doesn’t sound like it normally does.  If you are a fan of “Friends,” you can hear me singing “Smelly Cat” at the start of the recording.

Matthew 5:1-12

Click here for YouTube.

There has been a lot of craziness in the news lately regarding our Muslim brothers and sisters and the closing of the borders to refugee and Muslim people.  I urge you to remember that Jesus welcomes all people, no matter the religion.  We are all children of Abraham, sisters and brothers in faith and we should act like it.

Thanks for stopping by,

Rev. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Sorry for the late upload, I had some technical trouble, therefore I had to record the sermon in my apartment instead of live (so it sounds a little different).

This weeks Gospel selection from Matthew (4:12-23) has a lot going on.  The second half of it deals with Jesus calling 4 of the disciples, and that is what I focused on this week.  We all have a calling of some kind, the key is to figure it out, listen for God’s voice, and then follow it.  Also, I talk about the Boston Women’s March for Equality.  I attended and it was a wonderful event.  Below are some photos.

Click here for YouTube

Thanks for stopping by!

Rev. Lauren